Some mysteries have plagued humanity since we first climbed down from the trees. Questions like: What is the meaning of life? And, perhaps more importantly, can dogs be left- or right-pawed?

According to a new study published in Royal Society Open Science, the answer is yes. Dogs appear to have a preferred paw, much like humans have a dominant hand. More importantly, researchers have developed a way to figure out whether your dog is left-pawed, right-pawed, or has no preference.

Scientists have long known that many animals show signs of laterality, aka the tendency to favor one side of the body over the other. In dogs, however, measuring that preference has been surprisingly complicated. A dog might use a specific paw to hold a toy steady as it gnaws the head off of a stuffed squirrel; it might use a different one when you, say, ask it to shake your hand. That inconsistency made it difficult to test dog handedness.

Check Your Dog’s Paw Preference With 4 Simple Tests at Home

Researchers at the University of Bari in Italy came up with a workaround, based on a psychological trick used in humans called the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory, or, as the researchers call it, the “Doginburgh Inventory.”

Their doggy version of the test is really four different tests that combine to create an overall score for paw preference. The tests weren’t even that complicated. It’s so easy that anyone can do them at home.

First, the researchers observed which paw dogs used to stabilize a toy. Then did the same for their preferred paw for reaching for treats that had been hidden away under furniture. The next test was to observe which paw they used to take the first step down a staircase. Finally, they observed which paw they used to step off a raised platform while walking. Once completed, the combined results sorted dogs into one of five categories: strong left-pawed, weak left-pawed, ambilateral, weak right-pawed, and strong right-pawed.

The study involved 43 family-owned dogs of various breeds and ages, ensuring that the researchers got a wide swath of dogs. It’s all more than enough to satisfy a pet owner’s curiosity, but the researchers say their findings are a bit more valuable than that. According to previous research, a dog’s paw preference could impact its stress responses, its overall behavior, and even its level of cognition. Learning which paw a dog prefers might one day improve training methods and provide us with better assessments of their well-being.