# Can mixed breed dogs be born without a tail?



## dutchgal (Jan 26, 2012)

My mix doesn't have a tail. He has one tiny stump, which is really short. He can't even move it. Can mixed breed dogs be born without a tail? I have no idea what kind of mix he is. Or do you think it was docked? And if a tail is docked, is it normal to dock it so short? 

I was just wondering about this.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

dutchgal said:


> My mix doesn't have a tail. He has one tiny stump, which is really short. He can't even move it. Can mixed breed dogs be born without a tail? I have no idea what kind of mix he is. Or do you think it was docked? And if a tail is docked, is it normal to dock it so short?
> 
> I was just wondering about this.


The gene for bob tails in 

Australain Shepherds
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Swedish Valhund
and a few other breeds

Is a dominant gene, if the gene is passed on to the offspring (there is a 50% chance of passing it on in a bob tail to full tail breeding) the offspring will then have a bobbed tail (of various lengths) this bob tail gene can be passed on easily thru the generations.

For example if you breed a natural bob tailed Aussie to a Labrador you will have a 50% chance of having bob tailed puppies, then if you breed one of those bob tailed mixes to a German ShepherdxHusky mix you will again have 50% chance of having bob tailed puppies. You can have very mixed up pups who carry the bob tailed trait of one of their purebred great great ect. grandparents.


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## Spicy1_VV (Jun 1, 2007)

Yeah of course. A tailed animal can be born without a tail.

Like Keechak mentioned in dogs Dominant Gene and congenital defect can also cause a bob or shortened tail. If you breed a dog with bobbed tail some of the pups will likely come out bobbed if it's genetic.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

Hamilton is a small mixed breed. He has a long tail, one of his sisters had a long tail, and the other sister had a little stub tail! I asked if anything had happened to it but the kennel worker said she was born with it. It was maybe 25% the size of the other two pups tails.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

My neighbor's dog doesn't have a tail at all, as far as they know she was born like that. She was a few years old when they adopted her so it can't be known for certain if it was removed or she was born that way. The fact that there really isn't even a stubby tail makes me think she was born like that. She's a very heinz 57 black dog about 50# no telling how far back in her lineage or what source she got the tailless gene though.


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