I've never thought of it in that way. You're right he might be guarding his nails to save them for battle...lol!

And yes, I do take pepper / bear spray when I take him for a walk. I've seen a bear in the backyard twice (but only twice in the 23 years I've lived here...not to bad) A rattlesnake got the neighbor's puppy last week in his lower lip. They had him in intensive care for two days. He is home now, but mostly the snakes are in the rocky part of the park but can be seen on the path almost weekly.