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Besoeker
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05-11-2016, 02:49 PM

Left or right

Humans are mostly right-handed. some are left-handed and a few are ambidextrous.

Does the same apply to dogs? I'm inclined to think ours is left handed by the way he handles things.

Thoughts anyone?
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Chris
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05-11-2016, 06:20 PM
I am convinced they are.

It is more obvious the more dogs you train. For example, when teaching a roll over, dogs have an obvious preference to rolling to one side or the other.
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CaroleC
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05-11-2016, 06:27 PM
Interesting question. I don't know whether dogs are born right or left handed, but those of us that train know that they certainly find moves easier to perform in one direction. I wonder whether this is genuine handedness, or whether we create it by using a left hand heel position as standard, with an associated slight bend to the dog's right.
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Chris
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05-11-2016, 06:36 PM
To be honest, Carole, I doubt it.

As with the roll over, the same happens with 'twist' and 'turn'. They just seem to find it easier to go one way or the other with the result that one comes easily while the other takes more effort to train.

As some see to prefer right and some left and it happens right from early puppyhood, I doubt the heel position comes into effect
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Besoeker
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06-11-2016, 08:09 PM
I asked this because I rhink ours is a southpaw.
He does all the usual things. He'll sit, lie down, wait, and knows left from right when we get to a junction in the path. That much he knows.

Ask for a paw and he offers the left first. "Other one" gets the other one.

Just curious about what others have observed.
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CaroleC
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06-11-2016, 11:21 PM
I teach 'Foot' - my right, dog's left, and 'Paw' - my left, doc's right, so usually get what I ask for. Eddie found Twirly (right twist) much easier to learn than Whirly (left twist), but that does fit with the standard heelwork position theory. Having said that, he did find right hand heelwork fairly easy to learn. Merry learned to twist in both directions without any difficulty, but I am having real problems getting her to work on the right for her agility class.
I know that they both gnaw on their left because they have both broken the same tooth!
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Besoeker
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07-11-2016, 06:44 PM
Originally Posted by CaroleC View Post
I teach 'Foot' - my right, dog's left, and 'Paw' - my left, doc's right, so usually get what I ask for. Eddie found Twirly (right twist) much easier to learn than Whirly (left twist), but that does fit with the standard heelwork position theory. Having said that, he did find right hand heelwork fairly easy to learn. Merry learned to twist in both directions without any difficulty, but I am having real problems getting her to work on the right for her agility class.
I know that they both gnaw on their left because they have both broken the same tooth!
Ours twists or spins without being asked to. Seems to be a game for him. TBH, I can'r say for sure which direction takeas preference. Clockwise I think.
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Moobli
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10-11-2016, 12:13 PM
Originally Posted by CaroleC View Post
Interesting question. I don't know whether dogs are born right or left handed, but those of us that train know that they certainly find moves easier to perform in one direction. I wonder whether this is genuine handedness, or whether we create it by using a left hand heel position as standard, with an associated slight bend to the dog's right.
Originally Posted by Chris View Post
To be honest, Carole, I doubt it.

As with the roll over, the same happens with 'twist' and 'turn'. They just seem to find it easier to go one way or the other with the result that one comes easily while the other takes more effort to train.

As some see to prefer right and some left and it happens right from early puppyhood, I doubt the heel position comes into effect
I see this often in young sheepdogs in training. Some will go either way around the sheep without issue, but many more favour going one way or the other and really have to be trained to go the opposite way, rather than doing it naturally.
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