Hello everyone,

  I was watching a dog show today on TV and noticed something that I've seen many times before. Its simple really. It was mostly the Terrior group, but I noticed a lot of the smaller dogs that had to stand on a table were being held strangely. When the judge was finished looking over them, the handler would pick them up and put them on the floor. But they would grab the dogs by their tails (!) and their necks/chest and put them down. Some would pick the dog up with both hands on the chest and stomach while others did this tail thing. So all the dogs weight was being supported by its small tail and neck. Why do the handlers do this? As of now, I don't believe it is very nice. But, I am open to be proven wrong. Could someone inform me on why handlers hold their dogs by their tails and necks? Thank you!

-Tara

I have no idea why it is done (have been told but can't remember) and it seems to be very common within the terriers!  It doesn't seem to do any damage to them but I don't know, personally I think it looks crule, but I am not all that sure that it is!

Is their any Terrier people who can give us answers to this, I know it is becomming less common!

Rox

Hi - I agree with you it looks horrid!

However, terriers were designed to 'go to ground' after vermin (foxes, rabbits, whatever) and so were in holes, and may need to be forcibly extracted. Thus the tails should have enough length to have a full hand-hold to withdraw them. A very short dock makes this impossible.
:)

It is something that is normally only done with terriers.  Apparently they have extremely strong tails and these were often used to retrieve a dog which had gone to earth.  It looks horrible but doesn't seem to worry or hurt the terriers who are extremely hardy dogs in any case.  Lifting them like that does prevent their coats being disturbed for the breeds like Scotties or Westies.

With toy dogs like mine we pick them up with one hand at the front under the chin, supporting the chest, and the other hand at the back under the tail.  I have been taught that if you rock them slightly forwards and backwards (gently, not hurting them) they will stand extremely square and correctly when you put them down on the table or floor so look good for the judge to see them.  It is quite possible that lifting the terriers as you describe will have the same effect for them so they look good when put down.

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

I've noticed this too and can't believe that its not painful.  Dogs down a hole wouldn't have their tails pulled upwards in that way - it would be more backwards surely?  I own a terrier and wouldn't dream of picking him up by the tail - it isn't a handle (rabbits used to be picked up by the ears but now thats known to be cruel it isn't seen so often)

It doesn't bother them at all - do you think if it did all these owners would do it??  Terriers are extremely hardy, we often pull ours back by its tail and yes it was done when pulling them out of holes in the ground and it would be pulled both upward and backward as holes go downwards!

In fact pulling out terriers by their tails has often saved them from going to ground.