No. I do not believe in docking poodles’ tails for appearance only. They have AMAZING natural tails – wonderful long tails that are incredibly expressive. Docking is already disallowed in many countries – hopefully the US will soon follow suit. I cannot – will not – subject my babies to having their tails amputated at 3 days old just because that’s what’s expected for a poodle. Have a look at the Tail Docking & Dewclaws page for a ton of information about why I feel so strongly, as well as a video of Charm – who has a natural tail – showing it off.
Dewclaws, they’ve proven, are very much like thumbs for dogs and are indeed used. It’s a digit amputation to remove them and here again, I find no good reason to put a puppy through that, and remove something they do indeed use, just because. So your puppy will have 2 extra nails to cut (dewclaws are only on the front feet!). Again, please head to the Tail Docking & Dewclaws page for a lot more in-depth info.