The influence of cerebral lateralisation on the behaviour of the racing greyhound

Abstract

The authors investigated the relationship between paw preference (the paw with which dogs prefer to hold a food object over repeated trials) and racetrack behaviour in the greyhound breed of dog (Canis familiaris). In a study of 53 racing greyhounds, it was found that individuals perform preferential behaviour on the racetrack relating to the direction in which they move upon exiting the starting box (DSB), which is either to the left, straight, or to the right (P<0.05) and their ultimate running position on the racetrack (RP), which is either close to the centre rail of the racetrack, in the middle of the group of racing dogs, or out wide of the other dogs (P<0.05). There was a relationship between the direction of paw preference and the frequency of running in the rail RP; the more left-pawed a dog was, the more frequently it ran in the rail RP (r(53)=−0.29, P<0.05). It is suggested that this relationship may be the product of a lateralised stress response system, or of an ocular or turning bias. The findings may have implications for the selection of racing dogs, in that trainers may be able to identify those dogs that will run in the rail RP (the shortest route around the racetrack) by observing their paw preference on a food-based task. The system employed by racing officials to allocate dogs to starting boxes may also be reviewed in light of the fact that racetrack collisions may occur when dogs commence a race from a starting box that is incompatible with their behavioural bias and attempt to move to their preferred RP.