PC,
as someone who breeds and exhibits Rotties I have to respectfully disagree with you on this point. The docking of Rottie tails was always functional based on the jobs they were bred to do. That's why it was part of the breed standard in every country all over the world.

Several years ago, the animal rights groups lobbied to get Germany to change their standard and the rest of the European countries pretty much followed suit.

Here in the states, we maintain the "original" standard: tails docked short, close to the body, within one or two vertebrae.

I'm not going to comment on the "global" correctness of cropping or docking. Or on far more important issues such as global warming. I will simply say that in the US, the AKC Rottweiler Standard calls for dogs to be exhibited docked.

Having docked 17 puppies over the past 10 years I can tell you that it leaves no long-term trauma. In fact, done at 3 days, it has no impact on the pups after 24 hours.

Jim