Jerry came back all clear for all possible genetic markers, but don’t panic if yours comes back positive. “For example, your dog may not look like a Border Collie, but maybe that 15% conferred the herding drive of one!” What can dog DNA tests tell you about your dog's health?Įach of these companies also offer tests that screen for a dog breed’s genetic predisposition toward certain medical conditions. “Different breeds may also react better to some pet training methods over others, and our results can provide insight into why your dog may behave the way he does in the first place,” Troutman says. Learning that your dog has some terrier background, for example, may help you learn the source of their high energy and prey drive, and how to harness it when training. “It’s not just their physical characteristics, but their behavior.” Just like their coat and body shape, much of a dogs’ personality comes from breeding. “Testing can really help you understand what makes your dog tick,” Hughes explains. Can dog DNA tests help with obedience training? As Ekenstedt puts it, "the accuracy of these tests really rests on the strength of their reference pool." It's unusual that a dog's breed wouldn't show up in any of the major company's databases, but it can happen, especially in pets adopted from outside the United States. If your pup's DNA contains a rare dog breed that doesn't show up in a company's database, then your results won't reflect that breed. DNA My Dog called him 75-100 percent American Staffordshire Terrier and 1-9 percent Mastiff.Embark called him 100 percent American Pit Bull Terrier.Wisdom considered Jerry 100 percent American Staffordshire Terrier.Much to my surprise, Jerry’s results came back as essentially purebred from all three companies. “This allows us to keep our test at a reasonable price, offer a fast turnaround and support the majority of testers we work with, including shelter dogs.” “The breeds we test for are the most popular breeds we will see,” explains Mindy Tenenbaum, M.Sc Vet Med., of DNA My Dog, which tests for the fewest breeds. Representatives from each of the three major dog DNA tests – Wisdom, Embark Dog DNA Test and DNA My Dog – said their results are 95-99% accurate, with some room for human error and the size of each company’s breed database.Įmbark has a database of over 250 dog breeds, Wisdom tests for about 350 breeds, and DNA My Dog looks at about 100 breeds. Once the lab determines your dog’s breed, and any other information it’s testing for, like gene variants for health conditions, the company generates a report that goes back to the consumer. “The testing companies need to make sure that their reference database captures all of that variability representing purebred Labrador. “Basically, the test flags little windows of information along the dog chromosomes and compares your dog to the known Labradors and every other breed that's in the dataset,” Ekenstedt says. The process is complex, but Kari Ekenstedt, D.V.M., Ph.D., an assistant professor and canine genetics specialist at Purdue University did her best to explain. A computer algorithm then creates a chart of how much of each breed your dog’s DNA matches. When the samples arrive at the lab, technicians manually extract and process the DNA on the cheek swab to those in their database. The results were surprising and, as it turns out, far more useful than I’d imagined. I gave Jerry three separate DNA tests, which work similarly to the popular 23AndMe tests for people: the Wisdom Panel Health DNA Test, Embark Dog DNA test kit, and a DNA MY Dog test kit. Hedging my bets makes sense: Most people can guess just one breed present in a mixed-breed dog less than 25 percent of the time, according to veterinary geneticist Angela Hughes, D.V.M., Ph.D., of Wisdom Health.īut I decided to get an answer for all those Nosy Nellies once and for all. And until recently, when friends, family, and the people he enthusiastically greets on the street would ask “what is he?” I’d mostly shrug. They listed our spindly, boxy-headed boy as a pit bull terrier mix, but I cared more about his goofy personality, constant need to cuddle, and adorably intelligent head tilt than what kind of dog breed he was.īut other people never really stop wondering. I adopted Jerry from the Buffalo Animal Shelter in New York in 2015.
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