Dew Claw Lesson | Chickens in the Road

Nov
14

Double rear dew claws are common in Great Pyrenees. With most breeds of dogs, if they have dew claws, they are on the front, so Great Pyrs are a little weird that way. (A dew claw is sorta like a dog thumb, only higher on the paw so it doesn’t touch the ground.) If you’re worried about the dew claw catching on something–if the dew claw seems particularly loose–you can have it removed by a vet. It is, however, fairly major surgery, like having a thumb amputated. It’s always an individual decision, but if you leave your dog’s dew claws, it’s important to keep them trimmed.

And so, goat farmer friends Pete and Missy came out to show me how. First, they plopped the Giant Puppy on her back like she was a gnat. They are tough goat farmers.

My problem is I don’t know where to cut.

Luckily, Great Pyrs have light-colored claws, which are easier to cut than dark ones.

You can see the blood vessels and nerves that show you the difference between the quick and the nail more readily. Cut just below the quick. If you cut too far, into the quick, a dog will let you know!

Of course, Pete didn’t do that. Lucky for Coco I was just observing.

I’m sure Pete won’t mind coming back in a few months to do it again.

And a few months after that.

Okay, okay, I’m going to do it myself next time. Swear!

So then Coco, who didn’t protest a bit because she thought she was there to get her belly rubbed, finally got her wish….

….and got her belly rubbed for being such a good, brave Giant Pup while her nails were clipped.

And rubbed some more. Cuz she’s got a hard life and all.

Honey: “I think she’d like some vinegar!”

More posts you might enjoy:

31 Responses
RSS feed for comments on this post | TrackBack this post

11-14
3:38
am

I HATE cutting my dogs nails…so much so that I throw her in the truck and take her to the vet. Luckily, he only charges $5, I think he feels really sorry for me.

The Jillybean

Flag this comment
11-14
6:01
am

My husband always cut our dog’s nails. Sometimes he’d cut a little to far, and yes she would let us know. He’d also put the pills down her throat, when needed. Don’t know what we’d done without him, we were a bunch of scaredy cats when it came to doing things like that.

Janet

Flag this comment
11-14
7:53
am

Great Pyrenees are such great farm dogs. Many of the farmers around here have them. We actually bought one of those things they sell on TV for filing down the dogs nails. It works really well but actually it takes awhile to file them down, so it depends on how patient the dog is.

- Suzanne, the Farmer’s Wife

Suzanne, the Farmer's Wife

Flag this comment
11-14
9:50
am

Coco- what a brave girl you are and so patient! Now go teach those goats….just DON’T drink anything Honey has to offer.

Cheryl

Flag this comment
11-14
10:03
am

My goodness, she’s getting big! Are you sure you didn’t accidentally purchase a bear?

Robin G.

Flag this comment
11-14
10:30
am

Oh my – i am sweating just looking at those clippers and poor coco. i have the groomer cut my dogs nails. I cant stand it. one vet use to cut them too short and my dog would cry out. i hated that!!! i changed vets too.

wow – what it takes to have a goat dog and goats – with vinegar and all!!! who knew???

jane

Flag this comment
11-14
10:54
am

My little granddog totally panics when it’s time to cut her nails. She’s a Jack Russell and all muscle. It takes two of us to do the job, and it’s still “iffy.” She’s getting one of those doggy manicure thingys they advertise on TV for Christmas. Hope she puts up with that better.

She had dew claws on the back. She kept getting them caught in her collar when she’d scratch. One time, she got one of them caught really badly and ripped it nearly off. It was awful. We then had them both removed. It was major surgery, but no more claw accidents.

It’s a good thing Coco is more compliant than Sassy. I can’t imagine corralling that much protesting dog for such a procedure.

Suzette

Flag this comment
11-14
11:13
am

Good thing she didn’t give you a hard time…she’s getting BIG!

Kacey

Flag this comment
11-14
11:18
am

I was unaware of the double rear dew claw on a GP- how interesting! One of the reasons they are removed is for dogs which spend time in crusty snow. They can be very dangerous if the dog breaks through crusted ice on top of snow, the ice can actually amputate the dew claw, or cause some serious bleeding. My breeder removed dew claws from her hunting labs at 4 days, so the healing was done before it ever became an issue – it definitely is an issue in older dogs, and I wouldn’t do it. But man, those were some wicked dew claws.
Kimmen

Kimmen

Flag this comment
11-14
11:28
am

I just cut my brown lab puppy’s nails and she was NOT as compliant as Coco!!!!

Jill S.

Flag this comment
11-14
11:33
am

When we raise a litter of labs we always have the dew claws removed by the vet when they are just tiny little puppies. It’s easier at that stage…and the added benefit is you don’t have to worry about them getting caught and ripped when they are doing their normal dog thing.

Twigs

Flag this comment
11-14
11:48
am

I cut my dogs claws myself. They don’t like it and neither do I. Sometimes I must have The Captain help. But they are getting used to it and learning to tolerate it. By the time I’m getting to the last few they are starting to squirm. It’s easier and faster if someone else holds them.
But my dogs aren’T GIANT dogs, either.

