Have you ever wondered if your dog is left-handed or right-handed? Although many people are not aware of it, human beings are not the only animals that are classified as right-handed and left-handed, because today we know that dogs also differ in these categories depending on the leg they use preferentially, they can even be ambidextrous! !
According to several studies, the percentage of right-handed and left-handed dogs is more equitable than in the case of people, since approximately half of the dogs prefer to use their right paw when making certain movements, while the other half feels more comfortable using the left. In this article on our site we tell you the difference between left-handed and right-handed dogs and how you can find out if your dog prefers to use his right or left paw,! keep reading!
Are there left-handed or right-handed dogs?
As surprising as it may seem, the answer is yes! Like humans and many other animals, dogs can be classified as left-handed, right-handed and even ambidextrous in some cases. This is so because the dog's brain is also divided into two hemispheres, each of which is responsible for processing specific motor and cognitive functions. Depending on the dog's dominant hemisphere, it will prefer to use one leg or another when performing certain activities or movements. Thus, if the animal tends to use the right paw to, for example, hit objects, play or start walking, it is because its dominant hemisphere is the left and in this case the dog is considered right-handed. On the contrary, if the dog's preferred leg is the left, the predominant hemisphere is the right and we are dealing with a left-handed dog.
One of the main differences between dogs and humans in terms of cerebral laterality is found in the percentage of left-handed and right-handed people. Approximately 90% of the human population is right-handed, while only 10% is considered left-handed, with very few ambidextrous people worldwide. However, and according to current studies, when we talk about dogs we find that approximately half of the canine population is right-handed and the other half is left-handed, with frequent cases of ambidextrous animals, that is, dogs that use both legs indistinctly and with the same dexterity.
But that is not all! According to several investigations [1][2], while female dogs are more likely to use the right paw, that is, to be right-handed, dogs are mostly left-handed , which could indicate that sexual hormones influence cerebral laterality. However, not all studies have been able to corroborate this statement.
Differences between left and right handed dogs
Today we can find published a large number of studies that have been dedicated to investigating the existence of possible behavioral and emotional differences between left-handed and right-handed dogs. Despite the fact that some of them have obtained very revealing results, it is still necessary to investigate further on this matter, because in order to be able to affirm that cerebral laterality really influences the physical, emotional or behavioral he alth of dogs, very large samples must be available. of animals that, in addition, must not be previously conditioned to the use of one or the other leg.
Below, we tell you some of the conclusions reached by the most outstanding studies.
What are left-handed dogs like?
According to some research dedicated to the study of canine cerebral laterality, left-handed dogs are Majority males [1][2] and have a higher number of total lymphocytes in their immune system, according to an immunological study published in 2004[3]
Regarding their behavior, left-handed dogs did not obtain significant results in tests of behavioral problems, so brain laterality does not seem to have a consistent relationship with the appearance of this type of problem [4]
What are dextrous dogs like?
Right-handed dogs are mostly females[1][2]and have a greater number of both granulocytes and γ-globulins [3] In the study that compares cerebral laterality with the existence of behavior problems[4] only a positive correlation was found between the preferential use of the right paw and an increase in aggressiveness towards strangers, although this is not conclusive.
What are ambidextrous dogs like?
Although there is less evidence about ambidextrous dogs, one of the most prominent studies on laterality and behavior [5] found that ambidextrous dogs Compared to left-handed and right-handed animals, ambidextrous dogs display more reactive and exaggerated behaviors in response to certain stimuli such as the intense sound of electrical storms or fireworks. This could indicate that reactivity is associated with lower brain laterality strength.
If your dog is one of those who get very scared by loud sounds like the ones mentioned, don't miss this other article where we explain what to do if your dog is afraid of rockets.
Is my dog left-handed or right-handed?
By now you'll be wanting to know if your dog is left-handed or right-handed and the good news is that it's quite easy to determine through a few very simple teststhat you can do yourself at home with your dog, take note!
- Ask the dog to give you a paw: This exercise may be very obvious, but it is useful to know if your dog shows a clear preference for giving you his right or left paw when you ask him to. For this exercise it is necessary that the dog knows the command and that you have not taught him only to lift a specific leg. If you haven't practiced this exercise yet, we recommend you consult this article: "How to teach my dog to shake his paw?"
- Hide food: take some food with your hand and make a fist, placing it in front of your dog's nose. Surely the animal will try to get the food by licking or nibbling your hand and there will come a point where he will get a little frustrated and start hitting your fist with his paws. See which one he uses most often to try to get the food. For this exercise you can also put the food in an interactive toy and see if it pushes it with a particular paw.
- Play tug of war: During tug of war with a rope toy, it is common for the dog to try to snatch it by holding it with one of its legs or hitting you with it so that you release the rope. The leg that he tends to use will give you a clue about his cerebral laterality (that is, if he is left-handed or right-handed).
- Put something annoying on his face: for this simple exercise you will have to paste a sticker on your dog's forehead or put a hat or other object on the head. The animal will feel annoyed and will try to take it off with one of its paws. If your furry friend is not used to wearing the muzzle or does not like to wear it, you can also use this to see which paw they try to remove it with.
- Make him walk or go down stairs: when the dog is at rest, stand a few meters in front of him and call him by his name, noticing with which leg it starts to walk towards you. Another option is to make him go down or up stairs to observe with which leg he initiates the movement, since this will be the dominant one.
- Offer a chewy treat: Many dogs hold their treats or toys with their paws while chewing to prevent them from moving. See if your dog does this and, if so, see which paw he lays on top of most often.
You must repeat all the tests several times and write down which leg predominates in each one of the tests. If in all or in the vast majority of activities the dog preferentially uses the right paw, it means that he is right-handed, while if he tends to use the left paw more, he is left-handed. However, it can also happen that your dog uses one leg sometimes and the other sometimes in a totally indistinct way. In this case, you have an ambidextrous dog! If you do the experiment, tell us, is your dog left-handed or right-handed?
