ARE DOGS LEFT PAWED OR RIGHT PAWED SIMILAR TO HOW HUMANS ARE LEFT HANDED OR RIGHT HANDED?

Yes, dogs, like humans, can exhibit a preference for using one paw over the other. This is known as ‘pawedness’, and just like ‘handedness’ in humans, it can be left-pawed or right-pawed. In fact, studies have shown that around half of all dogs have a preference for using either their left or right paw. Do you ever even notice this about your own dog or other dogs that you interact with?…

Researchers have studied pawedness in dogs by observing which paw the dog uses to perform certain tasks, such as reaching for an object or scratching at a door. Some studies have also looked at whether pawedness is related to a dog's breed, sex, or age, but the results so far have been inconclusive.

It's worth noting that pawedness in dogs is not as strongly handed as it is in humans. While some dogs clearly prefer one paw over the other, many dogs are ambilateral, meaning they use both paws equally. Additionally, pawedness may vary depending on the task or situation, and some dogs may even switch their preferred paw over time.

It's highly possible that dogs offer their paw in response to seeing humans offer their hand, but it's not clear if this is the only reason why they do it. Dogs offering their paw can have different meanings depending on the context and the dog's individual personality.

For example, some dogs may offer their paw as a way of greeting or showing affection to their human, while others may do it as a learned behavior that has been reinforced through training as in commands such as: ‘say hi!’ or ‘shake hands’. Dogs may also offer their paw as a way to signal that they want something, such as attention or a treat.

In some cases, dogs may even offer their paw as a way of signaling anxiety or stress, particularly if they are in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation.

So while it's possible that dogs offer their paw in response to seeing humans offer their hand, there are likely many other factors at play. It's up to you and very important to ‘pay attention’ to your dog's body language and context to understand what they are trying to communicate.