A Dewclaw is a digit on the front or back legs of a Dog. Normally Dewclaws are present on the front legs and sometimes on the rear legs, although not as often. There is some debate about whether or not the rear Dewclaws should be removed if present.

Do All Dogs Have Dewclaws?

Normally all Dogs have them, at least on their front legs. The front Dewclaws are much sturdier than the back Dewclaws which quite often are very high up the leg and are basically attached by a flap of Skin.

What Are Dewclaws For?

Those on the front are often used to help grip or for better traction. They are a vestige of what we would call a thumb, but no longer play such a strong role for the Dog. They have a Bone and Nail just like their other Toes.

The rear Dewclaws really have little or no use whatsoever and are quite often very loose.

Should You Cut Your Dogs Dewclaws?

They should be treated the same as all their Nails and be cut if they get too long. They can become very long and sharp and more easily ripped off if they are never attended to. Many Dogs hate having their Nails trimmed but it is a necessary part of looking after Dogs

Should You Have Your Dogs Dewclaws removed?

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Two of our Dogs have no rear Dewclaws but Faye does and they are quite large. As she has got older they seem to have grown at a very quick rate. They are attached by a fairly thin flap of Skin. She has never had a problem with them but I can see that they could catch on something quite easily.

Many people have the rear Dewclaws removed at a very early age, as young as three days old for Puppies with Dewclaws. It can also be performed in adult Dogs but will be more painful. Some Dogs even have double Dewclaws which can cause quite a problem for some but is a standard for others.

It is a serious operation where your Dog will be anaesthetized and you are having a Didgit removed. Many owners report it takes a considerable time for them to recover, especially because the stitches are in a place where the Dog can easily access them.

Does your Dog have loose Dewclaws? Did you get them removed, and why?

Do you think they are dangerous, or is it unfair to have them removed?

May the Doggie Force be with you all,

Help support this site. When shopping on Amazon please do so via this link. It really does help, and costs you nothing more.

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I spent 15 years owning one Dog, then about nine months owning two and now (as I am sure you can guess) there are three little Bone Munchers in the Household.

It became apparent immediately that we got our second Dog, Daisy, that there were numerous advantages to owning two Dogs.

Obviously if you have really limited space you would need to think carefully about this, but there are still many advantages.

Reasons To Own Two Dogs

1. Dogs are sociable creatures and love company.
2. Owning two Dogs allows them to always have a friend with them.
3. Two Dogs really isn’t much more trouble more one.
4. Young Dogs are full of energy.  Owning two Dogs allows them to burn of excess energy quicker by playing and play-fighting with each other.
5. Two Dogs is simply more fun than just one.  They seem to get more bonkers the more you have! (trust me I know)
6. If you have one Dog that is trained already, the training of the second one is much easier. They copy each others actions and learn quicker.
7. More face licks for you!
8. More Dog Fur for you!  Um…probably not such a good one that!
9. Walking two Dogs is more fun.  They can run around together and get tired out quicker.
10. You have double Guard Dog Duty when you are out.
11. You can sit down and rub two Dogs heads at the same time.
12. If you have a Puppy and it won’t stop biting, getting another one is the instant solution to the problem.  A bit drastic but it does work.  They take it out on each other instead!
13. You will have more Doggie amusement in the Household.
14. More Doggie stories to tell.  Apparently Faye has just caught a small Bird as I type!  How, I simply don’t know.  Maybe she has been at the Cabbages again!
15. The barking, the barking!  Um….again probably not such a good one!
16. If trained properly they actually seem to make each other behave better.
17. An older Dog will quickly bring a younger Dog in to line.  This makes training easier.  Why wait until you have no Dogs before getting another one?  Sad to think about but it is true.
18. It is just simply much more fun having two bone munchers about.
19. You will be much more likely to ensure you get out for those two walks a day that you should be doing anyway.

