Tail docking of dogs in Wales - an overview

Defra launched a public consultation in January 2002 on reviewing existing animal welfare legislation. It was accepted that the Protection of Animals Act 1911 was outdated and needed enhancing according to modern day good practice and advances in veterinary science. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force on 6th April 2007.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006, which contains a general ban on the tail docking of dogs, and the limited exemptions to it, applies to England and Wales only. However, regulations detailing how working dogs are identified and certificated have been made separately in the two countries and differ in certain details. The following information relates to Wales only.

Exemptions for working dogs in Wales.

The docking of dogs’ tails has been banned in Wales since 27 March 2007. There are exemptions from the ban for certain types of working dog. If you are the new owner or keeper of a working dog which has had its tail docked you will need to make sure that this had been done in accordance with the new regulations.

The exemption allows certain types of working dog to have their tails docked by a vet. This must be done when the dog is not more than 5 days old. If your dog has had its tail docked by a vet, the breeder or seller of the dog will have been given a certificate which they should pass on to you.

The docked dog will also have to be micro-chipped before it is 3 months of age. If you get the dog before it is 3 months old, we would encourage you to make sure that it is micro-chipped before taking ownership and that the certificate has been completed in all parts. Veterinary surgeons are the only persons who are allowed to decide that a dog may have its tail docked.

The dog will have to be of a certain type in order to be docked. They are:

• Spaniels - English Springer Spaniel, Welsh Springer Spaniel Cocker Spaniel, but not any combinations of breeds
• Terriers - Jack Russell Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Lakeland Terrier Norfolk Terrier but not any combinations of breeds
• Hunt Point Retrieve - Braque Italian, Brittany, German Long Haired Pointer, German Short-Haired Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Hungarian Vizsla, Hungarian Wire Haired Vizsla, Italian Spinone, Spanish Water Dog, Weinmaraner, Korthals Griffon, Slovakian Rough Haired Pointer, Large Munsterlander, Small Munsterlander

Evidence required in the support of legal tail docking

The puppy must be presented with the dam, and a statement provided by the owner (or the owner’s representative) that the dog is intended to work in one of the specified areas below. Additional evidence related to the particular type of work the dog will perform is also required. It is crucial that members take all available paperwork with them when they go to the vet, including printouts of the document below together with the proofs of working status etc.

(a) law enforcement,
(b) activities of Her Majesty’s armed forces,
(c) emergency rescue,
(d) lawful pest control, or
(e) the lawful shooting of animals.

Additional evidence

A current shotgun or firearm certificate issued to the owner of the dog, or to the agent or employee of the owner most likely to be using the dog for work in connection with the lawful shooting of animals OR

A letter from a gamekeeper, a land occupier (or his agent), a person with shooting rights, a shoot organiser, a club official, or a person engaged in lawful pest control, stating that the breeder of the dog whose tail is to be docked is known to him and that dogs bred by that breeder have been used (as the case may be) on his land, or in his shoot, or for pest control.

Must a vet dock a working dog’s tail if asked to do so?

No – the decision is discretionary. The legislation does not require a vet to dock an eligible dog’s tail.

Click here to view the current RCVS advice to vets on tail docking

Law on showing docked dogs

A dog docked before the 28 March 2007 in Wales and 6 April 2007 in England may continue to be shown at all shows in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland throughout its natural life.

A dog docked on, or after, the above dates, irrespective of where it was docked, may not be shown at shows in England and Wales where the public is charged a fee for admission.

However, where a working dog has been docked in England and Wales under the respective regulations set out above, it may be shown where the public are charged a fee, so long as it is shown “only to demonstrate its working ability”. It will thus be necessary to show working dogs in such a way as ONLY to demonstrate their working ability and not conformity to a standard.

A dog legally docked in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or abroad may be shown at any show in Scotland or Northern Ireland

Find out more

Click here for a Welsh Assembly Government information leaflet