do most breeders here take off the front dewclaws then?
I only ever take hind ones off and they are extremely rare, I only ever see them in collie litters.
dont see the point of taking front ones off, and I keep working dogs and have only seen one injury to a dewclaw in all the years Ive had dogs, In fact Ive seen far more injuries to stoppers than I ever have dewclaws or tails, but no one takes stoppers off, I think dewclaws and tails and ears (and other bits and bobs ) should be left on (unless it is in the interests of the dogs health that they be removed)

Not that I know of just rear ones if they are present and the breed standard does not call for it.

Star has had her front dew claws removed.

I have a couple of point to add..Tails I was once told be a vet that puppies and animals who are immature at birth eg. animals born blind/helpless do not have a fully developed nervous system until their eyes open and are not fully conscious of pain, that is one reason why docking is done so early. Also have you noticed how it hurts so much more if you have a tiny cut on your finger than a big cut on your arm? This is because there are far more nerve endings in the fingers than the arms, I understood that the puppies tail is similar with few nerve ending where the docking is done.
Dewclaws There is more chance of damaging undocked dewclaws in a breed with a long soft coat where it is frequently combed or gets knotted than in a smooth coated breed, I have also seen an undocked dewclaw grow very long and embed itself in a dogs front leg (in a badly kept cocker I once had to trim..ears full of lice too). I am not advocating docking just adding to the debate, I personally prefer the look of docked tails in many breeds although my conscience tells me it may not be the best thing for the dog.

Uhm Luna have only dewclaws on the front legs, so I guess the back ones must have been removed. I dont know when, but I saw her at 3 weeks old, and cant remember if they were there or not.

Some breeds/dogs do not have hind claws so it could be that Labs are born without in most cases.

Think all animals, including us, are born with little ability to feel pain, we would not get through the birth process otherwise, the pain would cause too much shock to the tiny system and probably kill them. New borns are more effected by temperature and hunger than pain, or so those in the know will tell you.

puppies may not feel pain at 2 days in the way they would at say 2 weeks but the pain still registers. Watch the reaction you get from a puppy if the bitch accidentally sits on it, if they can feel that im pretty sure they can feel the pain of having their tails cut off.
I have yet to hear a completely logical justification for tail docking.
Even the working dog one doesnt really wash with me as ive kept working dogs and seen lots of injuries in my time, rarely to tails or dewclaws.
Its never easy to go against the grain and be different, especially if you are a breeder or exhibitor of a docked breed, but the more people who refuse to accept the status quo, the better it will be for the breed in the long run.

Have watched puppies being docked they do not react at all. That does not mean I think it should be done, just that causing pain does not come into the equation. The only reaction is from the bitch and that is the same as when you remove a pup to weigh it. By the way docking is not allowed after 48hours, I think, after that it becomes a operation and requires a GA

Just one point - we have only had one docked dog and he had problems with communication. When a dog meets another dog watch the tails they use them a lot to communicate take the tail away and we found misunderstandings can occur.

Don't think that can be the tail else most spitz breeds will be having trouble with communications, and they don't, not even those with very tight tails.