Association between lateral bias and personality traits in the domestic dog (Canis familiaris).

Abstract

15Behavioural laterality reflects the cerebral functional asymmetry. Measures of laterality have been 16 associated with emotional stress, problem-solving and personality in some vertebrate species. Thus 17 far, the association between laterality and personality in the domestic dog has been largely 18 overlooked. In this study we investigated if lateralised (left or right) and ambilateral dogs differed in 19 their behavioural response to a standardised personality test. The dog's preferred paw to hold a 20Kong TM ball filled with food, and the first paw used to step-off from a standing position were scored 21 as laterality measures. The Dog Mentality Assessment (DMA) test was used to assess five personality 22 traits (e.g. Sociability, Aggressiveness) and a broader Shy-Boldness dimension. No differences 23 emerged between left and right biased dogs on any personality trait. Instead, ambilateral dogs, scored 24 using the Kong test, scored higher on their Playfulness (Z = -1.98, p = .048) and Aggressiveness (Z = 25 -2.10, p = .036) trait scores than lateralised (irrespective of side) dogs. Also, ambilateral dogs assessed 26 using the First-stepping test, scored higher than lateralised dogs on the Sociability (Z = -2.83, p = 27.005) and Shy-Boldness (Z = -2.34, p = .019) trait scores. Overall, we found evidence of a link 28 between canine personality and behavioural laterality, and this was especially true for those traits 29 relating to stronger emotional reactivity such as aggressiveness, fearfulness and sociability. 30 31

Lack of association between paw preference and behaviour problems in the domestic dog, Canis familiaris

“…Some investigations have found a significant leaning towards right limb use in female dogs and left limb use in males (McGreevy et al, 2010;Quaranta et al, 2004;Wells, 2003). More recent work involving neutered, or a combination of castrated and entire, subjects, however, has typically found no sex differences in dogs' paw use (Barnard et al, 2017;Batt et al, 2008;Branson and Rogers, 2006;Schneider et al, 2012;Wells et al, 2017). This is more in keeping with the results presented here, using a population of mostly (86%) neutered animals.…”

“…Schneider and colleagues (2013), for example, found very limited support for an association between paw preference and personality (assessed using the C-BARQ) in the domestic dog and questioned whether the aggregated subscales served to mask subtle effects. This is certainly a possibility, as Barnard et al (2017) recently found a significant association between paw preference and canine temperament, in this case assessed using a more independent dog personality test. As to whether the C-BARQ masked any subtle effects in the present study is unclear, although seems unlikely given the significantly different behavioural profile of the animals in the two groups (perhaps arising from the deliberate attempt to target animals with therapist-assessed behaviour problems).…”

“…However, other, uncontrolled for, individual differences cannot be overlooked. For instance, laterality has been found to be related to personality in some species (e.g., fish- Brown and Bibost, 2014;cats-McDowell et al, 2016), including dogs (Barnard et al, 2017).…”

Stability of motor bias in the domestic dog, Canis familiaris

“…Several authors have drawn attention to the purported association between motor bias and animal welfare (Barnard et al, 2017;Rogers 2010;Wells et al, 2017), but the findings from this, and other recent studies, raise questions as to which test of paw preference may be the most appropriate to employ to this end. Further work is needed to explore the complex relationship between limb use and brain lateralisation before firm conclusions on the merits of using paw preference as a tool for assessing at-risk individuals can be drawn.…”

“…Individual differences will also interact with task demands in determining the degree to which one or both hemispheres are employed to process information and behavioural lateralisation. Laterality has been linked to personality in some species (e.g., fish -Brown and Bibost, 2014;cats -McDowell et al, 2016), including, more recently, dogs (Barnard et al, 2017), with authors finding a strong relationship between traits associated with stronger emotional reactivity (aggressiveness, fearfulness, sociability) and ambilaterality. In a similar vein, Branson and Rogers (2010) found that mixed paw use on the Kong test is associated with an increased fear of thunderstorm sounds in dogs, highlighting the association between emotional functioning and motor output.…”