Are dogs left or righthanded ?

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Topic Dog Boards / General / Are dogs left or righthanded ?

By Admin (Administrator) [gb]

Date 25.09.01 09:20 GMT

This question has just been posted in another forum that I visit.

Can anyone answer the question about dogs ?

By Twilly Date 25.09.01 10:10 GMT

Bear always picks his beer up with his right paw ;-)

Twills x

By sierra

Date 25.09.01 10:22 GMT

There was many years ago a debate about dogs being either right-handed or left-handed. In the obedience world, we noticed that when a dog was sent out (over a jump, on a go-out, for the retrieve, or to work scent articles) dogs would consistently either turn to the right or to the left. It varied from dog to dog, but I will admit that my obedience dogs were consistent.

I then started watching field dogs being sent out to cast or retrieve and again each dog was consistent for its self, either turning consistently to the left or consistently to the right.

A matter of training or is it that the dogs are actually 'right handed' or 'left handed'?

By Leigh Date 25.09.01 10:37 GMT

If I had too, I would say that three of my dogs are right~handed and one is left~handed. How much of this is acquired (I am right~handed) and how much is natural I could not say. The only way that I could hazard a guess would be to say that when I cast them off for a retrieve or to hunt, three will always veer slightly to the right and one to the left, and then they correct their position to work into the wind.

Incidentally, they will use either front paw when pointing game birds, but always their back right paw for wabbit or hare :-)

Leigh

By sam

Date 25.09.01 13:40 GMT

its an old hunting thing, that hounds always cast to the right if they are directly into or infront of the wind

By John

Date 25.09.01 16:31 GMT

I'm absolutely convinced dogs are handed. I've had both in my time and in obedience used that fact to help to line my dogs up for a straight retrieve.

John

By sierra

Date 25.09.01 16:41 GMT

Same here, John. Some of my obedience dogs were right-handed....some were left-handed. I certainly tried to use that when doing the retrieve over the high jump so that the dog would line up with the jump as he/she turned after retrieving the dumbbell. I'll have to say that when turning the dogs on a cast in the field, the dogs tended to make the first cast toward whichever direction they were so-inclined (right-handed or left-handed) and then corrected themselves to take advantage of the wind.

My foxhounds must have read the GSP book since they showed tendencies to be either right-handed or left-handed too! Darn, how much easier training would have been if I'd known the lil buggers could read!!!

By Kerioak (*****)

Date 25.09.01 18:13 GMT

My dogs don't have hands!
I can't find any reference to dogs having hands in the standard!
Are my dogs deformed???????????

Where did Hazard hide the gin this time - she does like a tipple

Christine

Christine
Kerioak Dobermanns & Genealogy

By John