Last Updated on June 10, 2026 by Staff
Most people know that humans can be left-handed or right-handed. Dogs also have something called laterality, which means they might like to use one paw more than the other when they do different things.
For a time scientists have been studying dogs to see which paw they like to use. They want to know more about how dogs think, feel and behave. It has been hard to figure out which paw a dog really likes to use because dogs often use different paws for different things.
A dog might use one paw to hold a toy. Use the other paw when it is going down stairs or getting food. This makes it hard for scientists to come up with a way to test which paw a dog likes to use.
Now some scientists led by Marcello Siniscalchi from the University of Bari in Italy have come up with a way to test which paw a dog likes to use.
A New Method
These scientists made a test called the Doginburgh Inventory. They got the idea from a test that people use to see if they are left-handed or right-handed. This test has been used since the 1970s to see if people are left-handed, right-handed or somewhere in between.
The new test for dogs is designed to look at lots of things that dogs do, not just one thing. The scientists think that by looking at lots of things they can get a better idea of which paw a dog really likes to use.
The Doginburgh Inventory looks at how strong a dog’s paw preference’s which paw it likes to use. By looking at lots of things the test can give a more accurate answer.
Four Challenges
The scientists tested their test on 43 dogs. These dogs were all breeds and ages. They did four tasks to see which paw they liked to use.
The first task was to hold a toy. The second task was to get food. The third task was to go down stairs. The fourth task was to get off a platform while it was moving.
These tasks were chosen because they are things that dogs do every day. By looking at how dogs do these tasks the scientists can see which paw they like to use.
Five Categories
The Doginburgh Inventory can put dogs into five groups. These groups are: left weak left, ambilateral weak right and strong right.
Dogs that are ambilateral do not have a paw. They use both paws. Dogs that are strong left or strong right have a strong preference for one paw.
The scientists think that this new way of looking at paw preference can help us understand dogs better. It can help us see how strong a dog’s preference is and how it affects its behavior.
Why It Matters
Knowing whether a dog is left-pawed or right-pawed might seem like a fact but it is actually very important. It can help us understand how dogs think, feel and behave. It can also help us train dogs to take care of them and use them for jobs.
The Doginburgh Inventory is still a test but it could become a very useful tool for understanding dogs. It could help us learn more about how paw preference affects dogs and how we can use that information to help them.
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