Can I just ask anyone who might know......If a dog is illegally docked, presumably it isnt done by a vet, and therefore woudl not have any anaesthetic or painkillers? If this is the case I am pretty disgusted by  a comment by one of the respondents that he doesnt care who docked it or whether it is illegal.My main concern is the cruelty involved if no vet is involved. Maybe that person would like to come to my house and i could amputate their little finger with my bread knife without anaesthetic.

Ah but there is no cruelty involved with docking a pup of two or 3 days of age, and certainly the vet does not give an anaesthetic either.

Puppies are born with very immature nervous systems.  I have watched a video of a Boxer litter being banded and the pups and mother were totally unconcerned, taking them to the vet is far more likely to cause them and their Mum upset that the docking.

Lambs are born with fully developed nervous systems and are docked with no anaesthetic and are also castrated by banding (an elastic band around the testicles), and this latter does cause some to go into partial shock.

I suppose as they can't tell us we will never truly know.

They certainly don't give a pain response, such as they give when the bitch steps on them.