![]() ![]() These include Anatolian Shepherds, Australian Shepherds, Estrela Mountain Dogs, Icelandic Sheepdogs and Spanish Mastiffs. There are other dog breeds that are occasional hosts to double dewclaws. For American Kennel Club conformation shows, members of the Beauceron, Briard and Great Pyrenees breeds are required to present with double dewclaws intact. Rare as they are, there are dog breeds that are commonly born with functional double dewclaws on both hind legs! In fact, there are a few dog breeds for whom the double dewclaw is not only present, but a breed standard requirement. Dogs with double dewclaws Dogs sometimes have double dewclaws. These dewclaws are attached by nothing more than a small flap of skin, with no other attachment to the leg, either by ligament or bone. Hind dewclaws, when they are present, tend to appear at a distance from the rear paw. ![]() Where the front declaws are connected by bone and ligament to a dog’s forepaws and have limited, but distinct functionality, the hind leg dewclaws do nothing at all. All dogs have dewclaws in the front, but most hind dewclaws are merely genetic anomalies. You can see the intermediate work of evolution in motion with the hind dewclaws. When we talk about dog dewclaws, though, most people are probably thinking about the floppy, useless thing with a little claw on a dog’s back leg. What about hind dewclaws? Dog dewclaws sometimes appear on a pup’s hind legs. You may even notice your dog making good use of it when she’s gnawing with satisfaction upon her favorite chew toy. The front dewclaw gives a dog some assistance and control in the normal course of grooming, particularly when dogs are cleaning their heads and faces. What do dog dewclaws do? What are dog dewclaws for, anyway?Ī dog’s front dewclaw has several functions, minor though they may be, including balance and stability when dogs are in movement over uneven terrain or making landfall after swimming. You may notice when walking or playing with your dog that the front paw’s dewclaws don’t actually touch the earth when he walks, so what purpose does the dewclaw serve? This is why they’re often referred to as a dog’s thumbs. Every domestic dog also has a fifth digit on the front paws, occupying the same general position as the thumb on the human hand. Dog facts: What are dog dewclaws? Up close and personal with dog dewclaws.Įvery domestic dog paw has four primary toes. Dog dewclaws, historically spelled “dew claws” or “dew-claws,” are largely atavistic appendages, which dogs retain to this day. As it turns out, dogs do have thumbs, but they, too, have been relegated to the bargain bin of utility. The former illustrates that in an older configuration, people used to have tails, and the latter once served a digestive function. Think of your coccyx, or tailbone, or perhaps your appendix. Some of these bits and bobs get caught in limbo as vestigial structures - they’re still there, but they no longer serve a purpose. Do dogs have thumbs? In the ongoing, slow-burning processes of evolution, parts of bodies adapt, change, or get left behind. ![]()
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