How many toes does a dog usually have?
Most dogs have 16 toes, four toes on each paw. Some breeds have one more toe on each hind foot, and an additional one is called a dewclaw. For example, Australian shepherds or the Rottweilers have dewclaws, which usually appear on the breeds historically used for guarding flocks.
Another exception is the Great Pyrenees, which can have up to 6 toes on each hind paw. An additional toe is usually dogs' evolutionary reversion and sometimes, if it presents a problem for the dog's movements, it can be surgically removed.
How many toes does your dog have? Are you fond of dogs? If you have something about them to share, tell us in the comments!
What are your thoughts on this subject?
119 Comments
Audrey Thorson
I checked my dog's foot to be sure.
snowballs
Bad worded question and poor explanation . It should have been
worded , how many toes does a dog have on all four paws !
goplatinumone
Lynne Zeman, It's Challenging enough to do a 75 pound Dog....I'd love to know your Secret!!!!
goplatinumone
My Dog was blessed with more toes!!!!!
Marge
Question needs to be clearer, on all feet or total
marow
I only counted "toes".
earlepg
The range of options made the choice easy (or should have). 25% said 8, indicating that they the dogs have two feet and two hands I suppose.
gusroy
Most dogs have 18 toes—five on each front paws and 4 on each back paw.
Carrie Arnold-Marsh
Dew claws aren't really toes and most dogs have 5 toes on each front foot and 4 on each back foot--that's 18 toes.
flanderschristy
I had to count my dogs toes to make sure I was right. Hahaha!
Mike Hibner
Dogs have a toe on their front legs that has a claw, called a dew claw. Many times these are removed when they are puppies as they have no use and can be torn loose. So, they're born with eighteen and two are removed often, and as there was no answer for eighteen, I picked sixteen...
teresab
16, 18, or 22.
larrywagner
Annie Renneberg, Dew claws are not toes, they aid in breeding.
larrywagner
Martina Bieker, Dew claws are not toes.
Ilias Tsiabardas
I unser correctly but then again for a different breed is not the Case
Lynne Zeman
Great Danes have 4 nails per paw and 2 dew claws on the front. Know this - as trimming a danes nails that doesn't want it can be challenging.