When people ask me about tail docking or changing the appearance of ears, particularly with breeds like Dobermans, I always clarify that no such changes are necessary for our breed; they naturally have their distinct appearance without any alterations. Their ears are inclined to stand straight up in the air. And their tails are like a fingerprint that little knob or what sometimes can almost be a short tail, I have a dog with a tail 2 inches long. it’s never the same on any dog and what’s fascinating to realize is that that bit there at the end is actually the end of the spine. It’s not a bad thing to have a little bit of a tail there because it’s an indicator of the shape of the end of the spine. However, that being said people have an idea that the French bulldogs‘ nub should look like a Porky the pig’s little tail and that can be cute too. Some say that if that little nub is wagging that’s a no-no if you have a show dog. I personally love it if the little thing moves because it shows a bit of emotion. I really miss that wagging tail Business so a bit of a wagging nub is fine with me. And clearly once upon a time, the terrier who is 1/3 of this breed had a tail and it must’ve wagged so that would be the genetic link to the wagging nub of course.

So is there anything that can go wrong with a tail nub or ears? Well although it’s not a common occurrence some dogs have a pocket that resides underneath that nub of the tail and stuff can get stuff caught in there a little bit like a human being’s bellybutton.  Some people get stuff stuck in there too.

Effective Home Remedies Against Dog Infections and Yeast Buildup

If it doesn’t get cleaned out an infection could persist and I have one personal case of a puppy who started losing hair dramatically around its tail and it turned out It had an infection brewing for a long time in the pocket beneath the knob. So to play it safe check your dog under the tail.  Poke your finger up in there making sure it’s clean and dry. Most dogs won’t have anything noticeable and the hole will be so shallow that there really is no cause for concern but occasionally there is a deep crevice under there that needs to be paid attention to. And if you do have one of those crevices under the tail the best thing to keep it safe is to have always your vinegar and  water solution 50-50 ready in a spray bottle and whether it’s under the nub, on top of the nub, for fleas behind the ears, under the chin, in the folders under the eyes- you name it, vinegar and water will assure you no infections in unsightly places that quite frankly are always a result of yeast development.  Vinegar kills yeast and fleas hate it too.

That brings me back to the ears. The number one cause of an ear infection is the build up of yeast in the earwax of the ear. This seems to be less common with mature dogs but young puppies who more constantly are looking for something to chew on with their noses down to the ground bringing ears in an angle that can act as a trap for dust. The dust and dirt or whatever environmental fragments are near fall into the ear and over time can start to fester an infection as the yeast will thrive and grow under a microscope looking much the same way as mold grows on a piece of bread. And what kills it is vinegar! But naturally pour vinegar into that ear,  that would most likely burn like heck but diluting vinegar in a solution of

  • 50% water
  • 50% vinegar

Holistic Ear Care for Dogs: Natural Infection Treatment and Prevention Tips

This is the ideal treatment for also an ear infection as earlier mentioned other crevices of the body. Hold the ear upright and imagine it to be like a cup. You will literally pour the liquid solution directly into the ear until it tops off like water filled to the top of a cup. Then squeeze the ear closed and you will hear the squishing sound of the liquid inside. Do the squishing for maybe five seconds let go and hold your face back as your dog will shake his head hard to empty the liquid out of his ears. My favorite wiping utensil is the fabric of an old washed T-shirt that I lay over the tip of my finger and then push my finger into the ear. Smaller ears do better with smaller fingers. Feel around and rub at all the little crevices. Once you’ve done as much as you can do with the T-shirt now follow with a Q-tip. A nice thing to be aware of is that the dog’s ear canal is shaped like the letter L so there need to be concerned for hitting the eardrum like in the human ear. Slowly and softly poke the Q-tip deep into the ear attempting to remove any dark or colorful matter that shows up on the end of your Q-tip. If you truly have an infection demonstrated by a dog scratching at its ears then repeat this procedure twice a day for seven days in a row. At the end of this time, your infection will have been treated naturally without the added cost of veterinary bills. Let this be a new beginning to alternative solutions for treating your dogs. Have a look at this book which will recite this remedy under your infections listed alphabetically and all written by a veterinarian who practices alternative healing.

See Veterinary Secrets Revealed is my all time favorite help yourself book written by a vet who practices alternative healing.  revealed at Amazon. LINK HERE