Natural History

Posted in working retrievers | Tagged dewclaws | 27 Comments

27 Responses

1. on August 14, 2013 at 5:42 pm Djanick Michaud

   Not many understand their importance… Over here, not only they need those to fight their way out of the freezing water in late fall hunting but also to climb up the rocky shore of the St-Laurent river where we live in Eastern Québec province. We never cut dewclaws and never will.

   
   
   • on August 14, 2013 at 8:39 pm M.R.S.

     Coursing dogs (and others) use their dewclaws in cornering and braking. Agility dogs use them in gripping, turning, braking. Dr Chris Zink has a good article on dewclaws on her website caninesports.com

     Having watched a vet remove dewclaws, it can be clearly seen how the tendons attached to that digit are cut; and supporting tissues of the wrist easily damaged. (Imagine amputating your thumb at its base.).

     
     
2. on August 14, 2013 at 9:28 pm Teddy Moritz

   I use my miniature dachshunds for underground work year-round and have seen them clean their eyes of sand and debris using their dewclaws. I complete the eye cleaning when we get home. I never remove dewclaws from my pups.

   
   
   • on August 14, 2013 at 9:35 pm retrieverman

     I can see removing dewclaws on the hind legs, which are not firmly attached, but not the ones on the front.

     Almost all the coonhounds around here have their dewclaws removed.

     The old, rather stupid, rural legend is removing the dewclaws makes the dogs immune to snake venom.

     
     
     • on August 15, 2013 at 12:53 am kittenz

       Dad never removed the inner-front toes from his coonhound puppies.His dogs often went right up onto tree trunks after coons. If he’d cut off their thumbs they wouldn’t have been able to climb like that.

       
       
3. on August 14, 2013 at 9:31 pm BorderWars

   Very convincing.

   
   
4. on August 14, 2013 at 10:59 pm Rachel

   Dogs can still climb rocky shores without dewclaws,my Rottie proved that.

   I dislike the back ones,but kinda wish more breeders would keep the front ones. Although I would have another dog with it removed if needed,sense in my personal life I haven’t noticed a difference.

   
   
   • on August 14, 2013 at 11:24 pm retrieverman

     Rocky shores aren’t ice, and these retrievers are working in conditions that would kill most dogs and certainly kill a person.

     
     
     • on August 15, 2013 at 12:17 am Rachel

       Yes,but I was referring to another comment. I don’t know about ice,was never tested with any of my dogs,The ice around here is most often so soft that it could be swam through. I know many dogs do get stuck in icy water,and would be especially important to keep in retrievers and other water dogs.

       
       
5. on August 15, 2013 at 9:26 am Jennifer Robinson

   Great video. Thanks for posting.
   I have had dew claws removed from one and only one puppy. It so horrified me that I’ll never do it again. Feels like removing a thumb. Worse than docking tails or ears. It’s not just ice. Watch a dog maneuvering a bone. They use those nails to grip.
   I’ve never had a breed with rear dew claws. Maybe they’re different.

   
   
6. on August 15, 2013 at 9:41 am megrim43

   I`ve been preaching for years about leaving front dew claws because they are an integral part of the foot, and removal weakens the pastern – but too often the reply is “they don`t look neat and spoil the line of the leg.” Total rubbish!

   
   
   • on August 18, 2013 at 5:50 pm bearcoatpei

     How do they “not look neat” is beyond me. I’ve had one shar-pei with her dewclaws removed and seen it done to very young puppies. I’ll never understand the point of it. Rear dewclaws maybe, though my very active collie x retriever managed her whole life injury free with horrid, wobbly, barely attached rear dewclaws which needed trimming monthly to stop them growing full circle.

     My sharpei without dewclaws didn’t seem to miss them, but she wasn’t a working dog unless you count terrorizing the local cat population as a job. My other three shar-pei have/had front dewclaws like eagle talons, unlike my TM and the aforementioned crossbreed who wore theirs down naturally. Maybe shar-pei have a hidden talent for climbing cliffs or ice walls – he-he! And I swear my Tibetan Mastiff is not many generations from opposable thumbs. He’s the only dog I’ve ever owned who can hold hands with me by flexing all five digits. Anybody who doubts the use of a front dewclaw for dogs should come around for a warm handshake.

