Inheritance of dewclaws?

It's an interesting question!

From what you have said though, your idea of whether a dewclaw is well or poorly articulated is defined by how the dewclaws are manipulated after birth. So how is that heriditary?

I'm not aware of being able to select against dewclaws. ;) People who are selectively breeding really never, ever consider the dewclaws--they just assume they'll be removed if the dog is to be shown in conformation in the majority of breeds, and I have never even heard of a field or working breeder considering dewclaws in a breeding program. Not once. (Except for the few herding breeds that require extra dewclaws in conformation.)

I grew up with a breeder of bird dogs who were shown and hunted. They have always had the dewclaws removed at 3 days old.

I personally own a shelter mutt who has her dewclaws. Hers are well-articulated--they are not just hanging there- and in 10 yrs, we've never had a moment's trouble with them. Granted, she does not regularly go running in the woods and what not that would tend to catch them on things though and never has. She's a suburban housepet. So the articulation is genetic, not the result of some sort of regular force against them.

The sorts of dogs that you would ever see in veterinary practice (you're a vet student, right?) are DOMESTICATED. They don't hunt for their food, few are raw fed. What advantage do dewclaws give dogs since we have domesticated them? It's been hundreds of years since dogs needed dewclaws--their success in pairing with humans means they are always well-fed with no effort on their parts....

ETA: Agreed that if your dog has his dewclaws, you have to stay on top of the nails--nothing wears them down and they can easily become overgrown and pierce the pawpad. It's easy to miss in long or dense coated breeds especially.

But I find it interesting that you say that in dogs with poorly articulated dewclaws, you see issues in the main four toes. That would certainly be an issue for anyone who is reputably conducting a selective breeding program.

I have heard several first-hand stories of bird dogs ripping off a dewclaw though. If it's a bird that is meant to find and point or flush birds, the dog does go through very heavy brush regularly. Dogs that are mainly meant to retrieve, not spot, game would be less likely to be in dense brush regularly.

Interesting question ...

my german shepherd has his dewclaws. they dont seem to affect him in any way. the way i see it is they are naturaly born with it. and they shouldnt be removed cause its not natural. and a true dog lover would feel the same way

Some dogs are active enough that even if they don't have large dewclaws that stick out, the risk of them catching them on something and ripping them off is very high. It's also very messy, nothing that anyone wants to deal with. Thus, breeders with high energy dogs remove the dewclaws.