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Double Dew Claws

August 5, 2014 83 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. You won't pay a penny more, but you'll help keep It's Dog or Nothing running (websites are expensive!) and the floofs fed (they're even more expensive - as you well know) ;)

Before we got Mauja, I had researched the Great Pyrenees for months. Even though I had never met one, I was confident that it was the right breed for my family and that I could successfully care for one. I spent hours learning about the things that make Great Pyrenees unique, including the double dew claws.

At Mauja’s first vet visit, the vet brought up her dew claws and how strange it was that they were attached by a bone. I tried to explain the Great Pyrenees breed standard and why the double dews were useful, but she was not convinced. Every visit until her spay, I received a lecture on why I needed to remove her dews. Eventually, we decided to take her to a different vet for her spay because I was terrified the vet would remove her double dews without my permission.

Thus began my mission to help educate about the necessity of the double dew claws on the Great Pyrenees.

Have you ever seen them before? I love the looks on people’s faces as the notice the double dews on Mauja and Atka. There’s always the double take followed by the, “are they supposed to be there?” question.

You've noticed your Great Pyrenees (or perhaps other breed) has double dew claws. The question is - should they stay or should they go?

As you can see above, there’s a pad with two toenails slightly higher on the foot. That’s a pyr’s double dews.

It is commonly believed that dewclaws need to be removed, preferably as soon as possible. While this is true for some breeds, it does not apply to the Great Pyrenees. Many breeds have floppy dew claws that can easily snag and rip. If you dog isn’t a working dog, vets typically remove them at a young age.

The double dew claws on the Great Pyrenees are very strong due to being attached by a bone; they act as a sort of thumb for the dog and are surprisingly useful.

I love watching Mauja and Atka run around and make use of their extra toes. The dews help grip the ground for turning, climbing, descending, and jumping. I’ve never seen Atka jump, but Mauja uses her dews when she jumps!

Removing the double dews is highly discouraged due to being extremely painful and is ultimately detrimental the dog. Due to being attached by a bone, it is very uncommon for them to snag when taken care of properly. This means ensuring regular trimming to prevent the nail from growing too long and back into the pad, which would be very painful for the dog.

My experience with Mauja taught me that it’s great to ask your vet for advice but always do your own research. Talk to people involved with the breed, such as reputable breeders, people who show dogs, and rescue workers to help learn the most accurate information.

Have you ever seen a dog with double dew claws?

Filed Under: Healthy, Happy Dog Tagged With: dew claws, dogs, double dew claws, great pyrenees

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Taryn says

    August 5, 2014 at 6:39 am

    I never thought much about dew claws until I got my corgis. My first corgi had his, and snagged one so badly it broke off, got infected, etc. it was awful! When I got Wilson, I made sure his had been removed. Cardigan breeders tend to have them removed at only a couple days old before there is much development. It is much less painful that way. On a breed with longer (normal?) legs, I don’t think there is much need to remove them.

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 7:27 pm

      Wow, that would have to be so painful! My parents have Berners, which have the single floppy dew claws. Their dews were removed when they were fixed for that same reason. The floppy ones seem to snag so easily!

      Reply
      • Shari Smith says

        July 25, 2018 at 7:34 pm

        My Briard has them.

        Reply
    • Aimee Warta says

      August 13, 2022 at 7:19 pm

      My 7 week old fosters have them. One brother has 1 few claw on each back foot. The brother I will be keeping has 3 on one foot and 2 on the other. Their dad is full great pyrenees and the mom was a Belgian Malinois. She died the day after they were born so I became their foster mama. I didn’t know that was a pyrenees thing to have so many dew claws and had planned on having them removed until I read your blog! I’m so glad you had this info. I grew up with an aunt that had a few pyrenees but was too little to understand all their traits. I’m not new to giant breed I have a dane but like to educate myself for both our sake lol.

      Reply
  2. djordanlane says

    August 5, 2014 at 7:26 am

    My Golden-Pyr mix did not inherit her mom’s double dews. Her knack for making tumbleweeds though, she got in full force.

