Paw Preference
Big Question
• Big Question-do dogs have a paw preference
like humans? If so which paw?
• The reason why I wanted to do this
experiment is because I wanted to do
something with dogs.
Hypothesis
• My hypothesis is that dogs are going to prefer
a paw. I think they’re going to prefer their
right paw over the left paw.
• The reason I think they are going to prefer
their right paw because most humans are
right handed.
Facts
1. Cats mostly prefer both paws or they are
ambidextrous
2. More than 50% of dogs are right handed.
3. Each paw is controlled by the opposite side
of the brain.
4. You can also test this with a tube and a treat.
5. Most humans have a fine motor control
which means we have a favorite foot ,hand ,
eye , and even ear.
Step by Step procedure
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•
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1. Gather Materials:
Ten to fifteen dogs
Treats
Toys
2. If the dog knows the command ‘shake” then
repeat the command. Notice which paw it uses.
• 3. Record results.
• 4. If the dog doesn’t know the commands use a
toy or treat. Notice which paw it uses to paw at .
Continued
• 5. Record results
• 6. Repeat steps 2-5 with the other dogs.
Variable
My variable was the different age of the
dogs and the different breeds.
Observations
1. I realized it might matter what hand the
owner uses to teach the dog to shake.
2. Both wheaten terriers were right handed
3. Most of the older dogs were right pawed.
4. Only one of the dogs were both left and
righted pawed.
Data
Name
Breed
Age
Paw
With What
Crosby
Wheaten
1 yr.
Right
Reaching
Todd
Boxer
9 months
Left
Shaking
Norm
Lab
13 yrs.
Right
Shaking
Coda
Golden
3 yrs.
Left
Shaking
Tucker
Golden
1 yr.
Right
Shaking
Molly
Lab
9 yrs.
Left
Reaching
Max
Lab
10 yrs.
Right
Reaching
Murphy
Wheaten
1 yr.
Right
Shaking
Lucy
Jack Russell
2 yrs.
Left
Shaking
Woody
Lab
9yrs.
Both
Shaking
Nemo
Poodle Mix
3 yrs.
Right
Reaching
Bee
Mix
15 yrs.
Left
Shaking
Analysis of Data
This experiment did test my hypothesis
because I found out the popular paw used by
dogs. Six dogs were right, five were left, and
only was ambidextrous.
Conclusion
1. My hypothesis was correct . The majority of
the dogs preferred their right paw.
2. I would change this experiment by testing it
with a treat and a tube.
3. Some new questions I have are:
- Do cats also prefer a paw?
-How long will it take to teach a dog to
shake?
References
1. http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project
_ideas/MamBio_p011.shtml
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3596925
3. http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/testyou
rpet/tests/static/dog_1.shtml
4. http://www.helium.com/items/1305686-right-pawed-andleft-pawed-cats
5. http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1
956-00433-001&CFID=4466657&CFTOKEN=69093707