Abstract
Laterality is a well described phenomenon in domestic dogs. It was shown that dogs, under calm Earth's magnetic field conditions, when marking their home ranges, tend to head about north- or southwards and display thus magnetic alignment. The question arises whether magnetic alignment might be affected or even compromised by laterality and vice versa. We tested the preference of dogs to choose between two dishes with snacks that were placed left and right, in different compass directions (north and east, east and south, south and west or west and north) in front of them. Some dogs were right-lateral, some left-lateral but most of them were ambilateral. There was a preference for the dish placed north compared to the one placed east of the dog ("pull of the north"). This effect was highly significant in small and medium-sized breeds but not in larger breeds, highly significant in females, in older dogs, in lateralized dogs but less significant or not significant in males, younger dogs, or ambilateral dogs. Laterality and “pull of the north” are phenomena which should be considered in diverse tasks and behavioral tests with which dogs or other animals might be confronted. The interaction and possible conflict between lateralization and "pull of the north" might be also considered as a reason for shifted magnetic alignment observed in different animal species in different contexts.
Highlights
Laterality, i.e. the predictable, non-random preference for using one side of the body spontaneously or if forced or restricted to choose between two sides has been intensively studied and is well described in humans but it seems to be a widespread phenomenon among animals
Testing the circular distribution of mean vectors of all dogs, as well as of dogs of a particular lateralization, body size, sex, and age revealed that there was an apparent preference for the north ("pull of the north") which was highly significant in small and medium-sized breeds but not in larger breeds, highly significant in females, in older dogs, in lateralized dogs but less significant or not significant in males, younger dogs, or ambilateral dogs (Table 2, Figs 2–5)
We tested the preference of dogs to choose between two dishes with snacks that were placed left and right, in different compass directions in front of them
Summary
Laterality, i.e. the predictable, non-random preference for using one side of the body (limbs, brain hemisphere, sensory organs) spontaneously or if forced or restricted to choose between two sides has been intensively studied and is well described in humans but it seems to be a widespread phenomenon among animals. Laterality may be inborn, imprinted or entrained and has to be taken into account in maze and behavioral two-choice animal experiments [1,2,3,4,5]. The laterality effect is often tested (and excluded) by counting the animals’ choice for either side of a T- or Y-maze under control conditions (e.g. without a stimulus or reward) and/or under conditions where the stimulus or reward is randomly alternating between both arms of the maze. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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