Dew claws - Page 1

Does anyone have advise on weather or not to remove dew claws ?

Don't do it.
That's my advice. :) Assuming we are discussing GSDs.
---Mary

What breed? Front or rear?

Front dew claws are standard equipment and should not be removed as the dogs use them.  Rear dew claws are optional equipment except in some breeds like Great Pyrenees that has double dew claws as a requirement on the rear legs.  The Great Pyrenees seems to get along just fine with their dew claws.  For a GSD most rear dew claws are vestigle in that they are non functional and have no bone connection.  If you are going to remove the rear ones do it soon after birth.  Dew claw inheritance in the GSD is not completely understood as at least two genes are involved with double dew claws and perhaps more.  Incomplete penetrance is attributed to dew claws in the GSD whether the source says dominant or recessive.  Incomplete penetrance is what mendelian geneticist say when they need to say "we don't know".  I have a litter of nine and some have dew claws and some don't and a few have one or more double dew claws.  The ones that look like momma (Troll vom Haus Milinda paternal line) have dew claws and the ones that look like daddy (Orry IT paternal line) do not but daddy is known to produce puppies with dew claws some times but not others.  If you remove the dew claws record who had what and you will have something to argue about with other dog breeders.

My vets (both) told me that removing dew claws was purely cosmetic.

I feel strongly both ways!!

If you are talking about GSDs  I'd recommend removing rears, not fronts. My experience is they were present in working lines moreso than showlines. but thats just my experience

The dogs I've seen with rear dew claws, no matter the breed, tend to walk spraddle legged, like avoiding the dewclaws' interference when moving.. So, for that reason, I would remove from GSD, isn't very attractive to see a gsd walking like he has a full diaper. LOL

Removing the front dew claw is more than just cosmetic.......When you remove their front dews claws, you are removing the dogs thumbs.
Here's an x-ray of Cisco's front legs showing the bone structure of the front legs.....note the boney fingers........dew claws.


Cisco uses his dew claws to grab with. I've seen him move them (very small movements) and felt them move when he's trying to hang on to a toy.
I would never remove a dogs front dew claws unless they needed to be removed for medical reasons.

Cheri

NOTE:.....The dark shadows on the x-rays are not fractures......these x-rays were taken to determine if he had ​Pano when he was a puppy.
 

I don't have shepherds but i agree with most, don't mess with the fronts but please have the rear claws removed. I'm a retired groomer and i've seen a lot of large dogs with the read dew claws growing into the pad of their foot because the read dew claws don't touch the ground and there for don't get worn down naturally. Most of them can be spun around with no harm because skin is the only thing holding the to the dog. Rarely did i find fully boned and attached rear dew claws, but in those you can see the extra bone running down the inside of the leg giving the dog's real legs an odd look. None of my own dogs have had rear claws naturally.
Take 'em off i say.