     
     
7. on August 15, 2013 at 10:02 am Viking

   Dewclaws on the forelegs are functional (several examples above) and should never be removed. Dewclaws on the hindlegs are not, they are mostly not even really attached to the leg, and thus often causes trouble for the dogs, like nails growing through the tissue and getting severed when out in scrub. Some dogs having dewclaws on the hindlegs (and must have them in some breeds, even double!!) is just another folly of the showring. In my opinion dewclaws on the hindlegs is a genetically defect!

   
   
   • on August 15, 2013 at 10:44 am retrieverman

     I’ve seen dogs with really loose claws on the hind legs. I agree that those should be removed.

     But there are at least three breeds that have to have them: Great Pyrs, Briards, and Beauceron.

     
     
     • on August 16, 2013 at 10:19 am JenR

       On the other hand, I’ve not heard tales of torn rear dewclaws, and the worst risk for getting snagged is to the front.. Maybe they serve some function. Greater surface area for walking on snow or sand? Greater traction on slippery rocks? Who knows.

       
       
       • on August 16, 2013 at 11:52 pm Rachel

         I’d say my dog with rear dewclaws had weaker traction then the other two.
         Wolves,Coyotes as well as most dogs lack rear dew claws,I don’t think they have any purpose.
         They also overgrow very quickly,to the point of growing in a circle,even in a double circle which defeats traction or function.

         
         
   • on August 15, 2013 at 11:41 am M.R.S.

     And then there is the Norwegian Lundehund, which is normally polydactle, with functional extra toes used for climbing around the rocky cliffs of their homeland.

     
     
     • on August 15, 2013 at 4:07 pm retrieverman

       They have really bizarre feet, even beyond the dewclaws.

       
       
8. on August 15, 2013 at 2:25 pm Nora

   Mostly because of Chris Zink, more and more people are leaving dewclaws on their litters intended for Agility homes. I informed anyone interested in my Sheltie litter that I was going to leave dewclaws on (unless I had rear dews, which I would have removed–had a rescue Sheltie with them and they were a pain, though he never snagged them or anything). All my puppies were born with front dewclaws, no rears, and they kept them.

   
   
9. on August 15, 2013 at 4:43 pm Rachel

   My Newfie had rear dew claws,they would overgrow,got caught on brushes and where very loosely attached. It getting caught on brushes and causing him pain also made him more sensitive in his feet,and he would not run through brushes or brambles like the other two dogs would. If I get anther dog with back dew claws I will remove them. Polydactyl can cause some similar issues,my sister had a extra claw removed on her cat for the same reasons,except it getting caught on furniture and clothing instead.

   I have heard that sometimes the front dew claws on small dogs will be loose and cause issues with tearing. As well as with some dogs the dew claws are so far up they don’t touch the ground when running. If that’s the case,then removing these may not effect the dog at all.
   Sense I know dogs can still run,make quick turns,and grip without them.

   
   
   • on August 15, 2013 at 5:26 pm retrieverman

     The fact that Newfoundland dogs have those hind dewclaws every once in a while tells you a lot about what they are: They are a dog that was a mix of the Old St. John’s water dog and a bit of Great Pyr-type dog that was brought over by the Spanish and French Basques.

     
     
     • on August 16, 2013 at 2:32 am Rachel

       A interesting mix,and at least they don’t get the double dew claws like the Great Pyrenese. I think to create a larger heavier version of the St. Johns dog?

       
       
10. on August 16, 2013 at 1:01 am Jen Robinson

    I’ve got a whelping box full of neonates at the moment. The movement of one week old pups, when they scoot around, is surprisingly like the dogs pulling out of ice. They use their dew claws like crazy.

    
    
11. on August 16, 2013 at 2:32 am an

    I don’t think it does really tell you a lot about ancestry . we had a miniature schnauzer in the grooming shop with double rear dew claws. & I’ve had cavaliers and English toys with fully jointed rear dew claws. Some dogs just have them

    
    
    • on August 16, 2013 at 6:09 am retrieverman

      Except we also have historical evidence that says that’s what they are.

      
      
12. on August 16, 2013 at 5:17 am The importance of dew claws - Golden Retrievers : Golden Retriever Dog Forums

    […] how important dew claws are for our dogs, but I thought I might share this for everyone to see The purpose of dewclaws | The Retriever, Dog, & Wildlife Blog __________________ Golden moments shared with Casey, Faelan, Towhee & Brady too ! and […]

    
    
13. on November 19, 2013 at 8:13 pm Dewclaw removal for no good reason | The Retriever, Dog, & Wildlife Blog

    […] Of course there actually are working breeds that need their dewclaws! […]

    
    

Comments are closed.