Why dogs should learn left paw from right

Like their owners, some dogs, apparently, are left-pawed and others are right-pawed. But a canine that doesn't know the difference is in trouble, according to new research.

Dogs showing no distinct preference can never be trained to the same level as those that do, an animal behaviourist says. Paul McGreevy, originally from Stoke-on-Trent and now conducting research at Sydney University, tested 270 dogs by watching which paw they used to get at food inside a tube. His research found that 15 per cent of dogs were right-pawed, 15 per cent left-pawed and the remainder had no preference.

"The dogs that lack any bias are more likely to have noise phobias," Mr McGreevy said. "If a dog gets freaked out by thunderstorms or fireworks, it is clearly not suited to be a sniffer dog or a guide dog."

Carolyn Menteith, a dog behaviour expert, said dog "pawedness" might be governed by their owners. "Dogs tend to mirror what their owners or trainers do," she said. "My dog, Digby, is right-pawed because I am left-handed and tend to give most of my commands with my left hand.

"It may be that dogs without a paw preference have not had a lot of human interaction and so have not developed this preference. They would also be more nervous."