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      Haha! They all seem to get that 😉

      Reply
      • Kimberly says

        September 1, 2017 at 10:59 pm

        Oddly enough, my Shih-Tzu has dews on all four.
        Harry was a stray.
        When we took him home I couldn’t put him down. I wanted to cuddle him morning till night. I found his rear dew claws growing back into himself.
        I cut them back. Pulled them out of his pads.
        As I have been reading this article an your stories, I was happy Harry is not the only dog that uses his rear dew claws for climbing.
        We all know, Harry is not a “jumper”. Harry is a climbing animal. A fantastic “foot warmer” as he is!
        My point is this. I have, as well, a polydactyl cat. One factly has a bone she can utilise. The other is a skin flap with an extremely long sharp nail.
        I am constantly petrified she will rip that thumb off as she has no control over that digit.
        At 11 years old, she is quite aware of herself.
        She has a viable opposing thumb.:)

        Reply
  3. easyweimaraner says

    August 5, 2014 at 8:18 am

    Wow that was interesting! I had no clue that they have two of this claws. As I met the first pyrenees dog of my life I was puzzled about the size … and even Easy was silent and impressed for some minutes :o)

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 7:26 pm

      They can be quite large 😉

      Reply
  4. Susan C. Willett says

    August 5, 2014 at 8:36 am

    My Tucker, who is some kind of terrier mix has double dew claws. He doesn’t look like there’s any Pyr in him, though. When I asked the vet about it, her advice was to leave them unless they cause trouble. That’s one of the reasons I like my vet. Why cause pain needlessly, right?

    Wags (and purrs) from Life with Dogs and Cats

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 7:25 pm

      My thoughts exactly! Very interesting that he has double dews! Typically, you see them in flock guardian breeds and their mixes. How cool!

      Reply
    • Regina cannon says

      April 23, 2015 at 1:49 pm

      sunshine my lab mix with a smaller dog is double dew claw. she is kneehigh and about 42lbs. she likes swimming, retrieving and hiking. I trim her extra nails regularly.

      Reply
      • Mary Thayer says

        March 16, 2017 at 3:08 pm

        We have a lab pit mix and the vet removed the double dew claw (she had only one) due to it being floppy and unattached. Our pittie is a digger and in a chain link. We feared injury. We had it removed while she was under for being spayed.

        Reply
    • Bonnie says

      June 7, 2018 at 8:40 am

      I have a JRT and English Bull Terrier mix with double dew claws…he’s keeping them!

      Reply
  5. jan says

    August 5, 2014 at 10:26 am

    Thanks for the lesson in dewclaws that have a purpose. One of my dogs snagged a dewclaw and we had to have it removed, surgery, an e-collar, and a vet bill.

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 7:24 pm

      Yikes… That would not be fun to deal with : /

      Reply
  6. Jenna,Mark “HuskyCrazed” Drady says

    August 5, 2014 at 10:39 am

    Always do your own research for SURE!
    Vets practice medicine, but they don’t learn about every single breed in the world, so there is a lot they don’t know.
    I have to admit, I have never seen doubles like that before! Very interesting!
    ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 7:23 pm

      I had never heard of them until I became interested in Pyrs. Definitely makes them unique!

      Reply
  7. Kay says

    August 5, 2014 at 5:01 pm

    Wow that’s interesting I never knew some breeds had double dews…good thing you changed vets..they certainly sound ignorant!

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 7:23 pm

      We’ve had a lot of issues with vets. Hopefully we find a good one soon!

      Reply
      • Stephanie says

        March 19, 2017 at 3:51 pm

        We just got a great pyre and she has double dews thank you for the info

        Reply
  8. Bailey says

    August 5, 2014 at 6:06 pm

    Very interesting.

    Reply
  9. jenjelly says

    August 5, 2014 at 8:07 pm

    I had no idea that was the breed standard. I’m glad you decided to go with a different vet, even though they’re well educated it certainly doesn’t mean they can’t be stubborn know-it-alls….

    If there’s no benefit to removing them I’m just surprised a vet would recommend it. Seems an awful lot like declawing cats. Glad to see that trend is on a decline.

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:09 pm

      For Pyrs, it is definitely a lot like declawing cats! It’s so sad to see that they’ve been removed. The single, floppy dews can be problematic so they are often removed very early.

