Sound reactivity and paw preference June 23, 2007
Have you actually paid attention – do you know what paw preference your dog has, if any? Some studies suggest that female dogs might be more right-pawed on average, while males tend to be left-pawed, and some studies suggest preference might be flexible depending on the circumstances.
However, dogs without a significant paw preference were reported to be significantly more reactive to sounds than dogs who were clearly left or right-pawed.
Update: More on how to tell if your dog is left or right pawed:
- HOW TO ASSESS WHETHER YOUR IS LEFT- OR RIGHT-PAWED – (pdf file) a test that requires 100 trials and a lot of patience
- Paw choice an awakening for pooches