# Does a dog's claws & teeth stay sharp for life?



## pi1otguy (Jan 1, 2011)

My friend has a 4-5 month old Chow-Sharpe (sp?) puppy. Last night I dog sat and learned once again that we humans have very weak skin. She played with me and in the process scratched me plenty of times with her claws (not maliciously of course) and once with her teeth. I took a good look and her claws are very pointy almost like a cat's and her teeth are small but quite pointy.
Otoh, my 3 year old dog Spirit has much duller teeth and very rarely scratches me. I get tha part of t is that Spirit's claws get ground smooth during walks, but even her dew claws don't get to sharp.

1. Do some breeds have sharp claws/teeth throughout their life span?

2. Do you guys do anything for small cuts or such from dogs? (Assuming rabies shots are current) 
I treat dog scratches like any other. Squeeze it if it drew blood, wash or wipe, then let natue handle it.

3. Are they claws or nails? Are they different from felin claws besides not retracting?


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## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

1) Teeth get worn down as they age. It's actually one of the ways they try to estimate the age of a dog.

2) Depends on how much of a germaphobe you are. I personally don't bother with anything but I've only had minor scratches from dogs.

3) Nails should be trimmed and I've never really seen a sharp dog nail. I call them nails. They do retract slightly are pretty similar to feline claws in terms of general anatomy I think.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

1. Puppies have super sharp baby teeth, and it seems like their claws are sharper too (just because they're smaller? Idk). Adult teeth aren't as sharp, and, like you said, their nails get worn down from walking on abrasive surfaces. Most dogs' teeth do get worn down as they age, the rate depending on diet, tennis ball usage, and chewing habits. But those were needle-sharp puppy teeth you were experiencing!

2. Yeah, I deal with scratches from animals the same as any other scratch. No difference.

3. Is there really any difference between claws and nails? Aren't they the same thing? And they're the same as cat's claws, except for how retractable they are/aren't.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

As I understand it, puppies do not have strong jaws (compared to adult dogs), so their baby teeth are extra sharp to compensate. When they get older, their jaws are strong, so they can bite harder, and as such do not require such razor sharp baby teeth. I was so happy the day my puppy's teeth started falling out. He hasn't drawn blood since!


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

It seems as if a dogs teeth wear as ours would to a degree as it ages. Keeping dogs nails trimmed and/or dremeled will cut down on the sharpness of them. As far as dog scratches ... I have had an abundance of them.

I did however get a normal dog scratch about two months ago that turned into a very nasty infection because I did not put anything like an antibiotic ointment on it. You need to be careful now days because of the MRSA virus. It is airborne. I think my particular dog scratch must have become infected .... maybe because my dog had feces or something with bacteria on his nails? ............. Warning ... pretty graphic ... and pretty ugly too.


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

1. like others said, teeth tend to wear down. The nails should be trimmed, it's a seriously easy fix for a dangerous problem. Trim them with the clippers or whatever you're using, then take a file to them to round out the edges. Problem solved. 

2. For mine? No. I just wash my hands. I've never had a problem with anything like that. From a strange dog/cat I don't know? I'll likely pour peroxide on it. I'm not that afraid of contracting anything to be honest.

3. I don't think there's a real difference, just one's a more intense word that the other. But if there had to be a difference, I would say it's in that claws retract and nails don't.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Thanks for the whole new fear, Abbylynn! Ouch!


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Amaryllis said:


> Thanks for the whole new fear, Abbylynn! Ouch!


First time for everything .... never had anything like it in my entire life before this one from a scratch? :/ Sorry Amaryllis..


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## minnesnowta (Sep 30, 2012)

Abbylynn said:


> It seems as if a dogs teeth wear as ours would to a degree as it ages. Keeping dogs nails trimmed and/or dremeled will cut down on the sharpness of them. As far as dog scratches ... I have had an abundance of them.
> 
> I did however get a normal dog scratch about two months ago that turned into a very nasty infection because I did not put anything like an antibiotic ointment on it. You need to be careful now days because of the MRSA virus. It is airborne. I think my particular dog scratch must have become infected .... maybe because my dog had feces or something with bacteria on his nails? ............. Warning ... pretty graphic ... and pretty ugly too.


My fiancé contracted MRSA when he had his appendix removed(from the hospital!). His appendix had ruptured and had contracted gange green. His immune system was extremely weak and because of that he easily contracted the disease that was most likely airborne. It was a very scary situation coming in to visit him one morning and his room was labeled "quarantine." It is very antibiotic resistant and is a form of staph infection. Once you contract it, you have it for life. Luckily he has a form that sits in the respiratory system and colonizes in the nose and sit dormant. If you stay healthy it does not pose much threat. It also can infect the blood which I have read is a lot more serious and if it goes untreated can lead to death. MRSA is more common in cats than dogs. Scary stuff!


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## hanksimon (Mar 18, 2009)

1. At about 5 mos, the supersharp baby teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent adult teeth (just like people). As suggested, you can trim the tip off of the puppies claws with a normal human nail clipper.
2. A dog scratch is like any other scratch, make sure that you're up to date with tetanus shots (every 10 years), and clean it so that Abbylynn remains the winner of the graphic award 
3. Nail vs. claw - people use interchangeably ... We talk about the dewclaw, but trim the nail carefully. Or when we clip the claw badly, we worry about a tear down into the nail bed. I think of a nail as growing beyond the digit from a nailbed (like people), and a claw as growing out of the digit rather than extending from the bed ... just my opinion. I think it's more important to be clear than precise... I usually get my dog's nail's clipped, b/c I don't like the clacking sound when his claws hit the wooden floors


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## pi1otguy (Jan 1, 2011)

Apparently the nails do get dull over time. Now that she gets to run around in the backyard a bit more the nails still hurt, but cut me less often.


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