120 likes | 324 Views
Paw Preference . By: Hannah Jones. Big Question. Big Question-do dogs have a paw preference like humans? If so which paw? The reason why I wanted to do this experiment is because I wanted to do something with dogs. Hypothesis.
E N D
Paw Preference By: Hannah Jones
Big Question • Big Question-do dogs have a paw preference like humans? If so which paw? • The reason why I wanted to do this experiment is because I wanted to do something with dogs.
Hypothesis • My hypothesis is that dogs are going to prefer a paw. I think they’re going to prefer their right paw over the left paw. • The reason I think they are going to prefer their right paw because most humans are right handed.
Facts • Cats mostly prefer both paws or they are ambidextrous • More than 50% of dogs are right handed. • Each paw is controlled by the opposite side of the brain. • You can also test this with a tube and a treat. • Most humans have a fine motor control which means we have a favorite foot ,hand , eye , and even ear.
Step by Step procedure • 1. Gather Materials: • Ten to fifteen dogs • Treats • Toys • 2. If the dog knows the command ‘shake” then repeat the command. Notice which paw it uses. • 3. Record results. • 4. If the dog doesn’t know the commands use a toy or treat. Notice which paw it uses to paw at .
Continued • 5. Record results • 6. Repeat steps 2-5 with the other dogs.
Variable My variable was the different age of the dogs and the different breeds.
Observations • I realized it might matter what hand the owner uses to teach the dog to shake. • Both wheaten terriers were right handed • Most of the older dogs were right pawed. • Only one of the dogs were both left and righted pawed.
Analysis of Data This experiment did test my hypothesis because I found out the popular paw used by dogs. Six dogs were right, five were left, and only was ambidextrous.
Conclusion • My hypothesis was correct . The majority of the dogs preferred their right paw. • I would change this experiment by testing it with a treat and a tube. • Some new questions I have are: - Do cats also prefer a paw? -How long will it take to teach a dog to shake?
References • http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_ideas/MamBio_p011.shtml • http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3596925 • http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/testyourpet/tests/static/dog_1.shtml • http://www.helium.com/items/1305686-right-pawed-and-left-pawed-cats • http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1956-00433-001&CFID=4466657&CFTOKEN=69093707