Abstract Domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) are one of the most important animal species in comparative laterality research, especially for motor function. However, although paw preference in dogs may vary depending on the task, most studies assess motor laterality based on a single test, and even those using more than one task typically analyse them separately. Moreover, current approaches allow us to determine dogs as left-pawed, right-pawed or ambilateral; they do not identify intermediat