left paw or right paw?

[MN Bonasa]

I had a ? about what leg does pointing dogs usually lift to point with. Mine seems to be a left leg pointer. Is that the norm or does the breed have anything to with what leg they point with? Was curious to see if dogs are like us in that being that some of us are right handed and some of us are left handed. Do all shorthais point with their left and all setters point with their right as an example. having very little exposure to pointing breeds this thought stroked my curoisity a bit.

[Cajun Casey]

Most of my dogs are right dominant and if they do pull a front leg, it's the left the majority of the time. However, it is customary for them to stand four down on point. I have German shorthairs.

[Kmack]

The one that was off the ground when they caught scent. Sometimes it's a hind leg...

[Thinking]

My guy is ambidextrous, it could be either front leg on birds. On fur it's most typically a rear leg. I don't know why but it's pretty consistent, it's nice to know what he's on before I go in for the flush.

[reba]

I totally agree:

"The one that was off the ground when they caught scent"

Righ, left, front or rear

[Red]

Sometimes it's a hind leg...

Yup..

[Meller]

My grandaughter did a study, on this very subject, with a result that dog's are definatly left, right, and can be ambidextrous; this study was done on herding and pointing and flushing dogs. But what was interesting more to me was that; the higher the energy dogs seemed I believe was more Left pawed, the more docile
the dog or lower energy or lazyer the dog seemed to be right pawed.
This I believewas her conclusion.

[Retiredbirddogman]

Depends if the bird is off to the left or to the right for my GSP. )