Miniature pinschers are a toy breed that isn’t used for anything.
The only reason to do this is purely for cosmetic reasons.
Their accent is antipodal, but I’m not sophisticated enough to tell weather it is Newzeelin or Oz.
Docking and cropping are illegal on both countries.
Of course there actually are working breeds that need their dewclaws!
It is very common to remove dewclaws in toy dogs that are being shown, but toy dogs by definition do not have a purpose other than being pets.
No one can make the case that they might tear a claw while doing their work, so the ethics behind such a common custom are awfully suspect.
You’d be surprised how easily those things can tear on small dogs. I’ve also seen the nails grow all the way around in a circle because people don’t cut them. Better off without them. It’s really no big deal to take them off. BTW, those puppies are enormous for 5 days old. It’s usually done at the same time as tails, at 2-3 days.
I have owned, bred and raised I don’t know how many dogs of several different breeds over my adult life (let’s be generous and call that 40 years) and all the way back to before I was born (I “inherited” my first dog from an older brother when he lost interest in her when I was about two years old. My fascination with that dog worried family members that I might eventually turn into a “dog nut”.), and have never removed a front dewclaw, and have never had a dog “tear” one. As a matter of fact, though most of my dogs have been highly active, with a good number being coon hounds actually used for hunting, I have never had a dog hurt a dewclaw in any way, and they all have used their dewclaws in various ways much like we use our thumbs. Of course, front dewclaws are the most dangerous claw on a dogs body to its owner. I have been accidentally ripped open by a dog’s dewclaws on more than one occasion (usually forearms and thighs, but even my face one time), and i believe that is the reason dewclaws are removed. No matter what the breeder may claim about removing them to make life easier for the dog, I think it is simply to make life easier (and slightly safer) for the dogs owner. Dewclaws hurt, thus they must go. Just another step in Mans effort to turn domestic dogs into sheep.
That’s been my experience with them too, and I’ve had seen dogs run over rough, thickety ground for years and never damage their dewclaws.
When I was a groomer, I saw them tear because they caught on fabric/rugs.
That’s because people are too lazy to maintain the nails or run the dogs enough to wear them down. Which isn’t a good reason to pre-emptively amputate.
You can’t wear down a dewclaw. Also, nails grow faster on little dogs, or maybe they just seem to grow faster because they don’t have enough weight to wear them down. My guys are all super active, and yet I have to clip their nails every week. And you would be amazed at the number of people who have hairy dogs and don’t even know there is a dewclaw.
Wrong.
Dogs can wear down dewclaws!
Miley does all the time. She never has her nails trimmed!
She wears them down as she make sharp turns while running.
On the other hand, my dogs wear their claws down to the quick, but their dewclaws remain lengthy and sharp. It depends on the terrain, and we have some pretty dense, mountainous terrain–you’d think they’d be using those things when scaling cliffs, but apparently not?
When the dogs’ dew-claws get sharp, it’s a good sign they haven’t ran over rough terrain. Grassy-lawns don’t wear them down at all; and walking doesn’t provide the stimulation for the dew-claws to grip to the surface.
Never trimmed my dogs’ nails. I know if they are being over-grown or sharp, it’s because they haven’t been ran frequently enough. No amount of walking would wear down the dew-claw, only running will.
My small dog is very active, swims etc. She ripped out a dew claw chasing a racoon in the woods. Bled like crazy. Also, when she gets a haircut it really gets in the way. I wish they had been removed.
Removal is associated with a heightened risk of arthritis:
http://www.woodhavenlabs.com/documents/dewclaws-injury.pdf
Another point: not all dogs can “use” their dewclaws. In a lot of dogs, especially small ones, there is no muscular control of the dew claw. It’s like a little skin blob with an unconnected bone in it. It’s very floppy and it catches on things easily. I have never seen a Boston who could use his dewclaw. My Chihuahua had dewclaws, and they just hung there. I don’t remember any mini poodles that I groomed who could move theirs.
