# Front Dew Claws, does your poodle have them?



## Jokerfest (Mar 23, 2017)

Elvis doesn't have his. I've never had a dog with them removed and I feel kinda bad that his breeder had this done.
I'm not sure if it's common in the poodle breed to do this and if there is a reason for it or if it's just something his breeder did.

Watching my other two dogs play and run ect. I see them using their front dewclaws to grip things and push themselves forward.
I know Elvis doesn't know any different so it likely doesn't bother him.
I guess I'm just asking if this is common in the breed and if there is a reason for it that I missed other then aesthetics?


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## rkj__ (Dec 24, 2017)

My poodle has them. 


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## asuk (Jan 6, 2017)

My poodle has them, his breeder also don’t dock tails. I see milo using it when he is gnawing on his bully stick or eating rmb.


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

All the dogs I have ever had other than rescues have had their dewclaws removed. I always removed dewclaws on the whippet and poodle puppies I bred.


Dewclaws are not a problem for city dogs, but for dogs who hunt they can get torn - that's the reason for removing them.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Johanna said:


> Dewclaws are not a problem for city dogs, but for dogs who hunt they can get torn - that's the reason for removing them.


Hm... an interesting observation that I've never considered before. I was sorta concerned when Lucky's breeder had his front dew claws removed. Sometimes I get weirded out when I clip his nails and forget that he is missing one toe. His breeder does live on a five-acre land in the country and I believe what you said makes a whole lot of sense.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

No dew claws on our poodles and I am happy not to have to deal with them. They are hard to clip on our GSD and I also have a friend with a golden who keeps doing things that halfway rip them off. Both poodles just hold things with their two front feet. A dew claw is nowhere near the useful thing an opposable thumb is so I don't miss them.


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## Jokerfest (Mar 23, 2017)

Johanna said:


> All the dogs I have ever had other than rescues have had their dewclaws removed. I always removed dewclaws on the whippet and poodle puppies I bred.
> 
> 
> Dewclaws are not a problem for city dogs, but for dogs who hunt they can get torn - that's the reason for removing them.


That makes sense as a preventative because breeders dont always know everything a puppy is going to get into. What all the owner is going to train them to do ect. So I guess it's just out of concern for the puppy later in life.


I've never had a issue with front dew claws getting ripped and I live in the country and my dogs get pretty extreme on our hikes.
My rescue even has his back dews and he's never had a issue ether. 
I hope he never does.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I've had 3 poodles and none had dew claws.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

As a former groomer, dewclaws are sometimes a real pain to clip, and most dogs hate having them touched. I have seen some horrendous things, like nails that wrap around in a full circle and poke back into the toe part of the dewclaw, and also some that are so loose and floppy that they are definitely not serving a function and get in the way more than anything else. I believe that when the front dews are like that, they have probably been injured or torn in the past. I have no problem with people who leave them on their puppies or those who want them kept on their dogs, but I definitely prefer that my dogs do not have dews and don’t believe I would ever buy from someone who doesn’t remove them.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

The spoos and our shih tzu are the only ones without dewclaws. Definitely one less thing to deal with/worry about, even though I have mixed feelings about their removal.


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## Eclipse (Apr 26, 2010)

Neither of my Standard girls has them. I know many performance people, especially in agility, advocate for them to be left on for traction, grip, etc. However, I have not seen any issues with mine having excess slipping and we have been training and trialing on grass, mats and artificial turf (the surface we have least run on) for almost 11 years with my older girl and 5 years with my younger one. My very first Standard had dews left on both front legs. When she was about a year old she ripped off one of the front ones and it was a huge mess - she had to be put under and have surgery to clean it up. I had the other one removed at the same time. I won't get a puppy from a breeder that insists on leaving them on.


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## Viking Queen (Nov 12, 2014)

I have had two beagles in the past who have torn their dew claws. It is really awful and very very painful. The recovery from having them removed, which is a major surgery when they are adults, is also very painful.

I would never want to see another of my dogs go through that again.