      Reply
  10. Chelsea Price says

    August 5, 2014 at 8:24 pm

    I had no idea that Pyrs have double dew claws! So interesting…learn something new every day 😉

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 8:26 pm

      I’m glad I could inform so many people! I had no idea until I started researching Pyrs. It makes them unique 😉

      Reply
      • Noel McDonald says

        May 14, 2017 at 1:24 pm

        We have a golden retriever mix.we saw her mom so know that is part of her. She is all black with a little white. She has very long legs. She has double dew claws on her back paws, She is scheduled to be spayed and have those removed at the end of month. She will be 4 months old on the 21st. It was said by a shelter worker she could be part great pyreneese or new foundland. I am really struggling with having them removed. Any advice

        Reply
        • Julie says

          March 7, 2020 at 11:42 am

          The double dew claws are a badge of honor! It proves your baby has Great Pyrenees blood. They are an appendage as stated in other comments above. Removing them would be like amputating your thumb. A vet familiar with the breed also said it will affect their gait. I have had 3 Pyr’s over 8 years and they have NEVER been a problem. Just trim them like their other toenails. They do seem to grow faster, or not get normal wear so they can become very long. Please, please reconsider. I get my Pyr’s through the Great Pyrenees Rescue Society based in Texas and the adoption contract requires an adopter to agree that they will NOT remove the dews. . . for many good reasons.

          Reply
        • Bertram says

          April 27, 2020 at 10:52 am

          Also, if your dog is a golden retriever/Great Pyrenees mix you should not get her spayed until she’s at least 6 months old/close to a year. With large-giant breed dogs mix or not it’s best to not get them fixed early as it can cause issues.

          Reply
      • Debbie says

        October 11, 2020 at 11:24 pm

        There r several breeds that have the dbl. dew claws on the back legs. Our purebred St. Bernard puppy has them n so did both her parents. Unlike the pyramese, there is no bone in them.

        Reply
  11. Emily @ Adventures of a Dog Mom says

    August 5, 2014 at 9:21 pm

    I’ll be honest, the first time I saw double dews I thought something was wrong, but while holding the dog for an exam I realized what they were.

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 5, 2014 at 9:22 pm

      Most people do! They’re not a common sight, that’s for sure!

      Reply
  12. Sand Spring Chesapeakes says

    August 5, 2014 at 9:39 pm

    love double dewclaws, a couple of Norman’s pups had double dewclaws in the rears, guess it’s steaming from the newfie in the chesapeakes.

    Reply
    • Paigr says

      September 16, 2015 at 5:06 am

      Newfs do not have the double dew claw.
      They are water dogs and have webbed feet.

      Reply
      • Ruth says

        April 8, 2018 at 5:08 pm

        Newfs have some Pyr in them so the story goes. Yes they have webs as well from the Portuguese water spaniel. My Pyrs [4] used theirs to climb fences ledges and rocks. The Maremma had them too but smaller.

        Reply
  13. Shirl Carter says

    August 6, 2014 at 8:17 pm

    The sire (reg) of my Pyr has triple dews

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      August 6, 2014 at 8:20 pm

      Now that is interesting! I’ve only seen one set of triple dews on a pyr. The owners called it a ‘mutant toe’ because it essentially grew off of one of the attached dew claws. They had to get it removed because it was causing a lot of issues. Do you know if the sire passed on the triple dews to any of the pups? How unique!

      Reply
  14. 2 Brown Dawgs says

    August 7, 2014 at 4:55 am

    I actually knew that about Pyrs. I have met a few over the years.

    Our dogs have dew claws removed as very young pups. Freighter’s grew back. Or rather it was some cartilage and a bit of skin. Our vet has an orthopedic vet on staff so between him and our regular vet we decided to have it removed since Freighter is a hunting dog. Orthopedic vet has had to fix a few ripped dew claws over the years. Turned out that Freighter’s was a very minor surgery, more of a snip and he was in the show ring two weeks later.

    Reply
  15. Lisa says

    August 8, 2014 at 9:00 pm

    I never knew they were attached by bone! We have always had them removed from our dogs because we have had a couple rip them out.

    Reply
    • bonnie norwood says

      April 9, 2016 at 1:01 pm

      Not all of them are attached by the bone, only some breeds, like mine – the Beauceron.

