The dewclaw is the fifth claw, sitting higher up the inside of the leg, not touching the ground when a dog stands still. It is often described as a vestigial remnant — the equivalent of our thumb, left over from an ancestor that had a use for it.
That description is out of date. Front dewclaws are working structures, and the evidence for it is quite specific.
Front dewclaws do a job
The key point is that front dewclaws have five tendons attaching to them, connected to muscles in the leg. Vestigial structures do not generally keep a full tendon and muscle apparatus — bodies discard what is not used.
Work by veterinary experts in canine sports medicine has described several functions:
Gripping. A dog holding a bone or a toy between its front paws uses the dewclaws to grip it. Watch a dog with a chew and you will see them engage.
Stabilising the carpus. At speed, and particularly during turns, the front foot pronates and the dewclaw makes contact with the ground. It digs in, resisting the torque that would otherwise twist the wrist. Slow-motion footage of dogs turning at speed shows the dewclaw in ground contact.
Climbing and extraction. Dogs climbing out of water, scrambling up a bank, or pulling themselves out of a hole use the dewclaws as hooks.
Extra traction on ice and slippery ground.
The argument made by sports medicine vets is that removing front dewclaws leaves the carpus less supported during high-speed turns, potentially contributing to carpal arthritis over a working life.
Rear dewclaws are a different matter
Rear dewclaws are much more variable. Many dogs have none. Where they exist, they are frequently attached only by skin, with no bone and no tendon connection, and they flap loosely.
Those ones genuinely do little, and they are more prone to catching and tearing.
Double dewclaws
Some breeds have two dewclaws on each hind leg, and in several this is a required breed characteristic:
- Great Pyrenees
- Briard
- Beauceron
- Icelandic Sheepdog
- Anatolian Shepherd
- Norwegian Lundehund, which goes further still
The Lundehund is the extraordinary case. Bred to climb sea cliffs hunting puffins, it has at least six functional toes on each foot, extra paw pads, and joints that allow the front legs to extend almost flat to the side. It can also fold its ears shut and bend its head back to touch its spine.
For the mountain breeds, the double rear dewclaws are believed to help with grip and stability on steep, uneven ground.
Removal: the argument
Dewclaw removal is usually done at a few days old, without anaesthetic, on the grounds that the puppies’ nervous systems are immature. It is also sometimes done later, under general anaesthetic.
Arguments made for removal:
- Prevents injury from the claw catching and tearing
- Avoids the need for regular trimming of a claw that does not wear down
- Required by some breed standards for showing
- Reduces risk in working dogs running through dense cover
Arguments made against:
- Front dewclaws serve a real biomechanical function
- Injury rates to front dewclaws are low in most pet dogs
- It is amputation of a digit, involving bone, for a non-medical reason
- It causes pain in neonates, whose nervous systems do feel it
- Removing structures to prevent hypothetical injury sets an odd standard
Where things stand: in several European countries, removal for cosmetic reasons is prohibited under animal welfare legislation. Elsewhere it remains common and legal. Many veterinary bodies now advise against routine removal of front dewclaws, while loosely attached rear dewclaws are viewed more pragmatically.
The current mainstream position is: leave front dewclaws alone unless there is a medical reason; loosely hanging rear dewclaws are a reasonable case-by-case judgement.
Looking after them
Dewclaws do not touch the ground in normal walking, so they do not wear down. Left untrimmed they keep growing, curve round, and can grow into the pad — which is painful and gets infected.
- Check them every time you trim the other nails. They are the ones people forget.
- Trim every three to four weeks, more often in dogs that walk mostly on soft ground.
- Check for splits, swelling or bleeding after runs through undergrowth.
- Keep the fur around them tidy in long-coated breeds so you can see what is happening.
gonicc Dog Nail Clippers
The safety guard helps with a claw that sits at an awkward angle. Take thin slices rather than one large cut, particularly on a dark nail where you cannot see the quick.
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If a dewclaw catches
Common causes: long nails snagging on carpet, bedding or seatbelts; running through brambles; and rough play.
Prevention is mostly about length. A short, well-maintained dewclaw catches on far less than a long curved one.
For working and sporting dogs running in cover, some handlers tape the dewclaws before a session. It is fiddly but effective.
The short version
Front dewclaws are functional thumbs that grip, stabilise and steer. They deserve to stay on most dogs, and they deserve to be trimmed — which is the thing owners actually forget.
Next time you cut your dog’s nails, check up the inside of both front legs. There is a fair chance you will find one longer than everything else.