I think Honey just wants to share the torture. tee hee

Becky

Flag this comment
11-14
12:12
pm

I can’t imagine cutting any of the nails on the Giant Puppy. I don’t even have the courage to try cutting nails on my 9-pound cat!!! Long ago I did, however, cut the nails on a wonderful part-human German Shepherd I had in CA, but like other posters mentioned, his dew claws had been removed when he was a very young puppy. :catmeow:

Nancy in Atlanta

Flag this comment
11-14
12:17
pm

I’m off to Wally World to buy one of those doggie manicure thingies too. I wonder if it works on kitties too?

Lena

Flag this comment
11-14
12:18
pm

I hate cutting our dogs nails! They aren’t fond of it either. Which reminds me, they are past due. Esp. the collie!

Many years ago our first dog was begging while we were eating some chips. We told him “No begging.” but he wouldn’t listen. Sooo, we finally gave him a great big ol’ chip, which he gobbled up. Then proceeded to lick the carpet to get the taste of salt and vinegar of his tongue! We felt a little bad, but mostly we just laughed. (we’re so bad)

beth

Flag this comment
11-14
12:25
pm

Suzanne (or anyone else who knows)

Are goats like horses in that they will eat the bark off trees?

Thanks!

beth

Flag this comment
11-14
12:25
pm

Ah..dew claws. Our four year old Pyr, Noah, came in the other night and collapsed on the floor. He could not walk at all. Kept crying like a wimpy dog. Turns out one dew claw from left back foot had interlocked with a dew claw from right back foot. Poor “drama queen” could not walk. When I separated them and told him he could get up, he jumped to his feet and said “I’m HEALED!”. Later he let his bad mommy trim his claws so we won’t have any more drama.

Pam

Flag this comment
11-14
12:28
pm

Cutting claws ranks down there with using a plunger on a stopped up toliet. A less than pleasant task. My old Jack Russell terrier alwasy allowed the vet to do it, but I never managed to trim his nails. I think the vet used a muzzle.

Jodie

Flag this comment
11-14
12:57
pm

You know, there are some things I’m willing to just pay the vet to do.

You really are a big, tough farm woman!

Amy Addison

Flag this comment
11-14
2:58
pm

Good girl, Coco! My mom and sister cut our cat’s and dog’s nails. The two cats are easy to do once each is wrapped in a towel. Our dog is the difficult one because his nails are black and he definitely lets them know when they have gone to far.

Susan

Flag this comment
11-14
3:36
pm

I have four dogs, all with black nails. I HATE THIS PART. I have given up and just have it done when I kennel them……
cannot cope…..would be a really bad farm gal.

cgReno

Flag this comment
11-14
5:24
pm

I’ve always done my dogs nails myself, luckily they let me do what I want to them without a fuss!

TeresaH

Flag this comment
11-14
5:45
pm

Coco is getting sooooo big!

Estella

Flag this comment
11-14
5:55
pm

I cut our cats nails. All seven of them, even the cat who sounds like she’s possessed when I’m clipping. *G*

Brandy

Flag this comment
11-14
7:34
pm

What a great blog you have!!! One of my readers told me about your blog and I am so very glad!!

Blessings!
Lacy

RazorFamilyFarms.com

Flag this comment
11-14
7:53
pm

Our second dog had black nails – a disaster. We bought this anticeptic powder that would stop the bleeding because usually we’d goof on at least one nail. We all hated nail time. And now my daughter has a black dog and first nail, first cut they went too deep. Our vets charge for an entire visit so it’s really not affordable. I don’t even try my 6 cats because my first one was so frantic about the whole thing. But I won’t have them taken out either – just don’t believe in it.

catslady

Flag this comment
11-17
12:10
am

We’ve got two dogs: one with black claws, the other with light-colored ones. Both their nails were getting really *really* long, and my daughter and I were trying to figure out the best way to clip them. We finally bought PediPaws, and my daughter went to work on them. Their nails are almost at acceptable lengths now!

The light-nailed dog had major dew claw curling, and it took us a few days and lots of patience to get them cut back.

Lynn Daniels

Flag this comment
11-18
5:57
pm

Who could resist that sweet giant puppy!!!!! I would love to rub Coco’s tummy!

Donna

Flag this comment
12-28
2:14
pm

Glad to hear the positive comments about the Pedi-Paws thing. It looks good on TV but you know how that goes.

A Dremmel tool also works great, if you have the patience for it. Anyone know if the Pedi-Paws is quieter than a Dremmel? With no guard on it, using the Dremmel has it’s own hazards to both the user and the critter.

It really is a good idea to remove the dew claws on newborn pups. It eliminates a lot of grief later in life.

Pete

Flag this comment
2-1
3:36
pm

My dog didnt like the noise of the Pedi-paws. Wouldnt let me touch his nails. He is a chihuahua. Hates his nails cut they are always getting caught in things.I cut about one nail every two weeks, its really a feasco!

Michele

Flag this comment
2-23
5:19
am

I used to trim my cats’ claws. I’d just do one or two at a time when they were relaxed, so it was not a big thing.

Karen Anne

Flag this comment

Registration is required to leave a comment on this site. You may register here. (You can use this same username on the forum as well.) Already registered? Login here.

Discussion is encouraged, and differing opinions are welcome. However, please don't say anything your grandmother would be ashamed to read. If you see an objectionable comment, you may flag it for moderation. If you write an objectionable comment, be aware that it may be flagged--and deleted. I'm glad you're here. Welcome to our community!