      Reply
      • Kelsie says

        April 11, 2016 at 3:30 pm

        You’re right – not all breeds with double dews are attached by the bone, but they are in the Great Pyrenees as well.

        Reply
        • Christy says

          October 30, 2016 at 10:07 am

          I didnt know they were attached by bone. I have a Pyr and I love them! I think they are cool! I would never have them removed unless there was a problem!

          Reply
        • Terri says

          February 9, 2017 at 10:56 am

          I rescued a lab/Shepard mix. The vet said he may have Pyrenees in him because he has double dew claws in both back legs. One is actually attached while the other just hangs there. They do t want to remove it unless the have to maybe just the ones not attached. They are up really far about 3 inches from the ground.

          Reply
  16. lmadams1311 says

    August 8, 2014 at 9:03 pm

    My favorite dog I ever owned was a Pyrs & everyone used to get freaked out about her Dews! I can’t wait to get another one of these breed dogs, my Sparta passed away a while ago & I’ve never been able to love another dog the same way!

    Reply
  17. vickilesage says

    August 8, 2014 at 11:51 pm

    So much I didn’t know!

    Reply
  18. Carrie says

    August 9, 2014 at 8:41 am

    I guess you learn something new everyday! I don’t have pets (hubby’s allergic) but I’ve only had small dogs growing up. Very interesting.

    Reply
  19. Paula Parker says

    August 9, 2014 at 9:58 am

    What an informative article. Sounds like you have the best dog!

    Reply
  20. Neva @ Retire for the Fun of it says

    August 9, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    This is information that every vet needs to read and know. Love the photos of your dogs.

    Reply
  21. Anna L says

    August 9, 2014 at 9:35 pm

    I wondered about the extra claws on some dogs. That’s so cool that they’re like thumbs

    Reply
  22. Bismah Abdelgawad says

    August 9, 2014 at 10:28 pm

    This is the first time I have really ever heard of dewclaws. I have to agree with you that you should do your research in addition to obtaining advice from vets. I know of cases where vets are very knowledgeable of dogs in general however when it comes to an actual breed they are unsure and often make assumptions.

    Reply
  23. Heather Smith {Woods of Bell Trees} says

    August 10, 2014 at 9:48 am

    I have absolutely no idea there was a such a thing! That is great advice to check and see how your vets feel about double dews in case something happens that you didn’t want to happen! 😀

    Reply
  24. Heather Carlson says

    August 10, 2014 at 10:04 am

    So interesting- I’ve never known much about dewclaws. Your dogs are absolutely beautiful! Thanks for sharing…

    Reply
  25. Jade @ Jonesin' For Taste says

    August 16, 2014 at 7:13 pm

    I never knew any of this. I will be checking out my families 3 dogs for these. And I’m glad you found another vet. If you can’t feel confident in them respecting your decisions then you have to find a new one.

    Reply
  26. Barbara Rivers says

    January 1, 2015 at 2:33 pm

    Wow! I can’t believe your first vet wasn’t familiar with double dewclaws! Good for you that you changed vets!!

    Reply
  27. Briana Defibaugh says

    February 18, 2016 at 12:39 pm

    What do you do when 1 of the double dew claws (top) grows into the pad?? What is your opinion on this? We have our pyr groomed regularly & nails clipped, so I don’t know how this 1 got into this kind of shape & I can tell that it is very painful to her?? Any suggestions??

    Reply
  28. Teresa Allen says

    February 25, 2016 at 12:38 pm

    We have a male and female chiweeine. They just had a litter of 5 4 have dewclaws like the daddy one of which has a double on one foot. I find this very interesting.

    Reply
  29. Lindsay Pevny says

    May 23, 2016 at 12:58 am

    Whoa! I had no idea any dog had double dew claws. In the breed standard link, it says the front is a single dewclaw and the double dew claws are on the rear paws, is that true?

    Reply
    • Kelsie says

      May 23, 2016 at 8:28 am

      Yes! They only have the double dews on their hind legs 🙂

      Reply
  30. Spoopy says

    May 31, 2016 at 2:23 pm

    I actually have a pure-bred white german shepherd puppy with a double dew.

    Reply
  31. HEATHER says

    July 10, 2016 at 1:16 pm

    If you think pyrs have interesting dew claws, you should check out the Norwegian Lundehund, talk about interesting feet. Strange, but practical, dogs.