I remember being completely amazed when I saw my friend’s Border Collie “use” her dewclaws. I had never seen that before, even after being a groomer and a trainer for many years.
BTW, my Chi developed arthritis in his wrist even tho he had his dewclaws. Arthritis is rampant in agaility dogs because of all the jumping and twisting on impact. I know, I was one of the pioneers of agility.
I had my puppies dewclaws removed, and I would do it again.
Never had a dog with muscular control over their dew-claws.They sort of just use them as hooks to hold onto trees, maintain traction on ice, chews, turning corners– like ice-climbers who use their axe to grip into the ice-wall to facilitate better scaling.
Even small dogs use their dew-claws to walk on ice. Even toy dogs like chihuahuas.
Comparing dew-claws to thumbs is a bad analogy. They are more like cleats. They’re involuntarily, but functional.
If you live where there is ice and snow and the dog swims, it’s irresponsible to remove the dewclaws. It’s much more likely that the dog will break ice to swim than tear a dewclaw.
This is just ignorant superstition coming up against simple facts.
You need to go look at some real dogs, instead of just reading. Look at small/toy dogs dc’s, and manipulate them. You will see that in most of the dogs, the dc is only attached by soft tissue. It is very floppy, and has no function.
I have/have had 4 dogs with dewclaws (3 Shelties and an IG) and the Shelties most definitely had at least some control of their front dewclaws–at least it certainly feels that way when they grip me. Can’t say for sure if the IG grips with hers, but they are well attached and close to the leg. One Sheltie had rear dewclaws (one a double dewclaw) and those were not well attached, nor did they seem useful.
My dogs all do Agility, and some do Flyball, and we’ve never had a dewclaw injury (though we have had the occasional split or torn nail, it’s never been a dewclaw).
All of my IGs have had usable dewclaws. They grip things, including people, with them.
LOL. Are you crazy?
For thinking you might check something out in the real world? probably.
I do check the real world…
On a regular basis.
I even watch it on MTV!
I think his point was more about having the functionality of a pick axe with a grip and aim in working dogs, as opposed to just trying to gain traction with a pick axe flopping around as if held by a rag without proper aim in small dogs. Perhaps it’s something that’s been bred out because they never selected for properly constructed paws, or perhaps the dog is too small and what holds it tight is too thin, but I think it’s worth looking into.
Your logic is that you wouldn’t rip your thumb if you didn’t have one.
Okay when are you getting your thumbs removed?
Dogs do not have oppsable thumbs.
No shit.
Good reply… I stub my toes all the time, wonder what I should do about that? I’ve had dogs that could climb trees using their dewclaws. My Patterdale uses hers all the time, not only when climbing or playing, but also when grooming herself like a cat. I’ve seen her clean the corners of her eyes with her dewclaws.
Actually, it isn’t for “no reason.” Dogs can, and will, completely rip out dew claws. I have had it happen to my dogs on several occasions. It’s very painful for the dog. In extreme cases it can cause permanent lameness.
It’s very, very, very rare to have a dog tear a dewclaw. I’ve had tons of dogs running over very rough country. No dewclaws have been torn.
It’s again people not understanding the risk at all, and holding onto ignorant superstitions.
BTW, you need to read the post and watch the video on dewclaws.
This is much more likely to happen than a dog tearing one.
Plus, if your dogs are tearing dewclaws, then you’re either too lazy to keep the nails in shape by running them a lot or through regular nail maintenance.
That’s my take on it.
All of my dogs have used their dew-claws in one way or another..
Arguing dew-claws should be removed because of injuries is like arguing humans should have their digits removed because occasionally, someone will lose a finger in shop-class, work-working, car-repair, working in the factory et cetera.
Hell, I almost lost a finger because it got stuck in the trailer-door. The doctor were able to reattach it. Guess mom should had removed my index finger at birth so that incident wouldn’t happen.
