Lateralised behaviour in the domestic dog, Canis familiaris

Abstract

Paw use on three tasks in 53 domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) was studied to determine whether the animals exhibited a significant paw preference, and, if so, to explore the direction and strength of the dogs' preferred paw use, both within, and between, tasks. The influence of the dogs' sex on their paw preferences was also explored. The findings revealed that lateralised behaviour was strongly sex related. Male and female showed paw preferences at the level of the population but in opposite directions. Female dogs had a greater preference for using their right paw on all tasks, whilst males were more inclined to adopt their left paw. Analysis revealed significant positive relationships for two of a possible three intertask correlations. Overall, the findings suggest that there are two distinct populations of paw preference in the domestic dog that cluster around the animals' sex. It is recommended that further work be conducted to explore the influence of pre-training on dogs' paw preferences before generalisations regarding laterality in this species are drawn.