Image of a natural tailed Brittany

Image of a natural tailed Brittany from Edenbright kennel

Some of our clients ask us if they can get a puppy from us with a natural tail. The short answer is yes, but let me explain.

The breed standard still calls for a docked tail although tail docking is currently banned in some countries now. That is to say if you want to show your Brittany, it should have a docked tail even though natural tails are starting to be allowed.

It is important to note as well that there is a bob tail gene in the Brittany breed but this is very often associated with neurological problems and should not be pursued by ethical breeders in my opinion.

Natural tails do have a habit of clearing tables, or in excited field dogs being whipped against things like the inside of a dog box or walls or furniture until they are injured and bloodied.

It is also important to not that Brittanys have not been selectively bred for a specific tail or tailset, so it isn’t consistent across the breed and not what I would consider attractive.

That being said to some people it is still important to have a natural tail on their dog. I can understand that and accommodate that in specific situations.

You need to understand that a litter of undocked Brittany tails is not a sign of a progressive breeder, rather it is a sign of a neglectful breeder that doesn’t have experience with the breed. Tails are meant to be docked when the puppy is between 2-5 days old. The reason for this is that the nerves in puppies this age do not register “pain” the way it would in older puppies. There is some temporary pain and discomfort with tail docking and dew claws being removed, but when I say temporary, it really is more about being restrained. As soon as they are put back in the whelping box they go straight back to nursing and there is no recollection of what just happened.

Since the tails must be docked so early the only way you can get a natural tailed puppy from us is:

  1. You must have a reservation for first pick. For example first pick orange and white male
  2. The puppy must be paid in full before it is born. Since not every client wants a natural tail leaving one would change the value of the puppy and limit which homes it would be wanted for. If someone wanted to have a tail docked on an older puppy it is a more involved surgery and a longer recovery time. The puppy would also experience a lot more pain during recovery.
  3. The puppy must be selected the day they are born. Since the tail is going to be left natural it must be chosen before the tails are to be docked since the rest of the litter is going to be docked. Understand this means you are selecting your puppy based on color and gender and your gut feeling alone.