Tale of the Tail
The first description of the Entlebucher, under the name 'Entlebucherhund' originated about 1889. The first Entlebuchers and Appenzellers were not all that different from each other, including their purpose. Both had the task of driving cattle by day and guarding the farm at night. To make matters even more complicated for these breeds, some Entlebuchers were tall and slim ("hochlaeufig") making differentiation with the Appenzellers even more difficult. The Entlebucher stub-tail or "Mutzschwanz" (as it was called by the Swiss farmers) was, sometimes, the only differentiating characteristic between the two breeds.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, and through most of this century, the stub-tail defined the Entlebucher breed and was considered the 'Standard'. During medieval times the aristocracy and patricians of many regions instructed farmers to dock the tails of their dogs, believing that docking, somehow, decreased wolf-like and wild behavior. The practice also flourished (as it did with many other working breeds) as a demonstration that the dog was a working breed and, therefore, exempt from any taxes or license fees. Another prevalent belief was that rabies nested in the tip of the tail and, by removing the tail, the dog would have a considerably better chance of being rabies free.
Professor Heim, with his first evaluation of the breed, reported that half the Entlebuchers born were born with a stub-tail. This observation is understandable since there was only one litter in existence belonging to Franz Schertenlieb from which to draw that conclusion. The outcome, resulting from this observation, influenced the first Standard for the breed published in 1927. Breeders came to believe that consistent tail docking and breeding stub-tail to stub-tail would eventually eliminate the tail from all future generations. The few Entlebuchers which were allowed to keep their tails were never fully recognized and accepted since they did not conform to the Standard. Their pedigree papers, issued by the SKG in Switzerland and the SSV in Germany, never included any certification or validation from these organizations.
Switzerland eventually changed the Breed Standard in 1994 and recognized both stub-tails and long-tails as equally valid. Breeders were allowed to choose whether they wished to dock the tails of their dogs or not. That decision was required to be noted on all pedigrees, firmly stating whether the short tail was natural or was surgically altered. A similar practice still remains to this day, with every short tail Entlebucher born, possessing a notation on the pedigree which states that they are stub-tail (Stummelrute) dogs.
In 1998, with the introduction of Animal Protection Laws in Switzerland, tail docking was outlawed. It is now only allowable for a valid medical reason and must be certified as such by the breed club. Since docking is illegal, Swiss Entlebuchers retain the tail length which they were given at birth and, throughout Switzerland these days, one can observe Entlebuchers with varying tail lengths; from the natural stub-tail to mid-length to full. There is a concerted effort by Swiss breeders to return the tail to the breed, endeavoring to breed stub-tails to full length tails in order to attain this goal. This effort will probably take several more generations until the proper tail has been fully restored. Until then, the Entlebucher is accepted by dog owners for its natural characteristics with fine health and an excellent temperament as the primary concerns.