Poppy's were removed as a pup but one grew back in, all twisted and weird.....it happens sometimes. When she was spayed I had that weird toe removed to prevent injury.....that surgery was no big deal to her at the time.


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## Vita (Sep 23, 2017)

Mine has her dewclaws, which are two less toes to for her complain about during nail clippings.


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## Asta's Mom (Aug 20, 2014)

My poodle has his front dewclaws. I live in the country and he runs around like crazy. Never had a problem with them. Grooming, I know they are there and work around.


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## farleysd (Apr 18, 2011)

I remove the dewclaws from my puppies. I worked part time a grooming shop for several years and have seem more dewclaws accidents then I would like to remember. Many of them ripped off when jumping on a fence. One elderly client had the side of her face ripped by an eager young dog jumping up for her attention. The worse incident I can recall was when a female poodle accidentally gouged its own eye out when grooming itself with the side of her foot.


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## Luce (Mar 4, 2013)

Luce has hers, Ricco doesn't.

They are a bit annoying for grooming and clipping. They don't seem to interfere with her playing and running. But, since she has had double fho surgery she doesn't play and get crazy like Ricco. Not sure if it's a girl/boy thing or just their personalities.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

No dew claws here and I am happy about that. My old chihuahua has them and they are a real pain to clip. They don't get worn down and if I miss clipping they get long fast as will start to curl making it even harder to clip. I don't like dew claws.


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## BrooklynBonnie (Jan 16, 2015)

Mochi has hers as her breeder was all for leaving the puppies totally natural, which I have no problem with. I grew up with dogs which had their dew claws so am aware of possible problems. One of my childhood retreivers slipped when walking on wood pallets and a dew claw was almost ripped off. I discovered for myself as an adult when I got Mochi that the dew claw nail can sometimes be very brittle and shaped much differently than their regular toe nails. Mochi's are very brittle, and their shape is tall and narrow, making clipping them very difficult, and due to their location and how tight they are to her leg, it is difficult to use the dremel, also. I've caught her chewing the nails a few times and noticed they were crumbling when she does. I almost wish she had them removed as a puppy. 

But then, Chuui had her removed as a puppy. Great, I thought. Until I felt something the first week we had her (5 months old) and realized they had both grown back as little deformed versions of dew claws with a bit of skin tight to the leg, more like a lump, and a thin, pointy nail growing out of it, little bigger than a mechanical pencil lead. I have kept watch and they don't seem to grow so I'm not worried for now, but feel they could cause issues in the future. I think this is an example of a bad dew claw removal, since they shouldn't be growing back, right?


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

BrooklynBonnie said:


> I think this is an example of a bad dew claw removal, since they shouldn't be growing back, right?


Right, they should not grow back. 

The more I'm reading on this thread, the more I'm for dewclaw removal...


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## doditwo (Nov 7, 2017)

I’m feeling the same way as zooeysmom after reading this.
My puppy has hers and now I kind of wish she didn’t.


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## Jokerfest (Mar 23, 2017)

doditwo said:


> I’m feeling the same way as zooeysmom after reading this.
> My puppy has hers and now I kind of wish she didn’t.


Well if your pup is going to be in situations she might rip hers I'd talk to your vet while she's still young. Maybe she's still young enough it wont be to hard on her? 
I dont know for sure but it'd be worth looking into for your peace of mind.


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

Rory has his dew claws and uses them regularly. I don’t find them at all difficult to clip. They are only removed in Australia if there is an actual issue with them and I don’t know a single person whose dog has ripped theirs. If they are properly attached they should be no more likely to be damaged than any other part of the foot.


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## gateapples (Jul 31, 2018)

My black standard ripped his dew claw while playing on a hilly area and it was quite an ordeal to have it repaired. He really hurt during the whole thing, and it was heartbreaking. Best to remove early — in my opinion— for peace of mind.


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## Newport (Jul 16, 2014)

In my area I mostly see dew claws on rescue poodles and not on thoughtfully bred poodles. The logic seems to be that if dew claws cause problems often enough for dogs, then it’s worth it to remove them from all puppies you are responsible for breeding. I agree with removing dew claws both for ease of lifetime nail clipping and reducing the chance for painful injury and blindness (yikes!).

