I know I have heard people talking about how they have their dogs dew claws removed, does anybody know what the benefit of this is? I ask because Miko is constantly chewing on hers. She gnaws it right down to the skin and it make me so nervous (and grossed out) that she might hurt herself. I spoke to a vet tech about this and was told to put hot sauce on them! No, I did not do this out of fear that it would get in her eyes...or that she would like it and chew them more.

I think the main reason for removal is so they don't get pulled out if ever caught on something, its done when they are young.
Sierra has hers and I need to make sure I stay on top of triming them, they do grow fast.
Jack does not have his.

jbealer wrote:

I think the main reason for removal is so they don't get pulled out if ever caught on something, its done when they are young.

Ditto. Getting their dew claws caught on something and accidentally ripping them out is really the only reason to have them removed in this breed. Some breeds do not allow it in the breed standard but that does not apply to sibes.

Their front dew claws are actually quite useful so I wouldn't ever remove them unless there was a serious risk in having them. They often use their dew claws to "hold" things when they are chewing so they do get some use out of them. Working sibes are more likely to have them removed as dew claws can be a liability and working dogs have a higher risk of getting them caught in something on the job. For the average pet that doesn't do any serious work or pulling a sled on a regular basis they should not be problem.

If dew claws are going to be removed it should be when the dog is a very young puppy (generally within days after birth) before the bones have really hardened. It is much easier on the dog to have it done when they are a puppy. Having the dew claws removed in an adult is much harder and more painful in an adult dog as the bones are hardened already and they will take longer to heal. While it is possible to do to an adult dog, it is very painful and it is not something I would recommend unless there is a serious issue. Chewing on her dew claws is not what a would consider a strong enough case for having them removed.

Your vet tech had a good idea. Instead of hot sauce I would suggest spraying her dew claws with a bitter apple spray to discourage chewing. Also when she does start chewing give her a vocal correction to distract her and give her something else to focus her attention on whether it be a chew, a toy, going for a walk, or playing with her. Just give her something else to do besides chewing her dew claws.

Could she have an itch or some kind of irritation at the site? Could she be bored maybe? Some dogs chew on parts of themselves out of boredom.

She has doneit since she was a puppy so I don't think it is an itch. Perhaps boredom. I have noticed it more late at night (as you can see from the hour of my post we are night owls). Is there something aside from bitter apple I can try? Miko is resilient to bitter apple, so much so that she will lick the bottle if you let her.

could you try taping it? or will she eat it? do you trim them for her when she is not chewing them? maybe they have split up and it is bothering her?
did anyone give you an option of pulling them when she was a puppy?

No one ever spoke to me about to me about having them removed. And she chews her right dew claww more than the left. She does it so much and so often that it has never been more than a nub, so it has never been trimmed.

Becky wrote:

Is there something aside from bitter apple I can try? Miko is resilient to bitter apple, so much so that she will lick the bottle if you let her.

You could try a white vinegar/water spray mixture as an alternative to bitter apple spray. Did you shake the bitter apple spray before using it? Sometimes it can separate after a while making it less effective.

For the white vinegar/water spray, mix 1 part white vinegar with 3 parts water in a spray bottle and then spray it on. Just keep in mind that this works for some and doesn't work for others, could be worth a try though.

Regardless, I would distract her and redirect her attention to something else immediately every time she starts. Since she's been doing this since puppyhood it will be harder to break this habit since she's so used to doing it, kinda like teaching a child to stop sucking their thumb. Be patient, persistent, and consistent. You want to catch her in the act, stop the chewing and give her something else to chew on that is more appropriate. If you are consistent and watch her like a hawk you should start seeing results slowly but surely.

We adopted Chinook in March and I noticed, after a month or two, that his dew claws weren't growing. Then I saw him chewing on them! I will say that he doesn't chew down to the skin, and doesn't chew on the constantly, so I think we're good. We never saw that with either Sitka or Kenai.

Mayanne, Miko has never actually hurt herself, it just makes me nervous that she might(and grosses me out). I have learned to just accept it.