Is Your Dog Left or Right Pawed? Take the Test!

When you take your dog for a walk, do they automatically pick a side? Two of my three are “lefties”. It doesn’t matter if a plush lawn on the right is calling out for a stroll, sniff and a piddle as opposed to cold, hard cement on the left. That’s the side they want to walk on. And despite my best efforts to keep them walking on the inside, safe from noise and traffic versus curbside, they won’t be convinced otherwise.

This raises the question; could my dogs be left-handed? Study results shared by the American Kennel Club (AKC) indicate that while most dogs are ambiguous when it comes to which paw they use more, a small percentage has a preference. Yes, unlike humans who are typically (90%) right-handed versus left-handed, numbers aren’t quite so decisive when it comes to paws.

Of course, all studies have some exceptions to the rule and in this instance, a small percentage of dogs did appear to prefer their right-paw for accessing items they might not be able to pick up with their mouth – hidden treats, errant kibble between the sofa cushions, puzzle toys, and the like. Surprising the researchers was that male dogs appear to be more inclined to use their left paws than females. Also interesting was that potential guide dogs that appear to be right-pawed had a greater success rate when it came to training. Okay, so they did spot some interesting patterns.

So, how were these studies conducted and better still, how do I test my own dogs to see if they’re left- or right-pawed? It’s easy and it starts with something called the Kong Test.

Dog owners know what a Kong is – a hollow, rubber cylindrical toy that you can load up with things like treats, wet food, or even peanut butter. Your pet then spends the rest of his day (or at least a couple of hours) holding and licking as he tries to extract every last bit of the filling. With the Kong Test, you’re watching to see how many times your dog uses his left (or right) paw to hold the toy in place as he works away at it. Of course, this test and all others need to be repeated over a set period of time to ensure a true pattern has been spotted. For example, researchers repeated each of these tests 50 times before feeling confident they’d picked up on a left or right tendency.

The next test looks at his laterality. Meaning his dominant side. Two food dishes with equal amounts of the same food are placed in front of the dog. One is at a 45-degree angle to his left and one at a 45-degree angle to his right. Which bowl of food does he more frequently select as his first choice?

And then there is something called first stepping and it’s pretty much what it sounds like. You’re watching to see which front paw your dog uses to take his first step from a standing position on a flat surface. Now, in this test, researchers did notice a propensity for dogs to step forward using their right paws first.

Fun stuff, but what does it all mean? Those conducting the studies hope that future research will spot links between paw preference and the dog’s personality and behavior. For now, I’d like to think my fur crew are simply left-brain thinkers – meaning logical, practical, analytical - and consciously deciding not to wee on someone’s front lawn.