As all people know, dogs have paws just like humans have hands. However, what many people do not realize is that dogs do indeed have a dominant paw the same way humans are right-handed, left-handed, or ambidextrous, meaning they have no dominant hand and can use both equally as well. According to scientificamerican.com, 89% of humans are right-handed, 10% of humans are left-handed (me included), and 1% are ambidextrous. According to psychology.com, unlike humans, dogs are an even split, with about 50% right-pawed and 50% left pawed. Dogs either being right or left-pawed affects how they live their lives because it is more efficient to get done tasks with their dominant paw. Having a certain dominant hand for humans can, for example, affect how neat people write or how far they can kick a soccer ball. Animals use their limbs and paws for almost everything, so having one that is preferred is helpful in various situations.

Not many factors affect a dog’s paw choice. Yet, two main sources that do have an influence are dominant hemispheres in the brain and genetics. According to www.rd.com, “Dog’s brains are organized similarly to humans’, and paw preference relates to the dominant hemispheres of the brain. The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and vice versa.”

Paw preference is also determined by genetics. There are two alleles for each gene, meaning dogs have two alleles for determining their paw dominance. Paw choice leans either way equally for dogs, so there are no dominant and recessive alleles. If a dog has two left-pawed alleles, it will be dominant in the left paw; if a dog has two right-pawed alleles, it will be dominant in the right paw. A dog with one of each allele has a 50:50 chance of being left or right-pawed.

If someone were to test their own dog at home to find out which paw for them is dominant, running a simple experiment is all that it takes. The dog will have to go through several tests with at least 3 trials to help in determining which paw is dominant. These tests could include handing a paw out, coming, tapping on a door when wanting to go outside, and running up and down a set of stairs to see which paw steps first. Each of the tests run during the experiment has a purpose. Every test listed simulates human actions that require the use of a dominant hand. For example, when the dog will tap on the door, it is just like a human knocking on a door. People knock with their dominant hand, so it only makes sense that the dog will tap at a door with his dominant paw. This method of human simulation applies to all the tests that can be done in the experiment.

Some helpful techniques that can be used to make sure the best possible data is collected are treats to keep the dog engaged and encouraging words that allow the dog to comply with the commands given. During the experiment, however, some inconsistencies may occur. While running tests with live animals, it is common for the animals to lose focus on the tasks, causing random results to occur while experimenting. This is a possible source of error that could alter the outcome. In order to receive more accurate results, performing experiments with a highly trained animal in a controlled environment can be done. Future experiments revolving around the cognitive functions of animals can be run using a similar format to the one used in this experiment. Running multiple tests in order to increase the accuracy of the results is crucial in these experiments as well. 

I personally ran this experiment with my dog, Alfie, and I discovered that he is left pawed. Knowing which paw is dominant is a very fascinating fact to learn about your dog and the tests were such a fun, quick, and easy way to find out the results. I definitely recommend experimenting with your dog to educate yourself a bit more.