Dewclaws that are Functional

Front Foot with extra Dewclaws

It has always been common practice for breeders remove dewclaws. On the front legs, their removal creates a clean line of the front leg and makes the dog appear to stand more 'up on its toes'. On the back legs the dewclaws often not only look ugly, the nail can grow so long that it curls back into the pad, causing the dog discomfort. Maybe we should stop and think, is the removal of dewclaws at a very young age necessary?

Breeds which have Functional Dewclaws

Pyrenean Mountain Dog Hind Feet with Double Dewclaws

Dewclaws are vestigial claws. But when left intact, can dewclaws be functional? Absolutely they can! For example, some Livestock Guardian Dogs, like the Pyrenean Mountain Dog that was developed to work on rocky mountain surfaces, require dewclaws on their back legs that have the potential to be functional.

A more extreme example of functional dewclaws is the Norwegian Lundehund. It was also developed to work on rocky surfaces. A Spitz type breed, it was developed to work on the steep cliff faces of Norway's snow covered, rocky Arctic slopes. The Lundehund gets its name from the Norwegian word 'Lund' meaning Puffin - the name of the Arctic bird that the dog was bred to hunt. Puffin birds are sociable creatures which live in colonies in long, winding ice-covered cliff passages or rooks, that are impossible for a man to penetrate. For centuries, Puffin birds provided not only a staple diet for people living in these remote areas, their feathers and down provided essential warmth.

Norwegian Lundehund

Consequently,  It has always been common practice for breeders remove them. On the front legs, their removal creates a clean line of the front leg and makes the dog appear to stand more 'up on its toes'. On the back legs the dewclaws often not only look ugly, the nail can grow so long that it curls back into the pad, causing the dog discomfort. Maybe we should stop and think, is the removal of dewclaws at a very young age necessary?

When left intact, dewclaws can be functional. For example, some Livestock Guardian Dogs, like the Pyrenean Mountain Dog that was developed to work on rocky mountain surfaces, require dewclaws on their back legs that have the potential to be functional. A more extreme example of functional dewclaws is the Norwegian Lundehund. It was also developed to work on rocky surfaces. A Spitz type breed, it was developed to work on the steep cliff faces of Norway's snow covered, rocky Arctic slopes. The Lundehund gets its name from the Norwegian word 'Lund' meaning Puffin - the name of the Arctic bird that the dog was bred to hunt. Puffin birds are sociable creatures which live in colonies in long, winding ice-covered cliff passages or rooks, that are impossible for a man to penetrate. For centuries, Puffin birds provided not only a staple diet for people living in these remote areas, their feathers and down provided essential warmth.

Puffin Birds

The Lundehund's dewclaws were developed into extra toes that used to assist the dog to climb up the cliff faces to reach the entrance of the Puffins' tunnels. The dog's extraordinary feet also gave the dog the traction it needed to aid it to crawl along the passages within the tunnels. Once the dog grabbed a bird, this bird would latch onto another Puffin bird which in turn would grab yet another. It was not uncommon for a strong Lundehund to retreat, pulling out a long chain of a dozen or so linked birds.

Back Foot Lundehund

The Norwegian Lundehund's extraordinary front feet have 6 toes, 5 of which rest on the ground. The 6th or other toe is what we usually regard as a dewclaw. This toe has ligaments and tendons that are used help to dog grip, somewhat like our thumb. On the hind feet there are 6 toes - 2 that we usually regard as dewclaws also have ligaments and tendons that are used help to dog grip. The other 4 must reach the ground. The hind dewclaws that assisted the hind feet to grip rocks, are functional somewhat like those of some of our Livestock Guardian Dogs.

The largest pad in the middle is also important because the two inner pads are attached to it. When standing on a flat surface, the weight of the dog's body should be evenly distributed across the 4 pads that rest on the ground. However, all four of the Lundehund's feet must have these extra toes or dewclaws, complete with corresponding pads, tendons, and muscles which give the dog its incredible grasping abilities.

Parson Russell climbing tree

The Lundehund is a small Spitz type dog weighing around seven kilos. It has red to fawn hair with black tips; or is black-grey or white with black patches. However, because the back feet must accommodate the two extra toes, the feet turn out slightly. This makes the dog move somewhat close behind and appear cow hocked.

Maybe next time we breed a litter, perhaps we could think about the potential use of the dewclaws and leave them intact. When the pup grows up, you may be surprised to witness the increase in the grown dog's general range of mobility. Pictured is a working Parson Russell Terrier that has climbed a tree!