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Find Out Your Mutt's Family Tree

You may consider altering your training style based on behavior related to certain breeds.

By Phyllis DeGioia, Studio One Networks

The American Kennel Club pedigree of Fallon Flights O’Fancy, an
Irish setter owned by Anne Schilling, is a mile long. The stunning
purebred from Madison, Wis., justly holds his furry mahogany head
high, but he isn’t snooty when he selects his friends. One such
canine chum is Frank, a scruffy, shelter-rescued mutt that Fallon
met at a dog park.

Unlike Fallon, Frank’s family history is a mystery. But thanks to
new DNA testing procedures, Frank, and most mutts like him, can
have their mixed breed ancestry deciphered. The tests are the
scientific version of the best guessing game of all, “What kind of
dog is that?” which has kept dog park walkers in conversation for
years. The DNA tests cannot reveal every bit of information about
your dog, since genetic data isn’t available for every breed and mix,
but even if you don't receive a fully positive identification, at least
some breeds can be eliminated.

How the Tests Work
One such DNA testing company is MetaMorphix Inc. of Beltsville, Md.,
whose cheek swab kit allows dog owners like you to test for about
38 breeds. To participate, you place the provided swab in your dog’s
mouth and swoosh it around to coat it in saliva and mouth cells that
hold DNA, a cellular material that contains the genetic instructions
used in the development and functioning of your dog. A blood test
from the Rockville, Md.-based Mars Veterinary, part of the same
company that makes M&M’S candy, can detect more than 130 breeds.
The American Kennel Club currently recognizes over 150 breeds, and
the United Kennel Club recognizes 300 breeds, so there are inherent
limitations to the current tests. As time goes by, though, these
organizations will likely include more breeds, making the procedures
more accurate and revealing.

Geneticists have identified over 300 DNA markers that help identify
specific breeds. The recently mapped canine genome refers to the
content and organization of genetic instructions for dogs -- sort of
the protein recipe for canines. The ability to identify specifics in the
canine genome gave birth to the breed DNA identification tests. “The
more dogs these companies test, the more information they’ll have,”
says Susan Nelson, DVM, of the Kansas State University's Veterinary
Medical Teaching Hospital. “Hopefully that information will have
medical relevance. Right now it’s mostly just for fun.”

Dog Family Surprises
Alexa Lewis of Los Angeles, Calif., decided it would be fun to test
her two mixed breeds. She used the cheek swab test and felt that
the results for her cordy -- a chow chow and Akita mix -- were
accurate, but she was surprised about the results on her golden
retriever mix, Riley. “Golden retriever was eliminated for Riley even
though they couldn’t tell us his primary breed. Riley has three
breeds: saluki, dachshund and Labrador. That could explain his
short legs.” Lewis plans to give Riley the blood test when they next
visit his veterinarian.

Another dog owner who has tried out the new DNA testing is Cecilia
Castillo of Tewksbury Township, N.J. She used the cheek swab on
her purebred border collie and her two border collie mixes. The
purebred’s came back as 100 percent border collie. “I knew Sally
had to be a mix because she doesn’t act like a border collie, although
she looks like one. I thought it would be cool to find out what was
in Sally’s genetic makeup -- only for curiosity, no other reason,”
said Castillo. “The results on Sally’s cheek swab were missing
something, so when the blood test came out, I figured I'd retest
her.” The results were different, although both tests revealed two
breeds in common: Lab and dachshund. “They both showed that
she has no border collie. The cheek swab test showed traces of
husky, dachshund, and a significant amount of Lab. The blood
test showed traces of Cavalier King Charles spaniel, golden
retriever, German shepherd, Lab and dachshund.”

So what did Castillo do with the results? “I concluded that Sally
is a true mutt.”

Health and Behavior Benefits to Testing
“Knowing a dog’s heritage can help identify temperament traits,”
said Lisa Peterson of the AKC. “Breed-specific training is important.
If the majority breed is listed in these tests, it will aid an owner in
how to approach training and socialization.” Peterson added, “For
example, Cecilia thought she had a border collie, the obsessive
compulsive breed of the dog world. Knowing that Sally has some
husky, which tends to be more independent, means Cecilia may
approach training in a different way.”

Like Castillo, you don’t have to do anything with the information,
or like Lewis, you can joke about it with your dog park buddies
and other friends. Lewis says, “We’ve made a lot of non-dog
owners think we're crazy when we tell them about the testing!”
Information gained from dog DNA-testing also has the following
applications:

Training
You may consider altering your training style based on behavior
related to certain breeds. Sporting dogs like Labradors need
significant daily exercise to prevent boredom-based destruction.
Guard dogs like German shepherds are naturally protective and
can be aggressive without appropriate socialization. Toy breeds
like papillons can be notoriously difficult to housebreak, so
patience is required.

Health
Inform your veterinarian if your mix has any breed known to
have difficulties with anesthesia. For example, greyhound or
whippet breeds have low body fat, and part collies are sensitive
to ivermectin, a compound used in some heartworm preventives.

Familiarize yourself with the breeds’ predisposition toward certain
diseases. Miniature schnauzers are prone to inflammation of the
pancreas. Dalmatians are prone to uric acid stones. Old English
sheepdogs are prone to a type of anemia.

Activities
Explore performance activities that you may not have considered
for your dog; these may include agility exercises for herding breeds
or field tests for hunting dogs.

Add to your exercise choices. If your dog’s ancestry includes a water-
oriented breed, such as poodle or Newfoundland, see if it will enjoy
learning how to swim.

Consider going to dog shows to look for visual evidence of other
breeds that might be related to your dog.

Create a fun pedigree document discussing historical backgrounds
of breeds rather than specific parents.

Make a scrapbook using your dog’s photos and photos of the known
breeds of your mix. Consider including other people’s opinions of
your dog’s heritage mix, no matter how bizarre it might be. The
scrapbook could even include a funny illustration of your dog by
using parts of magazine photos to piece together a collage.

Mutt Owners Get the Last Laugh
Family history information about your dog’s breed heritage won’t
change the way you feel about your pet. You will love your dog just
the same, but curiosity killed the cat, or in this case, dog, and
satisfaction brought him back. You won’t be lost for words the
next time someone asks you about your favorite canine companion,
no matter how unusual the breeding turns out to be. In fact, where
mutts are concerned, the funkier the mix of breeds turns out to be,
the better and more entertaining answers you’ll have.

Copyright (c) 2008 Studio One Networks. All rights reserved.

About The Author: Phyllis DeGioia is an award-winning writer who
lives in Madison, Wis., with two rescued dogs and a cat. She has
authored books on animal topics, is a member of the Dog Writers
Association of America and serves as editor of Veterinary Partner
online.

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group - June 21, 2008