Ministry for Primary Industries

Pat from Karori

Are you thinking of buying a puppy soon? Puppies born in October will be close to weaning and ready for their new homes shortly. If you’re looking for a puppy, and the litter was born after 1 October, it must have a tail. We recently introduced new regulations that restrict people from docking dogs' tails. There are a few breeds with naturally ‘bobbed’ tails like the Australian shepherd, but remember: most dogs without a tail have traditionally been docked.

So make sure your new bundle of floof has a tail to tell. Tails are super important for communicating. And not only that! They also look great. In celebration of dogs with tails, we've put together a cute photo gallery of dog breeds that used to get their tails docked – so that you can see them in all their glory. Finally, here's a fun fact! Puppies don’t use their tails until they’re 3-4 weeks old. This is when they start to interact & ‘talk’ to each other. For more information about the new animal welfare regulations that came in on 1 October, visit our website: www.mpi.govt.nz...


Docking of dogs' tails was banned in New Zealand on 1 October 2018. Following on from that, we've put together a gallery of some breeds that often get their tails docked. If you're keen to learn more about the animal welfare regulations that came in on 1 October, visit our website: www.mpi.govt.nz...