Dog paw preference

Is your dog left-pawed or right-pawed?

A new research test can be tried at home. Do the four tasks, count the clear left and right paw uses, then enter the totals.

Start the test Enter counts

Step 1

Do the tasks first

Try to repeat each task until you have about 10 clear attempts. Count only the attempts where you can tell which front paw was used.

If your dog uses both paws at the same time, skip that attempt.
A phone video helps, especially for the step tasks.
Stop if your dog gets confused, frustrated, or uncomfortable.

Research photos showing a dog using a front paw on a treat toy and reaching under furniture for food. — **Treat toy and hidden treat**Figure 1 from the paper shows the Kong task and the food-reaching task.Original figure

Research photos showing dogs stepping down stairs and from a low platform. — **Stairs and low platform**Figure 2 from the paper shows the first-step tasks on stairs and a low platform.Original figure

Give your dog a treat toy

Use a Kong or another toy filled with something tasty. Place it in front of your dog and let them work on it. Count the first front paw that touches or holds the toy. If both paws land together, do not count that attempt.

Ask your dog to reach for a treat

Put a treat under a sofa, bed, or cabinet where the mouth cannot reach but a paw can. Stand about one meter behind your dog and let them find it. Count the first front paw used. If your dog gets upset, stop and give them an easy treat.

Ask your dog to go down stairs

Sit your dog calmly at the top step, facing down. Call them down and count the front paw that starts the movement. If another person helps, have them stand on different sides across attempts so they do not accidentally cue the dog.

Ask your dog to step off a low platform

Use a curb or another safe platform about one step high. Walk your dog straight toward the edge on a loose lead, not diagonally. Count the first front paw that touches the ground.

Step 2

Then enter your counts

Use the totals you wrote down. Leave a task blank if you skipped it or if you did not get any clear attempts.

Treat toy

Enter the clear attempts where your dog used one front paw to touch or hold the toy.

Left pawRight paw

ScoreNo trials yet0

Hidden treat

Enter the clear attempts where your dog reached under furniture with one front paw.

Left pawRight paw

ScoreNo trials yet0

Stairs

Enter which front paw started the movement down from the top step.

Left pawRight paw

ScoreNo trials yet0

Low step

Enter which front paw touched the ground first from a curb or low platform.

Left pawRight paw

ScoreNo trials yet0

Research note

Why these tasks?

Some dogs prefer the left front paw, some prefer the right, and some do not show a clear preference.
Earlier studies often used different tests, which made results hard to compare.
The Doginburgh Inventory combines two treat tasks and two movement tasks into one score.
The method is new, so the result should be treated as a guide rather than a diagnosis.

Source paper

The “Doginburgh Inventory”

From hands to paws in assessing canine motor laterality.

Read the original paper

Small print

FAQ

Is this the official Doginburgh Inventory?

No. This is an independent, educational website inspired by the published method.

Can this diagnose anxiety, aggression, or health issues?

No. Paw preference can be relevant to research on behaviour and welfare, but this calculator is not a clinical tool.