Dogs - clockwise or anti-clockwise

[The Flying Tench]

When your dog lies down to sleep, does he/she lie clockwise or anti-clockwise? Mine is anti-clockwise.

 

And how do they do it in Australia?

[ayjay]

You need to define clockwise in dogs, do you mean the way they spin around before settling down (nest trampling?) or the orientation of head compared to tail when lying curled up.

 

I'm trying to remember mines habits, often it would just collapse/sprawl wherever it felt like it.

 

Like on the quarter landing on the staircase, hogging that tiny shaft of sunlight.

 

 

 

[ayjay]

You need to define clockwise in dogs, do you mean the way they spin around before settling down (nest trampling?) or the orientation of head compared to tail when lying curled up.

 

I'm trying to remember mines habits, often it would just collapse/sprawl wherever it felt like it.

 

Like on the quarter landing on the staircase, hogging that tiny shaft of sunlight.

 

 

 

[Phone]

Tench,

 

I found the "long answer" searching Google. I too have often wondered the answer to your question. The short answer is YES handedness is present in dogs.

 

Here is the L O N G A N S W E R if you care to read it.

 

""""

Two years ago Giorgio Vallortigara and his group at the University of Trento in Italy demonstrated that dogs wagged their tails to the right when greeted by their masters. The same dogs wagged their tails to the left when encountering an unknown dominant dog. Left unanswered by this early study was whether the right or left signal was meaningful to other dogs.

 

In the new study, Vallortigara and colleagues used electrodes to monitor the heart rates of dogs subjected to videos or silhouettes of other dogs, head on, with tails wagging to the left or right. An increased heart rate indicated an anxiety response. They also noted other stress behaviors like ear-flattening, head-lowering, and whining in response to the videos and silhouettes.

 

Left tail wagging was consistently associated with prolonged, higher heart rates and stress behavior in the wired dogs. Their heart rate response to right tail wagging or stationary tails was much less. Stress behaviors were also less common when subjects viewed right tail wagging.

 

These studies suggest that dogs and humans have brain halves that are specialized for specific functions. Handedness and language are human traits that have been established as specific to brain hemispheres. Interesting is that both humans and dogs view the use of left side as “sinister.” In fact, the right side of the dog brain, not the left, initiates left tail wagging.

 

Phone

[Chris Plumb]

Clockwise sleeping. Boundary running around the garden - anti-clockwise!

 

C.

[Phone]

All,

 

Forgot to add - my dog, when making a nest in a secure place goes "counterclockwise". I think he responds to clear or imagined danger and will instinctively respond to that - or - as ayjay says he will do what it takes to get the "good spot" Since I am retired and spend most of the time with him - he also ends up facing me when snoozing. Don't know what that means?

 

Phone

 

Edit: he will pull his food dish over with either foot (I believe he can smirk)

Edited May 27, 2015 by Phone

[Newt]

Clockwise turning when looking to lie down for mine. No idea about the tail movement but will try to notice now that its been mentioned.

[The Flying Tench]

I meant the way he actually lies down to sleep. Nest trampling he does both ways.

 

J

You need to define clockwise in dogs, do you mean the way they spin around before settling down (nest trampling?) or the orientation of head compared to tail when lying curled up.

 

I'm trying to remember mines habits, often it would just collapse/sprawl wherever it felt like it.

 

Like on the quarter landing on the staircase, hogging that tiny shaft of sunlight.

 

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