- @Docking
Yes, in countries where it is banned you can actually dock a tail for medical reasons. Such as the dog had their tail stepped on and broken beyond repair by something, or they accidentally split their tail open by wagging too much and having it catch on something. (It happened to my male cousin's dog (When he had the dog) and the tail was very awkwardly docked.)
Historically it was thought to prevent rabies, strengthen the back, increase the animal's speed, and prevent injuries. One of the more notorious reasons for docking a tail was for dogs in the dog-fighting industry. The tails and ears would be cut so the opposing dog couldn't grab onto the appendages. Docking was also done by shepherds and farmers on their herding dogs, and by hunters and gunmen on their hunting dogs. It was to prevent injury while the dogs were working, be it by the dogs having their tails stepped on, or by them accumulating burrs on the tail which led to abrasions and infection. However that's a bit silly as dogs of those breeds usually carried their tails a certain way to prevent this: The herding dogs naturally carried their tails low and partially tucked underneath them so it couldn't be stepped on, and the hunting dogs held their tails high and curled over their backs so the undergrowth couldn't snag on it. Then of course the practice was used for cosmetic reasons, be it because the look was thought to be cute, or because it was simply historical and tradition to dock the tails of those breeds of dogs even if they weren't being worked like they used to.
