Cane Corso Italian Mastiffs

Recently the topic of cutting front dew claws have come up again in the Cane Corsos. As a breeder of Cane Corsos for over 22 years this is a topic I know alot about. I never cut front dew claws for several reasons. The first reason is that in most Cane Corso's as with many other breeds the front dew claws are functional. They are attached to ligamnets and muscles close to what most people would call the wrist joint like our thumbs. They use this claw to grab things, and most importantly to grip the ground when maneuvering at high speeds. One of my early Corso's use to rock climb with me in the mountians. He would beat me to the top everytime. I was always impressed by the way he was able to grip the rock with his claws. Close to that time I had a female Corso that had her front dew claws removed. Over the years I watched as she came up short to the abilities of other Cane Corsos. She tried and tried but could never do the same sport activities, eventually she stopped trying to keep up altogether. And this brings us to the second reason which is why many Cane Corso's cant keep up after their dc's are cut. 10 Years ago a man purchased a really nice male pup from me. 5 months latter he called and was concerned about his pup and the way he was walking. His front legs were begining to bow inward at the wrists and as the dog was gaining weight at about 7 months, he could no longer move without pain. As I looked I became horrified by what I had seen in one of my pups. I started inspecting the joints, and noticed the new owner had removed the front dew claws when he had the ears cut. I noticed a thick hard lump of flesh under the scar that kind of spread into the pups wrist joints in both front legs. I wondered if it was the removal of the front dc's that caused this tradgedy. Since then I have seen 2 others from different breeders with the same problem months after dc removal leading me to a solid conclusion. If your pups dew claws are attached like thumbs, and close to the ground DO NOT REMOVE THEM. If in a rare and really big bone Corso that has a type of dc that is not attached to ligaments only skin, and is higher up in the leg (not fufunctional) then remove is fine maybe even beneficial. If their is any question about your puppys front dew claws functionality then refer a vet to this rambling post and ask his opinion of what type pup you have before removing them.