    Reply
  32. Kwarg says

    July 10, 2016 at 8:37 pm

    Briards also have double dews as breed standard. My Briard, Lucky, uses his double dews when he runs circles, neat to see!

    Reply
  33. Christina says

    July 26, 2016 at 10:59 pm

    I know I probably will repeat some stuff. I have a Border Collie/ Pyrenees mix with double dewclaws. Which to most people that isn’t much. Dewclaws are often removed when the pup is fixed etc. If you adopted the puppy (mine was almost a rescue, but not there yet…glad I got him) they probably had those removed. The dewclaws with the bones just seem normal. My 3 yr old still has both sets without any issues. He isn’t a working dog. He does live inside. I was told by the vet, until it becomes a problem. I trusted him. That wasn’t the only vet and that was a vet I would have trusted to treat me. My mom is a dog groomer, she hates the floppy ones (which he has), but that is what majority of dogs have and humans remove them.

    Reply
  34. Deeder says

    August 14, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    Hi Kelsie! I just took in my first Pyr foster yesterday, inspired by the great temperament of my wonderful Pyr mix Mr. Watson. Watson doesn’t have the double dews and although I knew that was part of the breed I’d forgotten all about it until Verona jumped out of the car. Wow!! They’re really impressive — and weird, and a little creepy, and SUPER cool, and you do have the initial instinct that disaster is going to strike at any moment. I’m so glad you wrote this article and described your experience. Knowing they’re attached by bone is really reassuring, and remembering that they’re an actual tool for these dogs, not a vestigial nail, is important. Thanks so much!

    Reply
  35. RJ says

    November 4, 2016 at 2:05 am

    My female Marlie I got about a month ago she’s 12 weeks now. The dad was a Great Pyrenees black lab mix and the mom was a Boston terrier jack RUSSEL mix maybe a little chihuahua in her too. She has double dewclaws on both her back paws and just one on both her front paws. She looks like a Black and Tan Jack RUSSEL. Tried to put up a photo but wouldn’t work. Very pretty puppy at about 7lbs.

    Reply
  36. Katelyn says

    November 20, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    We are going through this issue right jow. Our dog is 13 weeks old and our vet told us it was an inbred trait that he shouldnt have so of course we said yes. But now doing our research i dont think we shoukd go through with it. HELP?!?!?!

    Reply
  37. Kathleen says

    December 13, 2016 at 10:41 pm

    Glad to find your post. I recently lost my Great Pyr/Akbash and he did not have double dews. We just purchased two females and when I was trimming their nails and I got to the back paws . . .there were double dews! Quite weird/creepy at first. I knew the Great Pyr used the dew claws for climbing and they were not to be removed. One of the pups nails had curled almost into the pad so I will have to keep a close watch. So glad you made this post.

    Reply
  38. jerry says

    December 28, 2016 at 10:34 am

    we just got a puppy its a pit mix don’t know the mix part but she has a double dewclaw on one back foot an a single dewclaw on the other back foot. she is almost 8 weeks old and they don’t seem to bother her at all

    Reply
  39. Diana says

    May 1, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    Great article. I am writing a post on dew claws and came upon yours while researching. One of my dogs has all 4 dew claws and the other two do not. I agree about them being very useful for the dog.

    Reply
  40. Kathleen says

    June 18, 2017 at 6:47 pm

    We just got a pup that was thrown out on side of highway with a couch! Great pyrenee mix with not sure thinking heeler..I was going to have his dble dews removed they seem floppy to me…I didnt realize they are supposed to be useful to them..hmm maybe ill be rethinking this removal..wanna show you a pic and see what you think..do you have a facebook page? Im under Kat Siler may e can message me

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 1, 2022 at 10:04 pm

      That makes me sick to think of a pup being thrown on the side of the road like trash! Some people just shouldn’t be pet owners. Sad!

      Reply
  41. Bill says

    July 18, 2017 at 7:57 pm

    Our Estrela Mountain dog had rear double dew claws. We received many curious inquiries about “Starlight”, as many had never seen the breed before. Wonderful dog.

