We've had 5 miniature Schnauzers over the years and all of their tails were docked at birth. We were told they are prone to back problems later in life unless that happens. Don't know if that is true or not. The ears are another thing entirely. Our first dog did not have cropped ears and we loved him that way - the next three had already been cropped by the breeder, so we had no say in the matter, although the last one with cropped ears had a terrible infection and the man caring for her (the breeder had been hospitalized) used the wrong kind of adhesive and it was a nightmare to get off. Our latest baby - now 9 months old - has the most beautiful big ears that just flop over at the tips - and they are going to stay just exactly that way. When we took her for her first visit to the Vet he asked if we planned on cropping her ears. We said no - and he replied thank God because it is such a traumatic thing to do to the animal. I know that this practice is banned in England and some other European countries. I think the AKC needs to have some pressure put on it to change it's policies about what a "show" dog should look like.