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20. All your friends will be jealous that you have two loving companions and all they have is a stinky cat!
21. Two Dogs will help you pick up strangers better in the local Park!  You can tell the person you have in mind how great you are at rescuing Dogs!
22. Two Dogs means that, hopefully, at least one will have been a rescue.  You have therefore saved a Dogs life.
23. If you get two Dogs spayed or neutered then you have saved countless Dogs lives in the future.
24. Life is never boring with two Dogs.
25. The two Dog blog is a catchier title than the one Dog blog.
26. You can waste loads more time taking even more photos of the pooches.
27. You can get in to more trouble because you will hear more often “How come you never want to take as many photos of me as you do the Dogs?” Um…again, not such a good one!
28. Double Belly Rub! You know it makes sense!

So, did I miss anything out?

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May the Doggie Force be with you all,

Help support this site. When shopping on Amazon please do so via this link. It really does help, and costs you nothing more.

Other articles you may find of interest:

1. 28 Reasons Why Owning Three Dogs Is Better Than Two
2. Dogs vs Humans. The Race Is On! or Dogs Eat Chicken continued
3. Cats Are Better Than Dogs And Dogs Are Rubbish. Who Said That?
4. Dog Dewclaws. Should You Have Your Dogs Dewclaws Removed?
5. Zhu Zhu Pets Craziness- The Dogs Won’t Be Getting Any

You learn something new every day.

Here are a few unusual Dog Facts. A Big Gold Star to you if you already knew them all.

1. The Basenji is the only breed of Dog that cannot bark.
2. Dachsunds were first bred to fight Badgers.
3. A Dogs heart rate is 70-120 beats per minute.
4. The average life expectancy is 15 years.
5. Dogs have two times as many muscles to move their ears as humans.
6. Dogs Can see in colour and in 2D.
7. The Greyhound is the fastest Dog, reaching speeds of 45 mph.
8. The oldest officially recorded age of a Dog is Bluey, an Australian Cattle Dog who was 29 yrs 5 months.
9. Dalmations are white when born and develop the spots as they age.
10. Dogs can be left or right handed.
11. All Dogs are descendants of Wolves so they can all mate with each other successfully.
12. There are more than 700 breeds of Dogs.
13. Dogs can detect Cancer in Humans.
14. More money is spent each year on Dog food than Baby food.
15. Dogs have less than a fifth of the taste buds of Humans.
16. Their nose however is 1 million times more sensitive.
17. 1 in 3 have a pet Dog.
18. Dogs sweat through the pads in their feet.
19. Mixed breed and cross breed are different. Mixed breed is from a various , usually unknown lineage but cross breeds are from only 2 different breeds.
20. Never smile at a Dog you believe to be dangerous. It will be seen as baring your teeth in an act of aggression.
21. Newfoundlands have webbed feet, making them excellent swimmers.
22. Bassets can’t swim.

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23. There are approx 60 million Dogs in the US.
24. Dogs can be trained to sense an oncoming epileptic seizure.
25. The largest Dog is the Irish Wolfhound, the smallest is the Chihuahua and the heaviest is the St. Bernard.
26. The largest recorded Dog was Zorba an Old English Mastiff, weighing 343 lbs and measuring 8 ft 3 inches.
27. The smartest Dog is believed to be the Border Collie closely followed by the Poodle.
28. The least intelligent is said to be the Afghan Hound.
29. All Dogs have 321 bones and 42 permanent teeth.
30. Wolves and Dogs can mate and produce offspring.
31. If unspayed and neutered a Female Dog and her mate and pups could produce 66,000 Dogs in 6 yrs.
32. A 1 year old Dog is about the equivalent to a 15 year old Human.
33. In 2002 in the Us more people were killed by Dogs than by Sharks in the last 100 years.
34. Obesity is the number one Dog problem.
35. Roughly 1 million Dogs are believed to be the main beneficiary to a Will in the US.
36. Dogs are better than Cats!

So who got their Gold Star?

Any more?

May the Doggie Force be with you all,

Help support this site. When shopping on Amazon please do so via this link. It really does help, and costs you nothing more.

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Other articles you may find of interest:

1. Dogs Eating Chicken Bones. Facts and Fables