The docking term is referred to the living flesh of the tail, where the animal's tail hairs grow. Tail docking is the removal of a portion of the dog's tail. This is done by constricting blood supply to the tail with a ligature without anesthesia for a few days until the tail falls off. If docking is done later on when the dog is older it is considered tail amputation, which is done with a scalpel or surgical scissors.
