What Breed of Dog Do You Think He Is?

 This is one of my favorite questions!  My dog trainer friends and I have a blast guessing what dog breeds went into some of the mixes we meet everyday. In the old days, you looked at a dog and made your best guess based on their color, coat style, head shape, body size, and to a certain extent, their temperament. Lots of dogs were just "shepherd mixes" or "lab mixes," but again, those dogs looked "shepherdy" or behaved like labs. Times are different now; you can actually send in a sample of your dog's saliva in to a company and they will give you your dog's DNA results.  There are so many of these companies out there, however, so how do you know which company to choose? My favorites are the companies that provide not just information on your dog's breed (s) makeup, but information on genetic diseases that they may be predisposed to experiencing in their lifetime. Thus, these are the two companies I recommend for DNA testing, to those clients seeking answers to that age-old question, "What do you think he is?"

Wisdom Panel Dog DNA Test:  I like this one a lot because they offer two versions, an essential version that gives you your dog's breed mix down to about 1% accuracy and information on 25 possible medical complications your dog might experience, and the premium version which tests for over 200 possible medical issues.

Embark Dog DNA Test:  This one is quite popular and I think that has a lot to do with their targeted advertising on social media!  Nonetheless, I like this company as they've been in business quite a while, so they do seem to have figured out how to make their results reliable and worth the expense. They, too, have two tests you can purchase.  The first is a simple "breed ID kit," which simply helps you identify your dog's breed makeup.  Though they do now offer an additional feature where you can find your dog's relatives through a family tree feature!  Reminds me so much of the "23 and Me" program for human DNA testing!  The Embark Breed & Health Kit offers everything the breed ID kit has, plus identifying over 190 health conditions your dog might experience. 

I love when clients send me a copy of their dog's DNA results after they've received them.  So fun to see if I was even close to right on what I thought their dog's breed makeup likely was!

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

This is an old picture of the mixed breed dog I had all through college, grad school, and my early married life.  She was a "border collie mix."  Would have loved to know what else was in there (if anything!) as she was the smartest dog I've ever shared my home with and I still miss her every day.