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"A discussion of the dog's foot would not be complete without mention of the dew claws. In most dogs, the dew claws are attached to the bones of the pastern by a joint. When dogs canter or gallop there is one moment when a single front leg remains on the ground, bearing the dog's full weight. At that point, even in the lightest dogs, the pastern is flat on the ground and the carpal pad is cushioning the carpal joint as it hits the ground. At that moment, the dew claw is in contact with the ground and can catch the ground as the dog rotates its leg on turning. This allows the dog to take full advantage of the ability of the front leg to rotate in its axis. Some people who compete with sighthounds in lure-coursing have observed an increased incidence of front leg and foot injures in dogs who have had their dew claws removed. For this reason, some people prefer not to have their puppies dew claws removed. They prefer to give their performance dogs the advantage of a functional dew claw and risk possible injury to the dew claw that might necessitate its removal later in life." (Zink, C. and Daniels, J. (1996). "Jumping from A to Z." Lutherville, MD: Canine Sports Productions.) Mary-Ann Bowman
