In article ,
Kathleen wrote:
As to dogs using their dewclaws, I've no doubt that there are some dogs
that can and do. But my Zane had his removed as a neonate and I've seen
him palm two balls at once - one in either front paw - gripping them
hard enough to hang onto them quite successfully while being lifted off
the ground by his harness. It's hard to imagine that he's lost any
manual dexterity.

Sleddogs generally have their dewclaws removed within
several days of whelping, because there's a reasonable
expectation that they'll be wearing booties in the future
and and there's a problem with sores under dewclaws forming
as a result of bootie pressure. However, that's an
exceptional case, as is participation in flyball. For the
average dog, unless there's a problem (for example, the
dewclaws aren't attached to the leg and are only being held
on by skin) dewclaw removal is just cosmetic surgery.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community