Big Paws Only Dog Forums

I am not a fan of ear cropping myself because in my mind it suits no purpose other than the look of the dog, but then again I prefer the natural look.  As far as tails go it doesn't bother me as much because there isn't much to it.  Because it is done at such a young age and the bone hasn't ossified yet, it's still cartilage, and is not overly painful.  It basically stings for a few seconds.  As far as dewclaws go my lab does not have them. The breeder and I removed them at 3 days of age and they made each made one tiny squeak and that's it.  I don't have a problem with people taking dewclaws off when puppies are days old or if they do them at the same time as a spay or neuter at about 6 months but even then it is an orthopedic procedure.  It's a personal opinion but I hate dewlcaws on my working dogs.  My dogs are out running through brush in the summer and ice in the winter and I find if they have dewclaws that flop around a lot they get caught and are a pain to deal with.  That being said my little dog has his dewclaws because it wouldn't suit him any purpose to remove them.