Studies in dogs have already shown differences in the direction of tail-wagging. It was found that dogs wag their tail to the left when first meeting a dominant dog, but wag to the right when greeting their owners. Researchers attribute this to the dominance of parts of the brain that process emotions.
Which paw will take it off?
A study tested that theory in regard to paw usage. According to researchers in Japan, left “pawed” dogs are less sociable than their right pawed counterparts. In this experiment, scientists put duct tape on dogs’ noses, and recorded the dog’s use of its paws in getting the tape off. When the results were compared with the sociability of the dogs, a strong correlation was found. They also looked for correlations between “pawedness” and neurosis, but the results were less than conclusive.
Studies in asymmetrical behaviors are helping us to learn more about the way both humans’ and dog’s brains work. Just like people, the dominance of dogs’ brains is asymmetrical, and this has behavioral parallels.
Is your dog right or left pawed? Sociable, or not?
July 15, 2012
Health and Science