    Reply
  42. Lisa says

    September 16, 2017 at 4:00 pm

    Hello. Thank you for the article on dew claws. My Pyr has double dew claws. The vet says they are not attached by bone and I should remove them. Popular opinion is not to but they flop and seem to serve no purpose. Not sure what to do?

    Reply
  43. Jody says

    December 24, 2017 at 1:51 pm

    I have a rescue chihuahua mix . Don’t know what she’s mixed with. Her fur is reddish and stiff. She ha double dewclaws on her hind paws. I didn’t know what they were so I decided to have them removed. After reading these posts, I’m not going to. She is not a loving dog at all and if I did that to her she would really want to stay away from us. I wish I knew what she is mixed with.q

    Reply
  44. Becky says

    March 24, 2018 at 3:03 pm

    Our vet in Asheville NC drew our attention to our new (at the time) rescue dog’s double dew claws right after we adopted her. This was about seven years ago. The vet advised against getting them removed and said she thought Patty was part Great Pyrenees. Having done a lot of detective work since then, I’m convinced that she is part Golden and part Great Pyrenees, escaped from a notorious and now thankfully defunct puppy mill in a nearby county that “specialized” in Golden/Pyr puppies. She was found, abused, malnourished, and heavily pregnant, travelling on her own away from that location by my now dearest friend- a fabulous and dedicated dog rescue worker. Sadly, of her three live born puppies (one more was still born) only one survived the first week of life. His name is Waldo. He was born completely blind probably also due to Patty’s starvation and mistreatment. Luckily, blind Waldo found a loving, patient, understanding home with the rescue worker who found Patty ( on St. Paddy’s Day 2010, hence her name.) We now arrange frequent family reunions and both dogs seem entirely aware of the nature of their bond, despite it being well over a year before I could track down her puppy and unexpectedly also meet Patty’s human rescuer/rehabilitator.

    On the subject of dew claw removal- I would suggest that no one ever do it for purely cosmetic reasons with any breed- only in the case of infection, tearing, or a serious medical condition. Our Patty has three attached, one unattached (back left) and has been happy and active throughout our life together, never snagging despite hundreds of miles of mountain trails – both hiking and running, as well as lots of camping and other various outdoor activities with her forever family.

    Some of her characteristics that I mainly attribute to her Great Pyrenees side are-

    1)She has often made us aware of small damaged animals in need of our help by stubborn refusal to come combined with guarding behavior- a very young squirrel with a severe head injury (hit by a car?) that our vet couldn’t save, and a day old robin fallen from a nest and abandon that we were able to feed up by hand and release after some flight practice in our back garden both come to mind. Rare is a dog who is so clever and perceptive that she knows just when to break the rules to help others. She is otherwise a perfectly well-behaved dog who is great with people, dogs, cats, other pets and is unfailingly gentle with even tiny helpless wild creatures that other dogs might consider as prey.

    2)She has snowshoe shaped feet and excessively long (like six inches) toe hair (without the constant clipping that we do to prevent matting) grows her own crazy Dr. Seuss fuzzy slippers- should we let her toe hair grow? Grow her toe hair? Oh heck no! Not in rain and not in snow, never let that toe hair grow.

    3) She is very serious-minded (unlike the rest of us) and seems to much prefer the feeling of work rather than play. So much so, that we disguise play as work in order to get her more enthusiastic about it. She loves to wear her weighted camping pack ( mostly full of dog treats and her bottled water) everywhere that we go, even to the bark park for example. She sits and stares at the closet it is kept in until someone remembers to put in on for her. She lives to carry her own packages out of a pet supply store. Our kids hitched up her harness to pull a red wagon delivering little Christmas bakes and crafts to our neighbors last year. I think it may have been Patty’s most favorite day ever! (Plus we did not make her wear her reindeer antlers, possibly because they were still in the attic somewhere.)

    4) She is a total Nanny dog when we take family on walks and outings- will herd our kids, nudge the straggler in the back forward, cut off anyone intent on wandering off, even my husband and I if we get distracted by something bright and shiny. Her herding instinct is really impressive to watch in action.

    5)She is very quiet most of the time. She makes a gravelly wooooo! sound when she is particularly happy to see someone home from school or work or otherwise excited. The only time she ever barks is when she hears a weird sound on the property at night- which is pretty much exactly what we want her to do. Unfortunately, having investigated on many of these occasions I know she barks without fail at raccoons on the bird feeder. We hope she might bark at any possible human thieves invading our property too, by mistaking their sounds for more raccoons on the birdfeeder.

