Alright, take your guess… shepherd, lab, hound, or what?? There is now a way to find out more information about our dogs through DNA testing. In addition to be able to confirm the identity of a sire, confirm imported breed stock, and identify which pups belong to a particular sire in cases of multi-sire breeding, DNA testing for dogs can also confirm breed heritage.
There are two main ways to learn more information about your dog’s lineage. One option is to visit a vet that will draw blood and send the sample out to be analyzed, which usually comes back within 2-3 weeks. Another option to to send away for a swab kit from one of several companies online. Once the test kit arrives, you are to swab the dog’s cheek and return the swab to the lab. Results for this type of test typically take 4-6 weeks.
Regardless of which method you choose, make sure you know how many registered breeds are in the database that will be used to return the results. Because this service is still in it’s infancy stages, not all tests are created equal; some databases are composed of only 40 breeds, while others contain over 150. The more data contained in the database, the more accurate your results are going to be. Depending on which collection method and which databases are being used, you can expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of between $60 – $150 for the dog DNA tests.
If you are interested in getting a DNA test for your dog, check out this company.
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I highly recommend doing a DNA test on mixed breeds as it helps you anticipate your dog’s behavior.
We were told that my Chihuahua was a pure-bred; but, thanks to a DNA test, it turns out he’s 1/4 Poodle. This helps me to understand why I have to train him a certain way and why he tends to get bored so easily. It also helps explain his affinity to children.