Some of my dogs are microchipped and some are tattooed.

If you have your dog tattooed by someone who knows what they are doing, its really not that bad for them - awake.

I had 2 of my girls tattooed last winter and it was quick and easy on them... the only thing they fought with was when they were put on their side on the table. After that they relaxed and were fine.

I think it just depends on each dog how they react. Some dogs dont' handle any kind of pain, even if its very minor.
That microchip needle isn't small. My smooth male screamed his head off when he was chipped... my 2 girls that were tattooed didn't fight or make a noise the whole time it was done - and it was pretty quick.

I know of a sheltie breeder who has all her pups tattooed between 8-12 wks age, and those tattoos look the same when the dog is 8-9-10yrs old, as they did when they were done.

I have a litter of Collie pups right now, and they go in for CERF eye checks in a couple weeks. The clinic I am taking my pups to for eye checks requires the puppies to have some form of permanent ID - tattoo or chipped. Most vets I know (I work for a vet) won't do microchips on pups that young... so they will probably have to be tattooed.

Janna