    All in all, Patty is the best dog I have ever owned or known. Let me tell you that is saying something, because I’ve owned some great ones. We have no idea how old she is but hope she remains healthy and active and part of our family for as she wants to be.

    Reply
  45. Elli Bohanan says

    June 20, 2018 at 10:24 pm

    I recently adopted a dog, a mix breed with double dew claws. I like to believe he is blue heeler and borzoi mix, a pretty boy. When we adopted him they said his dews were indeed a bit weird. They feel a bit floppy but I don’t want to remove it if it will cause him pain. So we will definitely keep them well trimmed! Thanks for the information!

    Though I wish he would use his dew claws more with running around as he tends to slip into a lot of stuff.

    Reply
  46. james d stone says

    July 31, 2018 at 6:44 pm

    I have a great pyr/german shepard mix 1 and a half years old. she features her father the shepard but has droopy ears. her dew claws point out her mother wihich i think is valuable to her character. too old to have them removed I watch them closely.Her nose scent is amazing and I would not trade her for the world. She has been raised with nothing but love and care. Thank all of you for all the valuable info.

    Reply
  47. Sam says

    March 9, 2019 at 12:44 pm

    I have an almost two year old Great Pyr Akita mix. His double dew claws are actually detached, but hes never caught them on anything and they’re his favourite “toes” haha. My old vet always harped on me telling me to remove them as well but hes a smart boy, hes careful and knows they’re there and has never snagged them

    Reply
  48. CJ says

    April 19, 2019 at 12:57 am

    Your Great Prynees breed standard link states that dewclaws have no recognizable function in today’s world. My Prynees has torn one of her dewclaws and the other one doesn’t show any signs of problems but she has licked it raw. I’m seriously considering having them both removed because they both seem to be giving her problems.

    Reply
  49. Kathy Holden says

    May 7, 2020 at 6:40 pm

    I fostered 5 puppies from an Organization known as Pawworks and ended up adopting one of the puppies. Two of the five had double rear dew claws (not the one I ended up getting) The puppies are terrier chi mixes.
    I hope the new parents have them removed as several times during my foster they would snag on the blankets so I had be constantly making sure they were ok and use smooth blankets without any loop. I took puppies for spay neuter as all dogs were required to be fixed before they were made available for adoption. I asked vet to remove them and said I’d even pay for it but he wasn’t able to unless instructed by Pawworks. Again, hope these puppy parents have them removed but really the perfect opportunity would have been during spay/neuter.

    Reply
  50. Macho says

    April 3, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    My dog Monito had dewclaws on all four paws ! his mother was a German shepherd, and the father was a fence jumping black shape of unidentified breed. Love the dewclaws, never ever would have considered removing them ! Monito died at age 14 years 8 months, and those dews never once gave him a problem.

    Reply
  51. N says

    May 26, 2021 at 6:08 pm

    I need help please. Without a lecture from anyone, just information please, cause I freaking get it. During my post partum, my pyr’s dew claw grew into his pad and then broke off. When he was neutered I had the vet trim his nails, and for whatever reason, they left it in the pad. Should I, can I, attempt to remove the nail myself or take him back into the vet? I must add…I live in rural MT, animal vet care comes pretty easily. So the capability and competency are there-I am just wondering how big the can of worms is? If that makes sense. Like I said, I get it. It should not have even happened in the first place. But it did, and he/me/we just need solutions that actually help him. Please. This is my first time owning his breed

    Reply
  52. Donna Murray says

    August 3, 2021 at 12:51 pm

    I have an Icelandic Sheep Dog and she has double dew claws. Unfortunately, it looks like I’ll have to the last (or is it first) one removed. The nails are coming out like corkscrews and I’m afraid she’ll rip the claw out.

    Reply
  53. Luis Dogalyo says

    August 14, 2022 at 6:21 am

    My boy has double dew claws with one being floppy. It’s never bothered him and my vet has never mentioned getting them removed.

    If you have a groomer trim their nails make sure you mention it every time. Even if they have it in the file.

    Reply

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