West Highland White, Dew Claw

Dewclaws are defined as superfluous claw inside the hind leg just above the foot.

Although natural selection dumped the 1st digit from the hind foot fairly far back in the evolution of canids, the thumb has persisted on the forefoot in digitigrade carnivores.

There may well be a reason it is retained....

Since the dew claws, get zero wear they can easily get too long. This article has been produced for those people who feel confident to take on this job without any injury to the dog.

If you look closely at this picture you will see that there is a pink area, this is referred to as the "Quick" and is living tissue, with blood cells, you should not cut anywhere near this as it will hurt your dog, and could lead to infection. If you cant tell, then leave the job to a vet !

Dew claws must be kept short, or they will end up being caught on something, which could lead to them being torn.

If your not competent, then leave it alone and ask your vet "Not a groomer" to do this for you. You could use a nail file which will take much longer, but is much safer. (I use a nail file)...