{
  "$type": "site.standard.document",
  "bskyPostRef": {
    "cid": "bafyreiarfmhwpgh3ifakuwzd4siawvyzbrqx6bo4ejmcabjwhjasqfvpae",
    "uri": "at://did:plc:oznbnvgr7dmvddiyvr7dih52/app.bsky.feed.post/3mnwdufzoxke2"
  },
  "coverImage": {
    "$type": "blob",
    "ref": {
      "$link": "bafkreiei3kquxzta56copg7zphw2a5cftsmqqpkcodab4kwjbslc5dsz7m"
    },
    "mimeType": "image/jpeg",
    "size": 444719
  },
  "path": "/news/science-breakthrough-dog-left-or-right-pawed",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-10T08:20:53.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Water voles reintroduced into British nature reserve for first time in decades",
    "Australia sends in helicopters to shoot wild horses from the air to protect 'indigenous plants'",
    "Great white shark spotted underwater in Mediterranean Sea for the first time ever",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nScientists have revealed a new way to tell whether dogs favour their left or right paw.\n\nThe research draws on existing techniques for assessing handedness in people.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nResearchers at the University of Bari Aldo Moro created what they call the \"doginburgh inventory,\" drawing inspiration from the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, which measures human hand preference.\n\nThe new approach, published today in Royal Society Open Science, aims to address longstanding inconsistencies in canine laterality research.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMarcello Siniscalchi, a veterinary physiologist who has investigated dog laterality for over two decades, said: \"Over the years, scientists have used different ways to measure paw preference.\n\n\"This means that there is a lot of inconsistency between results.\"\n\nUnderstanding which paw a dog prefers carries significant implications for their health and temperament, according to the researchers.\n\nEvidence suggests that left-pawed canines tend to exhibit more pessimistic behaviour and demonstrate greater caution when taking risks.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThese dogs also appear to produce a weaker immune response when vaccinated against rabies.\n\nBy contrast, right-pawed dogs trained for sheep herding have been observed displaying heightened aggression towards livestock.\n\nDogs without a clear preference, described as ambilateral, seem particularly susceptible to anxiety during thunderstorms.\n\nThe research team emphasises that both the direction of paw preference and its strength influence a dog's physiology, immune function and behaviour.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Water voles reintroduced into British nature reserve for first time in decades\n  * Australia sends in helicopters to shoot wild horses from the air to protect 'indigenous plants'\n  * Great white shark spotted underwater in Mediterranean Sea for the first time ever\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe doginburgh inventory comprises four distinct tasks designed to capture a comprehensive picture of paw preference.\n\nTwo tests focus on manipulation: one involves a food-filled Kong toy that dogs must steady with a paw to access treats, whilst another requires them to retrieve favourite snacks placed beneath low furniture at home.\n\nThe remaining assessments examine movement patterns, recording which paw dogs use first when descending a five-step staircase from a seated position and when stepping down whilst walking.\n\nResearchers analyse paw usage across multiple trials to calculate separate scores for direction and strength of lateralisation, expanding the traditional three categories to five: strong left, weak left, ambilateral, weak right and strong right.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe team plans to investigate how age and breed influence paw preference in future studies.\n\nResearchers are also keen to explore whether dogs mirror their owners' handedness, following recent findings by a colleague suggesting such a connection exists.\n\nComparing doginburgh scores with owners' Edinburgh inventory results could enhance understanding of canine cognition and improve training methods.\n\nThe study produced one particularly memorable moment during data collection.\n\nOne dog demonstrated exceptionally strong left-paw preference in home tests, only for researchers to discover upon meeting the animal that its right paw had been surgically removed due to cancer treatment.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Scientist breakthrough reveals new way to tell whether your dog is left or right-pawed"
}