EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I have a big male bmc that has back do claws me and a buddy were looking him over last weekend and his statement was no wonder Bo is so bad a$$ he has do claws well we were just joking about the bad a$$ part but any how I was wondering how many of y'all have dogs with do claws and are they any different than your other dogs I've heard from several old timers that digs with do claws are smarter and turn out better haven't found this to be true just curious how y'all feel about the subject

I have a bunch of dogs with dew claws, some people get em removed, I don't see much point.

I think it's like any other old wive's tale when it comes to picking dogs, it's just something that makes em feel more comfortable about the dogs they own.

the point to removeing them is they are bad about getting ripped and torn causing trouble and down time down the road .

X2 I get them removed as pups.

I've had good and chitty dogs with and without dew claws. I've got a gyp pup right now with double dew claws. I do'nt place much stock in them but I know alot of old timers that do.

             An Article On DeClaws                                                                                                   M. Christine Zink DVM, PhD, DACVSMR
I work exclusively with canine athletes, developing rehabilitation programs for injured dogs or dogs that required
surgery as a result of performance-related injuries. I have seen many dogs now, especially field trial/hunt test and
agility dogs, that have had chronic carpal arthritis, frequently so severe that they have to be retired or at least
carefully managed for the rest of their careers. Of the over 30 dogs I have seen with carpal arthritis, only one has
had dewclaws.
If you look at an anatomy book (Miller's Guide to the Anatomy of Dogs is an excellent one – see Figure 1 below)
you will see that there are 5 tendons attached to the dewclaw. Of course, at the other end of a tendon is a muscle,
and that means that if you cut off the dew claws, there are 5 muscle bundles that will become atrophied from
disuse.
Those muscles indicate that the dewclaws have a function. That function is to prevent torque on the leg. Each
time the foot lands on the ground, particularly when the dog is cantering or galloping (see Figure 2), the dewclaw
is in touch with the ground. If the dog then needs to turn, the dewclaw digs into the ground to support the lower
leg and prevent torque. If the dog doesn't have a dewclaw, the leg twists. A lifetime of that and the result can be
carpal arthritis, or perhaps injuries to other joints, such as the elbow, shoulder and toes. Remember: the dog is
doing the activity regardless, and the pressures on the leg have to go somewhere.
Perhaps you are thinking, "None of my dogs have ever had carpal pain or arthritis." Well, we need to remember
that dogs, by their very nature, do not tell us about mild to moderate pain. If a dog was to be asked by an
emergency room nurse to give the level of his pain on a scale from 0 o 10, with 10 being the worst, their scale
would be 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Most of our dogs, especially if they deal with pain that is of gradual onset, just
deal with it and don't complain unless it is excruciating. But when I palpate the carpal joints of older dogs without
dewclaws, I frequently can elicit pain with relatively minimal manipulation.
As to the possibility of injuries to dew claws. Most veterinarians will say that such injuries actually are not very
common at all. And if they do occur, then they are dealt with like any other injury. In my opinion, it is far better to
deal with an injury than to cut the dew claws off of all dogs "just in case."
Figure 1. Anatomical diagram viewing the medial
side of a dog’s left front leg demonstrating the five
tendons that attach to the dewclaw.
--from Miller’s Guide to the Dissection of the Dog
Figure 2. In this galloping dog, the dewclaw is in
touch with the ground. If the dog then needs to turn
to the right, the dewclaw digs into the ground to
support the lower leg and prevent torque.

Good read man.

In my opinion, if Its there, I leave it alone.  The good Lord intended it for some purpose whether we understand it or not so I go with it.  But the article you posted was extremely informative.

Thats a very good article and very informative.  Thanks for posting.  I know I said i remove them, never looked at it this way. 

my mt cur has em on the front and back

In snow country running on crusty snow will cause them to bleed, that is why most people remove them,In states with heavy  snow you can just tape them up.I don't think Southern Texas you would have that problem.

texas we don't have to deal with heavy snow just thick and hard brush and briars . ran dogs with them and they eventualy get torn in the brush . ran them without them and never noticed any trouble , even in 13 year old dogs that were ran in the brush for 13 yeara on a constant basis . but you boy's and gal's do what you  want , i cut them at 3 days old .

Sometimes the nail will curl up and dig in the dogs foot...I cut dew claws at less than 7 days of age...

I had them removed on my pups in the past and probably continue to do so. I posted the article because at least it's an explanation of what they are there for. The Sandhill and Monaghan  blood in my Cats throws a lot of front and rear dew claws. We hunt in extremely thick vegetation in the coastal marshes of La. and have seen a few get ripped loose. Very painful for the dog so I just remove them at 3 days old.

Thanks Jimco that's a real good bit of information

I don't think a dog having dew claws makes it any more or less intelligent than any other dog. It's simply an extra digit.

Over the years, most clients that hunt their dogs had us remove dew claws, simply to lessen the chances of them getting ripped or torn on rough terrain. We had to remove quiet a few because of that after the fact, and it can be very painful. It's a matter of personal preference really. We remove them on all our hunting stock.

To be clear, I was referring to the dew claws on his rear legs. The rear leg dew claw is a sign of being "jam up"

Same thing goes for Pups with a smart knot, long ears, black gums, a runny nose & flag tails.
If you pick a pup with all these features, he'd better turn out "jam up" cuz that's gonna be an ugly dog!  ;)

That's the ol sayins anyway

I think the wives tale is if they have double dew claws they're suppose to be smarter. Isn't every puppy born with a regular set? Therefore them being removed after birth means there's definitely no genetic difference, or anything of the sort. A single set being removed is just a cosmetic change like docking a tail.

All pups are not born with dew claws.

Wasn't trying to call you out T-bob and I don't think every dog is born with dew claws

Always wondered why he was passing up those fresh tracks jk

 Another reason to remove them is that dogs that are determined to climb can do it better with dew claws.

I want my dogs to climb. They can see the hogs better from the top of a tree ! ;D