Whiskers are sensors that are necessary for the stockdog to gauge the precise distances from the face to the point of contact with livestock when performing dangerous work such as gripping the heel, dodging horns.
Excerpts from The Total Australian Shepherd: Beyond the beginning by Carol Ann Hartnagle and Ernest Hartnagle.
“Whiskers, the stiff hairs (vibrissae) on the muzzle, should never be trimmed, because they serve a vital sensory function.The vibrissae are constructed anatomically much differently from other body hair. They are deeply rooted in erectile tissue that is served by sensory nerve fibers and act as levers on the nerves that serve them.” – Page 143.
“According to Dr. Thomas E. McGill, “The vibrissae in dogs are more heavily innervated than other body hair, that is, more nerve fibers serve such vibrissa. The vibrissae in dogs are served by the trigminal nerve, the largest of the twelve pairs of canine cranial nerves – larger than the optic nerve, auditory nerve, or olfactory nerve.” – Page 143.
We’ve seen the behavioral effects firsthand. In the early 1970s when it was not uncommon for all Aussies to work and show. Conformation shows were held the first day of an ASCA Specialty and Stock Dog trials were held the second day. All Aussies could compete in both venues (and many did). We trimmed Las Rocosa Leslie CSD (who was lacking one win from her championship) including her whiskers for the first day of competition. She won and earned the point necessary for her Championship.
The next day was the Stock Dog Trial. In the Cattle class she refused to heel – even though she was a highly seasoned cowdog with tons of experience working cattle in the real world. We had never seen her refuse to head or heel anything except when her whiskers were removed. She instinctively knew that she was vulnerable to injury without her whiskers to help gauge the distance when going in to heel. It never happened before that and it never happened again. Once her whiskers grew out she was fine.
In all our years, judging, showing, working and trialing we’ve never heard of a real reason to remove sensory whiskers from the muzzle of any dog. It’s senseless and even cruel. It’s practice is one of ignorance. Whiskers are necessary for the dog’s physical and psychological well-being.
Conclusion: “The vibrissae are served by the trigminal nerves contributing to important sensory functions used by stockdogs and should never be trimmed.”
Copyright © 2014 by Jeanne Joy Hartnagle-Taylor. All Rights Reserved. Reprinted with permission.