# Gay tails



## k8rz (Dec 27, 2010)

Hi all! 

I was wondering what style of tail would look best on a dog with a gay tail. Sebastian's tail curls right over his back, and as a result, his pom parts down the middle and just flops there. I was thinking of maybe shaving his tail German style and then growing it out into more of a carrot, but I'm afraid it would look silly curled over his back. Any suggestions?


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

I think a German would make it look worse. Millie has a very gay tail and she carries a pom pom just fine. In fact, the pom pom helps disguise her gay tail. Just keep it trimmed and fluffed out to help prevent flopping.  Tail floppage will always be an issue with a gay tail, but I think that a pom pom well brushed out to hide it is much better than a naked curled tail. 

I attached a few photos that I think really show the gayness of Mil's tail.


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## 2719 (Feb 8, 2011)

I agree with CM, a shaved or carrot tail will just draw more attention to the curling of the tail....picture a scorpion.

If the hair is parting if is probably because it is very fine and not a nice dense curl. 
Teddy's top knot at the front is like this...it will not hold its shape and parts in the middle. I think if you shape the tail, still with a pom, but shorter it should hold the shape better.


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## vtomblin (Jul 18, 2010)

Our Nina has a super gay tail carried over her back like the handle on a curling rock. My mom likes it grown out. It's over 6 inches long right now. It really is not overly noticeable truthfully now. It is sort of shih tzu like. But it works! I'll try to post a pic later for you. A carrot tail for sure will make it look more extreme.


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

I agree with the above posters. I personally don't like the carrot or shaved tail on a poodle. I think the fluffy pom will help disguise the floppy tail.  



> Posted by *truelovepoodles*:
> I agree with CM, a shaved or carrot tail will just draw more attention to the curling of the tail....*picture a scorpion*.


OMG, I nearly spewed coffee! LOL :lollypop: (I'm using this emoticon because I just found it and think it's cute.)

*K8rz*: Your location says, "USMC." Are you in the Corps?? If so, ooh-rah (former here).


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## Countryboy (May 16, 2011)

Here's a pic of a gay tail shaved down quite a bit.










And another....alongside a fluffy, straight tail.


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## catsaqqara (May 20, 2011)

Jaden has a gay tail too, it looks just like the pic above only his tail is about an inch or 2 shorter. With the right scissoring his tail makes a really nice pom pom.

Is your spoo a puppy? When Jaden was a puppy his tail hair flopped.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

So a gay (not that there's anything wrong with that :nono tail is undesirable in a poodle? After seeing Millie and Tonka, I like them both. I guess I'd just do whatever I liked at the time. I can see what y'all mean though about how the pom pom disguises the curl.


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## Fluffyspoos (Aug 11, 2009)

CurlyDog said:


> So a gay (not that there's anything wrong with that :nono tail is undesirable in a poodle? After seeing Millie and Tonka, I like them both. I guess I'd just do whatever I liked at the time. I can see what y'all mean though about how the pom pom disguises the curl.


Coming from someone who's spoos hold their tails low like german shepherds while content.. I would _love _my spoos to have gay tails. The desired placement is 12 o'clock, over the back is a fault, but my dogs tails are so low normally that you don't often even see them. This doesn't mean they're tucked or freaked out, it's just how they hold their tails.


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## Anntig (Jun 9, 2010)

a long plume like a BF can look good with a gay tail particularly if it's still silky and straight rather than thick and curly otherwise I'd go with the pom pom.


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## k8rz (Dec 27, 2010)

Thanks so much everyone!!!

His tail is a lot like CM's Millie. He carries it just like that all the time. 

I see that you guys are right, it would make it more obvious if it were shorter. I think I'll just try to keep his pom scissored short enough that it doesn't want to part... I'm fixing to groom him in a couple of days and was planning on taking his ears down a little, but I wasn't sure what to do with that tail. Thanks for all the pics and advice guys! :adore:

Oh and Rowan, Ooh Rah! I personally am not a Marine, but my dad and my hubby are! We are stationed in Quantico now, which is in Northern Virginia. I actually live down the road a bit from Carole of Dogs In Style. Sebastian has one of her fantastic poodle collars btw, and we both LOVE it.


