Like Donna, I don't show my dogs, but I think that intact only refers to reproductive organs. I have the dewclaws removed strictly as a preventative measure to avoid future problems for the dogs. It's a SIMPLE snip snip and it's over - it only costs a few $$ per pup, and it gets the puppies to see the vet EARLY. I have a friend who was a cocker spaniel breeder - she did the dewclaws and docked the tails herself - I'm not that brave. If you wait too long it's like removing a bone instead of a claw. When the pups are just a few days old, it's soft and easily removed and only hurts them for a second - but if it's done later, it's more of a surgical procedure and much harder on them. Chloe still has her dewclaws and has never had any problems, but they do get long and are difficult to trim. I just routinely have dewclaws removed from my puppies at about 3 days. The first few litters we had here, my vet used adhesive tape to bandage the puppies - the last two, I suggested the liquid bandage instead (removing that tape was difficult on a squirming puppy) - he now uses the liquid bandage exclusively when removing dewclaws. Guess you can even teach a vet something!