Is There an Association between Paw Preference and Emotionality in Pet Dogs?

Abstract

Simple SummarySimilar to human handedness, many animals preferentially use one limb over the other to perform certain tasks. It has been argued this handedness/limb preference could be linked to individual differences in emotionality (i.e., the tendency to appraise the environment in certain ways emotionally). A better understanding of this under-explored link has the potential to establish limb preference as an indicator of emotional vulnerability and increased risk for affective disorders (e.g., anxiety disorder, depression). This study explored a potential relationship between paw preference and emotionality in pet dogs. To determine paw preference, we examined paw preferences to hold a food-stuffed Kong™ and to lift first when starting walking or when stepping over a hurdle. Dogs’ emotionality was assessed using a validated owner-based questionnaire examining their sensitivity to positive and negative situations. In contrast to previous research this study did not find any association between dogs’ paw use and their emotionality but suggested that paw use might be task-specific. More research is needed to identify which limb is actually the preferred one in a given task and to define both the consistency and nature of any bias before drawing conclusions about their relationship with emotional appraisal of the environment.Research with humans and other animals has suggested that preferential limb use is linked to emotionality. A better understanding of this still under-explored area has the potential to establish limb preference as a marker of emotional vulnerability and risk for affective disorders. This study explored the potential relationship between paw preference and emotionality in pet dogs. We examined which paw the dogs preferentially used to hold a Kong™ and to perform two different locomotion tests. Dogs’ emotionality was assessed using a validated psychometric test (the Positive and Negative Activation Scale—PANAS). Significant positive correlations were found for dogs’ paw use between the different locomotion tasks, suggesting that dogs may show a more general paw preference that is stable across different types of locomotion. In comparison, the correlations between the Kong™ Test and locomotion tests were only partially significant, likely due to potential limitations of the Kong™ Test and/or test-specific biomechanical requirements. No significant correlations were identified between paw preference tests and PANAS scores. These results are in contrast to previous reports of an association between dog paw preference and emotionality; animal limb preference might be task-specific and have variable task-consistency, which raises methodological questions about the use of paw preference as a marker for emotional functioning.