Ear cropping and tail docking are cosmetic procedures performed on dogs without medical indication. The welfare case against these procedures is strong and bans are expanding globally.
Ear cropping and tail docking cause pain for cosmetic reasons with no welfare benefit to the animals involved. Neonatal tail docking, performed without anesthesia in the first days of life, is not pain-free as neonates do feel pain. Ear cropping requires weeks of painful post-operative care. Both procedures are banned in most developed countries and breed standard reform continues to reduce demand for these practices.