Body size influences urinary posture but not hindlimb laterality in shelter dogs

Motor laterality is the preferential use of structures on one side of the body. Although domestic dogs are commonly used in laterality research, few studies have examined hindlimb motor tasks and no study, to our knowledge, has examined the effects of body size on measures of laterality. First, we observed 659 dogs during walks at two animal shelters to assess likelihood of raising a hindlimb during urination in relation to body size, age class (juvenile, adult, and senior), reproductive status (intact versus spayed or neutered), shelter, and time spent at shelters; males and females were analyzed separately and we excluded juveniles from statistical analyses because no female in this age class raised a hindlimb.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research