Tailey at 8 Weeks Old:

Tailey shows us how it's done in Europe by posing in a show dog stance with her full tail and natural ears.

In many European countries, cropping of ears and docking of tails is no longer allowed. In Canada, Standard Schnauzers may be shown any way--docked, undocked, cropped, uncropped. In the U.S., Standard Schnauzers may be shown with cropped or uncropped ears, but the docked tail is either prefered or not allowed at all, depending on how the national breed standard is interpreted.

Although the undocked tail may seem odd at first to those unaccustomed to seeing it, when you get to know a pup like Tailey, who makes such festive and expressive use of her tail, it's easy to fall in love with a tail--"and the schnauzer that owns it!," exclaims Tailey. Enjoying Tailey's full tail as I do, I admit I do look forward to the day when in the U.S., like in Canada, all styles of Standard Schnauzer will be welcome in the show ring.