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## CurlyDog (Aug 20, 2008)

By the way, "not that there's anything wrong with that"... references an old Seinfeld episode. I still think it's funny, but I sometimes forget that not everybody gets it anymore! Oh well : )


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## 3dogs (Nov 3, 2010)

AS another poster said you really just need to scissor properly to disguise the gay tail. Shorten at the tip of the tail, hold the tail just the way your dog naturally holds his tail & start scissoring round or oblong (my preference). The base of the tail don't shave too high up or it could end up in the bend & not look great.


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## vtomblin (Jul 18, 2010)

This is Nina the day we put her into pattern. Sorry, couldn't find a great pic for you. But this is how she holds her tail naturally. The hair is super long like a bichon or shih tzu. She lives with Mom and they love her bushy tail. I never really notice it now. When we had it in a pom it was still quite noticeable. Her tail hair is very straight so the pom didn't really keep a nice shape like Millie's does. Depending on the hair like was already mentioned pom for curly and this way for straight IMO. Nina still managed to get her championship at 7 months. Gay tail and all. The rest of her is pretty nice luckily. :act-up: You'll have to post pics after so we can see your pup!


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## Rowan (May 27, 2011)

k8rz said:


> Thanks so much everyone!!!
> 
> His tail is a lot like CM's Millie. He carries it just like that all the time.
> 
> ...


I'm in northern VA too.  Spent a lot of time at Quantico, but not with the Marine Corps. (DOJ federal agent training.) Small world!


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## Leooonie (May 30, 2009)

Harley has a gay tail, actually very much like a husky tail, it almost double curls! However, his tail is entirely natural, and so there there is NO hiding it! What I usually do is have a small shaven area, as per usual on a poodle, then sometimes gradually increase the length of hair on the tail, til it is longest on the tip, or else I have the shaven patch and the hair on the tail is of a gradually increasing length BUT starting longer, rather than blending into the shaven/short patch....
I think having no shaven patch helps the tail look less curled, but on Harley I think it makes him


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## AgilityIG (Feb 8, 2009)

Vinnie has a gay tail too. It lays over his back more like a Bichon. I like it - it totally fits his personality. It is not docked. I shave the base (about 1 1/2 inches) and let the rest grow long - usually it's between 6-8 inches (and it took a LONG time to get it that long!). To trim it, I hold the tip of the tail out straight from his body (close to level with his topline) and trim it like you would see a Golden Retriever (shorter at the end and longer at the base). This is a pretty good picture of how it normally looks:


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## catsaqqara (May 20, 2011)

Its hard to tell when Jaden's tail has a pom just how curled it is. Here it is sort, I actually just cut it to change things up, and I think its cute.


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## k8rz (Dec 27, 2010)

Rowan, where in NOVA are you? Maybe we could have a poodle play if we are close enough.

I just LOOOOVE Vinnie! I think his tail is darling! Sebastian's tail is docked, and he carries it kind've like a pot handle. lol. Now I'm thinking I might let his tail hair grow into a flag tail... Hmm... decisions, decisions!!!


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## outwest (May 1, 2011)

My Bonnie has a little bit of a gay tail and she has a long dock. When she is super alert and excited it will turn over her back a bit. She is a puppy still and the hair does flop right now, but I am planning on keeping it long with a (hopefully) giant puff on the end. Her mother has an impressive undocked tail (she was originally Canadian from a breeder who didn't dock) so huge and fluffy just like Vinnies gorgeous tail that went right over her back. Her sire had a rod straight long dock that stood straight up at a 90 degree angle, nicely set exactly to breed standard. Bonnie seems to have gotten somewhere inbetween. She has a good tail set, so she holds it up most of the time, but it does curl at the end when fun things are happening. Personally, I love gay tails. They are so expressive!

The plus side of a slightly gay tail is that she holds her tail up pretty much at all times, even when just standing around doing nothing and then it isn't curled. 

We call Bonnies tail her feather duster because she is always wagging it every which way with the hair flopping around. Here's a pic of it over her back and one showing how the hair is as a 7 month old puppy. I think it will look neat with a giant puff and hope she gets that. That may hide the curl when she is excited. I would have been happy to have an impressive super gay tail like Vinnie's and Bonnie's dam, but hers is nice, too:


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