What is a dog's dewclaw?
Why do dogs have this?
1 Answer
The dewclaw is a remnant from way back when the ancestors of dogs had five toes. Make sure to check the dewclaw nail when trimming the rest of the nails.
Most of the time front dewclaws don't cause a problem, but rear dewclaws tend to be longer and looser. Unless it is in a dog's breed standard to have rear dewclaws, they should be removed. (Front dewclaws can stay as long as they don't cause trouble -- catch on things repeatedly and break.)