Er, doctors.
We bred softcoated wheaten terriers during the eighties and early nineties. I confess I never removed any dewclaws although one puppy buyer did tell me, almost reproachfully, that she subsequently had them removed. I asked did they cause problems and she said “No, but they might have.”
I have to confess though, that in those days all wheaten breeders docked the tails – absolutely needlessly of course – and there was eventually a silly undignified fight among the breeders on either side of the argument – until the Kennel Club decided the issue. No one here docks dog’s tails now and no one even talks about it anymore.
Many field trial retrievers (if not most) have had the dewclaws removed; and it is very common that they have to wear vet-wrap (support bandages) when training, due to the injuries and associated arthritis extremely common in these hard working dogs.
On the other hand, coursing sighthounds very seldom have the dewclaws removed. Their people recognize the purpose.
Out of all of our dogs, only Toby, our first Saint, tore a dew claw.
Huh.. My German Shepherd would use his dewclaws to help hold his tennisball down… I would remove those floppy back dewclaws…. Got a rescue dog in and had to use wirecutters to get the claw cut-it had grown almost through the dewclaw..
Back dewclaws are something else. I do agree they should be removed, but in a lot of breeds that commonly have them, they are a breed trait– great pyrs, beauceron, briards, etc.
I have been told that x-rays show that amputating dewclaws at birth causes atrophy of the leg bone associated with it, making the leg less strong.
I have seen a photo of a lure coursing dog with the dewclaw area touching the ground. We don’t see that area of the dog’s forleg touching the ground because our vision doesn’t catch the split econd like a camera can.
I didn’t notice it until I started taking photos.
George Bell (Salukis) had an article and photos in one of the dog magazines on this topic a few months ago.
I had a few dogs who rarely used their dewclaws in any manner which I could observe. What a shock when I got a dog who did use her dewclaws! I too observed her to use her dewclaw pad to clean her eyes – totally surprised me – strange to watch it. And she used her dewclaws to chew and to play with toys. It was then that I knew that it handicapped a dog to ampute them at birth.
That some dogs are born with dewclaws that remain in a juvenile useless state is no excuse for amputating all puppies. That some people think it makes the dog’s leg look straighter in the ring is no excuse either. But I do understand why dog groomers want them removedfrom poodles, it is extra work to groom around them – but I don’t think that is reason enough either.
I trim my dogs nails a couple of times a year.
Do you think trimming actually makes them grow faster ? I work in a groomers and the dogs always come back 6 or 8 weeks later with really long nails. we also get a lot of people obsessed with having their dogs nails trimmed even when they don’t need it , working dogs who’s nails are down to the quick already , trim their nails !
people will bring greyhounds & complain about how long their nails are , but I had the impression they need longer nails for traction ?
Greyhounds nails should be kept extra-short, racing trainers routinely clip them quite short. Due to high speed and a relatively high weight there`s a LOT of pressure on greyhound feet and they rupture capsules, dislocate toe joints or break toes even more easily when the nails are too long.
So, no, they shouldn`t have long nails for extra-traction. Of course the nails might look long even if they are the correct length because of the compact, arched, short-coated foot.
I have one dog without and two dogs with dewclaws. Both of those that have them use them to hold things or for more traction when pulling themselves up on, say, a stone wall.
The one without manages, too, and he doesn`t have glaring problems in day-to-day life (just a pet, not a worker), but he`s not as skilled when it comes to holding things.
For example, when he chews on a bone, he needs to wedge it into a corner somwhere so that it will not slip away, while the other two just hold it down with their paws.
I wouldn`t remove them if I ever bred – it`s illegal where I live anyway, and I`m happy about that.
Greyhounds have different feet from golden retrievers. A golden retriever has very round feet and they really dig in when the run. Their tracks look like where a giant wolf has run through. (And I’ve played with that illusion on this blog before! LOL).