Tufts
University Veterinary School researchers study things like right-brain
vs left-brain dominance, genetics and sexual orientation in our
canine companions. Results can help improve how we breed, raise
and train our dogs.
It
may turn out that left-pawed dogs make the best service or therapy
dogs while right-pawed dogs are best for military and police use,
or vice versus.
The
last existing study from an university in England revealed that
dogs were split half-and-half for right vs left paw dominance.
A new
study published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior showed that
left-pawed dogs are more likely to be aggressive to strangers than
those that are right-pawed. This was a study of 75 dogs of various
breeds and ages.
There's
a very easy to test your dog: place a desired treat under a sofa,
just beyond his easy reach. See which paw he uses to try and get
it out. That will be his dominant paw.
If
that test doesn't work for you,
- See
which paw your dog uses to paw at the dog when he wants back in
- Put
something sticky on your dog's nose and see which paw he uses
to try to knock it off
- Watch
which paw your dog most frequently offers if you've taught him
the 'Shake' command.
None
of the above tests, however, are valid if your dog has arthritis
or some other injury/condition that makes him favor one paw over
another.
No
one can vouch that these tests are 100% reliable, but it is fun
to see if you have a southpaw or not.
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