dew claw removal

Question
It seems that the removal of dew claws is quite popular but if a mini schnauzer is going to participate in agility and jumping, are intact dew claws preferred?  

I am also having trouble finding a puppy.  I really want a puppy who is going to want to participate in agility and be happy being active but there doesn't seem to be a source that is easily located to talk to me about agility mini schnauzers.  

I enjoyed looking at your site and thank you in advance for your answers.

Barbie

Answer
Well, we do agility here, and have been fairly successful, and none of our dogs have their dewclaws. I would have to say that dewclaws don't appear to be all that necessary in order to compete in agility. As a groomer and a schnauzer owner, I would say that having to "work around" and deal with intact dewclaws is much more of a nuisance than having them removed. Tails are known to function as rudders, and look at how well our dogs do with most of their tails removed; dewclaws are very minor in comparison.

I do discuss how to pick a performance puppy on my website (http://members.aol.com/ktbrit/performance.html), and you might wish to check that out if you haven't already. I am always willing to talk to anyone about performance schnauzers, and you may contact me privately at MsBritmor@aol.com if you have any further questions.