Yup, that's why he kept damaging them - he's a ball obsessive kinda guy.

i keep dew claws nice and trimmed,they catch in material,threads and carpets.it was a snag in a carpet that damage one of my dogs d/c

thanks rune,here in can/its more widly excepted than in the u//k i think.but change has already begun,the us.i would say,its slowly happening as well,im going to look it up,and see whats happening ,with crop issues.soon ,i feel it will be illegal to own as well.and i would also say that my cropped dogs do not head into town to be seen,im not tatooed,dont sell drugs,im not the image some would think and iv got no issues with my manhood!im on the fence about the crop issue ,because iv got 2.this is all good info and thanks for shareing

I understand what you are saying, but not everyone has a choice in the matter.

I don't know if my opinion would change if I was given a choice over whether my dogs were neutered or not, but I have met dogs on walks that are in season... and I often wonder, what would have happened if Jake had been entire... I, afterall, had no idea they were in season until the owners have happened to mention it. I've learnt with many things, that other owners can't always be trusted to do what, IMO, is the 'right' thing to do... like not walking an in season bitch off lead in a busy dog walking area...

Then of course, there are the stories of how far some dogs will go when they catch the scent of an in season bitch... Again, that may be something that my opinion would change on if I had an entire male... and I imagine is different depending on the individual dog. I do believe though, that as long as a male is entire, then there will always be the chance of them mating and producing more dogs into the world...

I don't see the point with the reference to the Lab? What has that got to do with him being neutered?

I know people with entire dogs who are, IMO, irresponsible. One guy I know lets his dog hump the majority of females in the park, they haven't been in season so no risk of unwanted litters in those cases, but it isn't fair on the females. They are constantly trying to get away from him, and he is so incredibly persistent. He even grabs their tails because the majority of them are much faster than him, and if he gets a good position, he holds on to them so tightly... so much that he gave one of the dogs painfully looking red marks from where he was holding on. He is a heavy dog which makes it worse...

Anyway, this thread is about ear cropping, not neutering... I just posted about neutering in response to the comment comparing the two.

Just want to add..... When I was 13 I went on a school trip to Paris and we visited a famous (now gone*) French department store, Samaritaine. This was around 1974.

Me and a friend went up in the elevator to the pet department and I will never forget what I saw... A puppy (Dobermann) on sale with stitches all around the edges of its ears.

At the time I felt truly sickened, I couldn't imagine why or how someone might have taken a needle and thread to a dog's ears like that

Of course I knew nothing about ear cropping and had never seen a cropped dog, since it had been banned in my country in 1899, I had no idea it had ever happened, or existed anywhere in the world.

*despite its policy of selling pets, that store was an amazing place - I revisited a couple of times in the 80's and 90's - untouched architecture from the Art Nouveau period and I was very sorry when I heard it had closed down for good.

The stidues were done on agility dogs in America I think. Basically the idea is the front dew claw is attached properly then the bones all mesh together in the wrist like a nice jigsaw - each one supports the other. So if you remove one then, especially when the dog is turning at speed, the wrist can twist slightly - and of course over the course of many years each slight movement can a tiny bit more wear out the joint
As I read it it is not a case of removing them will CAUSE arthrite in all dogs, just that it increased the odds a little

Yup I have seen it sometimes too and it is not nice I know, all the dogs I know are firmly attached and close to the leg, it is possible that we are breeding some dogs badly in respect to the dew claws? imo perhaps that should be addressed rather than chopping them off
My dogs very much use theirs and (touch wood) no problems. Mias are not as well developed as Bens and do not wear down as much as his but they both very clearly use them


From what I read it is not something you would be able to see, its just a tiny minute rotation, so not strange, its a long term increase in the likelyhood of arthritis rather than a guarantee

Yes exactly If we had not had a thumb from birth we wouldnt seem like we missed it, if asked we wouldnt have a problem because we wouldnt know anything different, it is natural to be adaptable to things like this, but it dosent mean they should be without them
Yeah interesting the vet is finding it worse in certain breeds, to me rather than thinking of having to operate on them all I would say shouldnt we be looking at breeding them so they dont have these issues?

Yup, my friends 3 legged cat can still bring down birds


I think its a bit odd that people can say docking tails and ears is barbaric but removing the dogs thumb is OK, I know kids who have their ears operated on to make them look better, and many people have holes put in their ears, but I dont know of anyone who would choose to have a thumb lopped off - and thumbs can be damaged too, my mums is deformed after trapping it in a car door

Same here, I know lots of dogs with dew claws removed, and funny enough joint instability or arthritis of that area is not something I have never heard owners say that!



So do mine!


Ditto


Yes you can, you can import a cropped dog,

We have a few cropped Boxers (studs) here , that have been imported from abroad.

Do you? I know a few who own cropped dogs, and they never mention being the recipient of "anti feelings"

Just a question, cant really gage from your posts if you agree with cropping or simply that you ended up with cropped dogs...

But do you buy the excuse that cropping the dogs benefits them in the work they do, OR do you think, said dogs could work equally as good with normal ears.



Maybe the sport they are doing plays more of a part in the injuries than the removal of the dew claws.

The average dog in its lifetime does not have to contend with the pounding/pressure on joints an agility dog does.......

Would be interesting to find out if the dogs get pitying looks and if the owners are aware of people talking in low tones once they pass them.

I know that that would be my reaction. I wouldn't be able to keep the look of pity off my face (no matter how I tried) and would probably say something like, poor dog, once I'd gone past it

Front dewclaws are a fifth toe and have muscular control. They are used when the dog runs and turns at speed and often when gripping. I can't see any reason to cut off a toe, in fact, just the opposite.