Glenn, I'm not sure that trimming dew claws is more painful than trimming
other claws, as long as you stay below the quick, of course. Naturally the
location of the dew claw makes it a little more awkward to get in a good
position for cutting, but after a while you'll probably get the hang of how
to do it quickly and easily. For me, what takes the longest is keeping his
"slippers" out of the way! (Also, what I do is, before I get out the
nail-cutters, I prepare a little pile of treats in tiny pieces, so that
after every couple of nails or so I can give him a tiny tidbit. By now,
though he still doesn't actually like having his claws cut, he's better at
staying still during his "ordeal" because he knows that's rewarded.)
I would have been very glad if Remy's dewclaws had been removed at birth,
but in a conversation right after he was born, his breeder told me that it
had been a difficult whelping and she didn't want to put them through
anything more. I fully understood that, and even though it means I have to
attend to them every month (when I cut his other claws), I still appreciate
her attempt to spare them further difficulty (whether everyone would see it
that way or not), no matter how brief.
I do agree with Barb that the "strong recommendation" to remove dewclaws is
a good thing, since as she said, the average dog -owner might not be
diligent enough - this way, it's one less thing the breeder would have to
worry about when the puppy goes home.
Alida
<<< The CKCSC, USA strongly recommends the removal of front
dewclaws."
I am glad they do "strongly recommend" as I don't feel the average dog owner
(be they breeder or pet owner) is diligent enough about cutting toenails.
>>>
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