Is it necessary to remove dog’s wolf toes? I’ll let you know the secrets of dog’s paws

Jul 26,2025
4Min

It is not necessary to remove dog wolf toes

Some dogs are born with wolf toes on their hind legs, usually due to bad genes. Wolf toes are indeed degenerate parts that have no great significance and can be removed.
In the field of professional dog shows, not all dogs need to remove wolf toes, so there are "must remove", "can remove" and "cannot remove". Both Great Pyrenees and Anatolian Shepherds can have two wolf toes on one hind leg. The former must be preserved, while the latter is allowed to be removed.
Removal of wolf toe is usually performed within 10 days after the puppy is born. It is a very simple surgical operation. The significance of this surgery is to save the dog from the pain caused by accidental injuries to the wolf toes and overdevelopment of the wolf toes embedded in the limbs in the future. Another reason is people's requirements for dog grooming. A pair of slender straight legs may be caused by the wolf toes. ruins the overall effect.

The shape of dog paws

Some dog paws are round, arched, and the four toes are tightly clasped, like cat paws, which we call cat-shaped paws. Some dogs have slightly longer claws with two toes in the middle that protrude like rabbit feet, which are called rabbit claws. Some dogs have duck nets between their toes, which are great for swimming, but we can't call them duck feet because they don't look like duck feet. In addition, some dogs have large and thick feet, like wearing two pairs of snow boots, with a lot of protective hair on the toes and pads. Different foot shapes come from differences in their growing environment and working methods, as well as human aesthetic breeding of them.

Dogs that are admitted to have "outside-shaped" defects

Pekinese, bulldog, Cairn terrier, Dandy Dinmont terrier, Scottish shepherd, Staffordshire bull terrier, West Highland dog White Terrier, Welsh Corgi, Dachshund, etc. The degrees of external flexion allowed for the various dogs above are different and cannot be generalized. Among them, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier is even allowed to fully open its paws, while the Dandy Dinmont Terrier is only allowed to have a very slight external flexion.

Why do dogs need to clip their toes?

Some people think that dogs can wear their toenails on their own while walking and do not need to be clipped. In fact, this idea is wrong. Domestic pet dogs are no longer wild animals. The toenails they wear away during normal laughter and play can no longer keep up with the rate of toenail growth, so toenail cutting is a must. Some dogs don’t cut their toenails all year round, which causes the toenails to break and cause pain to the dog.

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