I did agility for several years with Australian Shepherds. I do not understand the idea that dew claws help with agility. My dogs never lost or won any event because of dewclaws (one had them, one didn’t). Agility events are successful when you have a physically fit, balanced, healthy dog who is well-trained.

I suppose an argument could be made that dew claws help when chewing bones, but dogs without dew claws seem to figure it out just fine.

My poodle-ish rescue Navy has dew claws, and I’m sure he wishes he didn’t. There’s nothing he hates more than a dew claw clipping.


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## Caraline (Apr 10, 2018)

Our toy poodle does not have his dew claws and rather selfishly, I am glad he does not. My Cavalier King Charles Spaniels had theirs and they were always a real nightmare to cut. They used to grow almost in a circle and as much as I tried to get them shorter, I could never get that blood/nerve part to shrink so I could get them shorter. Getting the clippers or grinder in there was something the dogs hated.


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## blkdog (Nov 22, 2011)

Dew claws are actually dog's thumbs and should not be removed. They serve several purposes and removing them in addition to the initial pain of having them cut off can cause phantom pain and carpal arthritis. Christine Zink, DVM has written a wonderful article about the consequences of removing dew claws. Many breeders have articles on their sight supporting their reason behind leaving dews intact. You can goggle Genteel poodles, she has some great info on her website.

We all love dogs and want to do what's best for them. I have done a lot of research on this matter and spoken to several vets and the knowledge I have gained supports leaving dews intact. It is part of a dog's anatomy for a reason, it does serve a purpose. 

Thank you for reading and I hope this gives you pause about removing dog's dews.


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## rp17 (Jun 6, 2018)

Ours only has one! We're not sure why. The vet tech said perhaps the breeder had them removed but they didn't quite get the whole thing and it grew back.


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## murphys (Mar 1, 2012)

My 6 year old has his dew claws and a nondocked tail. My puppy does not have his dew claws and a docked tail. Different breeders.


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## barbiespoodle (Apr 25, 2010)

I've had dogs both with and without dew claws. And I've had dogs with dew claws that caused no problem, Eustace, my mix breed has them and not a hairs bit of a problem, they grow properly and are no harder to cut than any other claw. But the boxer before him was a different kettle of fish. Hers grew faster than normal and curled, they were a constant pain to maintain, both for me and her, especially as she got older. Plus there was the time she got it caught in her collar, what a mess. 

One other reason I don't like them on poodles is that when I was pet grooming, I actually had a poodle who's hair grew around one of his dew claw enough to cut off circulation. Poor little dog was not only in pain, but it caused a nasty infection. Granted we all seem to take care of our dogs better, but there are coated breed owners who only give their dogs the twice a year shave down and those are the ones I'm glad to see no dew claw on, I really hated having to shave matts off dew claws.


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## Mufar42 (Jan 1, 2017)

I've always had the same problem with my chihuahua. He has dewclaws and keeping them trimmed is a chore, just keeping his nails i a chore as he has it and tries to bite . As he ages it has become worse. But now I can't quite figure this out, yesterday I had him t the vet for his annual check up. He is 15 now, doesn't have a whole lot of teeth left and they are not great. His liver enzymes are to high for him to under go anesthesia for a dental. So now we watch them and if his breathe goes bad he goes on antibiotic to rid the bacteria. So far that has worked..of now to the point..His dewclaws have disappeared on both his left legs. NO scars, no irritations its like they were never there. We looked and looked,,they are gone.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Dew claws develop embryonically in the same position as thumbs, but they aren't thumbs. They are not opposable and can't be used to hold things the way primate hands can. To use a dew claw to hold something means it is wedged between the dew claw and the rest of the dog's foot which is a recipe for having it injured in my way of thinking. barbiespoodle that is sad that people are so lax in grooming to only shave the dog down twice a year. How much suffering goes on in between with mats pulling on skin etc.?


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