Is your dog right- or left-pawed?
For a long time, it was believed that dogs had a favorite paw. A new study shows it's not that simple. The phenomenon of laterality is nevertheless deeply rooted in the canine brain, which reveals what their preference reveals about these four-legged friends.
On the floor lies a hollowed-out rubber toy, brimming with treat paste. A dog nudges it with its snout, then repeatedly places the same front paw on it to keep it under control. At other times, the dog fishes for a treat under the couch or cautiously tiptoes down a flight of stairs – and each time, it unconsciously decides: left or right paw first?
What appears to be playful everyday moments opens a window into the brains of dogs for research – and raises the question of whether they, like humans, have a dominant side of their body.
Do dogs have a favorite paw?
Handedness in humans is well-documented: around 90 percent are right-handed, with a minority preferring their left hand. In everyday life, dogs often give a similar impression, for example, when an animal consistently offers the same paw when giving its paw. However, a study from the University of Bari shows that this apparent consistency is deceptive: paw choice clearly depends on the specific task. It cannot be determined with a simple test.
For the study, a research team led by veterinarian and neuroscientist Sevim Isparta analyzed 43 dogs of various breeds. The unique aspect of the study was that the tests took place in different environments – at home, outdoors, and in a test room under laboratory conditions – and combined several everyday situations in which paws play a role.
Surprising results: More variations than just "left" or "right"
On average, the study showed no clear tendency towards left or right paw use. Only when looking at individual animals did a more nuanced picture emerge: Most dogs used their paws asymmetrically, though to varying degrees depending on the task.
- Approximately 21 percent showed no clear preference in any situation; they are considered ambidextrous.
- Approximately 33 percent showed a strong, consistent preference for one side.
- Approximately 47 percent preferred one side at one time and the other at another, depending on the context and requirements.
The type of task played a significant role: In food-related tests, the preference was considerably stronger, while it was weaker during even locomotion – that is, movements that use both sides of the body equally. Sex differences also emerged: In one of the food-related tasks, male dogs tended to favor their left paw, while female dogs used both paws relatively equally.
These results explain why previous studies have yielded conflicting findings: often, only a single task was tested – such as giving a paw or holding a toy. However, because paw use is highly task-specific, such single tests could not provide a reliable overall picture of paw preference.
From paw to personality
However, the new work is not solely about motor skills. Isparta and her colleagues build on a number of earlier studies that link laterality – that is, the unequal preference for or functional superiority of one side of the body – with emotions, behavior, and immune responses in dogs.
Findings suggest that left-pawed dogs are, on average, more anxious and take fewer risks. Immunological studies also showed a weaker antibody response to the rabies vaccine, which could indicate an asymmetrical interaction between the brain and the immune system. Conversely, right-pawed dogs trained to herd sheep exhibited more pronounced aggressive and less fearful behavior towards the animals than their left-pawed counterparts.
Dogs without a clear paw preference, on the other hand, seem to be more prone to thunderstorm anxiety. Laterality thus appears to be a possible marker for individual stress processing – not a rigid label, but a building block in a complex structure of genetics, learning experiences, and environment.
The researchers see their current study as a basis for further analyses: How does laterality change over the course of a dog's life? What role does breed play, and what role does use play – from family pet to specialized working or assistance dog? And how closely is paw preference linked to the task environment in which an animal grows up?
At the same time, the authors emphasize that simple everyday tests have limited significance. If a dog reliably raises the same paw when asked to give its paw, this alone does not definitively prove that a robust "favorite paw" actually exists. Only the combination of several standardized tasks yields a reliable pattern – similar to handedness tests in human research, the researchers explain.
A small detail with great significance
Choosing a paw takes fractions of a second; dogs probably don't make this decision consciously. But the sum of these micro-decisions allows us to conclude: about the organization of the brain, about how an animal processes emotions, and possibly even about the interplay between the nervous and immune systems.
For basic research, right- or left-pawedness thus provides a precise window into canine biology. For everyday life, it remains an interesting piece of the puzzle: a clue rather than a judgment – the beginning of a story, not its end.