Other tests record, for instance, which paw is preferentially used to reach for food in a container or under a sofa, to remove an adhesive tape or blanket from the dog’s head, to “Give Paw” on request, or to start walking from a stationary position.
The most widely used test is the Kong™ Test, which identifies the paw a dog preferentially uses to hold a Kong™ (KONG Company, Golden, CO, USA), a hollow, conical-shaped toy, while retrieving food placed inside it. The domestic dog ( Canis familiaris) is an increasingly popular model species for the study of limb bias, with several studies reporting on paw preference and a variety of tests used to determine preferential paw use. There is also mounting evidence of preferential limb use at an individual or population level in a range of invertebrates. Amongst vertebrates, the most prominent example of limb preference is human handedness, with ~90% of the population showing a right-hand preference in activities such as writing or fine-tuned object manipulation. revealed that of the 119 vertebrate species considered, 20 species showed evidence of limb preference at an individual level (i.e., in single individuals, regardless of any common directional bias in the population), while 61 species showed limb preferences at a population level (i.e., most individuals of a population displayed a bias in the same direction). However, such preferences vary across taxa and populations. Many animals show functional limb preferences whereby one limb is used in preference to the other to perform a particular task. These results are in contrast to previous reports of an association between dog paw preference and emotionality animal limb preference might be task-specific and have variable task-consistency, which raises methodological questions about the use of paw preference as a marker for emotional functioning. No significant correlations were identified between paw preference tests and PANAS scores. In comparison, the correlations between the Kong™ Test and locomotion tests were only partially significant, likely due to potential limitations of the Kong™ Test and/or test-specific biomechanical requirements. Significant positive correlations were found for dogs’ paw use between the different locomotion tasks, suggesting that dogs may show a more general paw preference that is stable across different types of locomotion. Dogs’ emotionality was assessed using a validated psychometric test (the Positive and Negative Activation Scale-PANAS). We examined which paw the dogs preferentially used to hold a Kong™ and to perform two different locomotion tests. This study explored the potential relationship between paw preference and emotionality in pet dogs. A better understanding of this still under-explored area has the potential to establish limb preference as a marker of emotional vulnerability and risk for affective disorders. Research with humans and other animals has suggested that preferential limb use is linked to emotionality. More research is needed to identify which limb is actually the preferred one in a given task and to define both the consistency and nature of any bias before drawing conclusions about their relationship with emotional appraisal of the environment. In contrast to previous research this study did not find any association between dogs’ paw use and their emotionality but suggested that paw use might be task-specific. Dogs’ emotionality was assessed using a validated owner-based questionnaire examining their sensitivity to positive and negative situations. To determine paw preference, we examined paw preferences to hold a food-stuffed Kong™ and to lift first when starting walking or when stepping over a hurdle. This study explored a potential relationship between paw preference and emotionality in pet dogs. A better understanding of this under-explored link has the potential to establish limb preference as an indicator of emotional vulnerability and increased risk for affective disorders (e.g., anxiety disorder, depression).
It has been argued this handedness/limb preference could be linked to individual differences in emotionality (i.e., the tendency to appraise the environment in certain ways emotionally). Similar to human handedness, many animals preferentially use one limb over the other to perform certain tasks.
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