# DNA Test for Mixed Breed Dogs



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Just thought I would share, here, that I had Esther's DNA analysed to find out about her breeding. She looks like a collie x and was guessed, by Dogs Trust when they first admitted her at around 7 months of age, to be a Collie x Terrier.


I had heard that some of these companies were not what they were purported to be. Indeed some ask for a photo of the dog! After reading an article in the Daily Telegraph, where the journalist's dog was shown to look like a little hairy terrier type and turned out, as someone in the family had guessed, part Staffordshire Bull Terrier, I went with that company. The company in question is Wisdom Health Care and they are part of the Mars group.


They send you a swab to wipe around the dogs gums and the kit needed to send it back.


It turns out that Esther is 25% Border Collie, 15% Parson Russell Terrier, 15% Springer Spaniel, 15% Harrier. The rest of her make up is described as "mixed breed" but they go on to identify various breeds within that. They give quite a bit of info on all the breeds found.
When I looked into doing this for my Romanian rescue, the company I checked with then (Black Dog) did not test Romanian rescues. I did not check whether Wisdom had this exclusion.


I can see all of those notified breed traits in Esther except, perhaps, the Harrier. Harriers are more common in Ireland where they are used, extensively, for hunting.


I am pleased I did the test as it helps to understand some bits of her behaviour. She hunts mice underground which would be a terrier trait. She "eyes" other dogs, and likes to control their behaviour, which is the collie in her etc.


I wonder, given the Harrier in her, if she came, originally, from Ireland. I know Dogs Trust import many dogs from Ireland now. Not sure if they did it nine years ago though.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

I'm sure my girl would come up with 90% Viking and 5% powderpuff and the rest sloth!


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Cute with it though


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## Penquin (Oct 15, 2007)

Mine would come back as predominantly Border Colle - he LOVES rounding up other dogs - we went with my son on a couple of Vizsla whizz walks - he has a lovely young Hngarian Viszla...

They were all pointing madly (their breed characteristic) even though there were 40 50 of them there....

Bob ran around checking they did not get left behind and also checking we were OK frquently - not in the slightest bit interested in the dogs other than keeping them together - that's Collie for you....

Very quick to learn and also quite capable of runnimg with his front paws tucked in his ears so he can get to the deep puddles around here and make them deeper (andcover himself in mud at the same time - but that washes off later in even deper puddles....)

I doubt that I would bother much with DNA analysis as dogs are all one species..... _*Canis familiaris*_ so in theory a Great Dane could successfully breed with a Chihuahua (had to check the spelling of that....) although the mental images do not bear repeating....


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

My next breed is going to come from the Pastoral Group. I like the trait of "rounding up" rather than "running off" that my last couple of hound breeds have had . We are revelling in Esther's trait of checking where we are all the time. The last dog had no interest in where we were or what we were doing 
We always had GSDs but I am looking at smaller types for the next dog. Something like a Corgi or a Swedish Valhund or Lancashire Heeler. The last has a more easily maintained coat with minimal moulting so is top at the moment.

https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/services/public/breed/display.aspx?id=5175

They seem a fairly healthy breed too which is a major consideration when getting a pedigree nowadays. If there was an easy way to find a mongrel then I would be happy with one of those too. Just don't want any more hounds (or terriers come to that  )


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## Gellyneck (Jun 23, 2014)

patp said:


> I know Dogs Trust import many dogs from Ireland now. Not sure if they did it nine years ago though.


Our sprollie was rescued in Ireland six and a half years ago and at that time DT told us somewhere around 80% of their dogs were coming from there!


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Gellyneck said:


> Our sprollie was rescued in Ireland six and a half years ago and at that time DT told us somewhere around 80% of their dogs were coming from there!


Makes me so mad because there are plenty of dogs on these shores without bringing them in from Ireland and Romania etc.

I know why they do it. It is because they like to have a good "mix" of different breeds for people to choose from. They try to avoid being full of just Staffies and Greyhounds. When we were looking round the local homes, including Dogs Trust, a couple of years ago we would have gladly taken a Staffy home with us. We only saw one and he was in a small kennels where they refused to let us have him because we said we would like to do a bit of fun agility with any new dog we took on. According to them "Staffies don't do agility". Huh???


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## Deefordoggy (Feb 12, 2017)

PatP - we're liking the idea of DNA testing for our lurcher. Am I right in thinking the kit's around £65?


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Closer to £80, if I remember rightly, Paul. That was from Wisdom. There may be cheaper options but not sure they are ethical as Wisdom?


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

I wonder what they'd get if I sent a swab of my mouth.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

British Bull Dog?


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## GEMMY (Jun 19, 2006)

Our present dog is a cream cocker poo.............the nicest/most intelligent dog ever had, guard dog......slightest unfamiliar noise barks for 10 seconds or until you tell him to calm down. Lick intruders to death, not a nasty bone in his body...........our Asian cat would disagree :wink2:


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Esther was one of three, urgent, foster dogs that we took on recently when both owners died within weeks of each other. The other two were, Max a Chocolate Labrador and Baxter a Cockerpoo.
I have long thought that a Cockerpoo might be the dog for me and, as Max was 11 and a half and Esther was nearly 10 this seemed a distinct possibility, until he moved in.


Baxter had to be removed from his terminally ill owner's house first as he insisted on sleeping on her bed and was a trip hazard in the night. We were going to a Scent Work course with our own dog the very next day and so had to take Baxter with us. We had not slept well the night before due to his insistence that he should be allowed to sleep on our bed.
He then created mayhem in the car because he wanted to travel on the back seat of Chris's pride and joy Jag. We tried to give him away (not really) to anyone who would take him among the other scent work attendees. He did have a little go at beginner scenting and showed an aptitude for it.


He travelled in style on the way home  All in the interests of road safety you understand 


At home he made loud protests if left behind a door which anyone dared to close in front of him, wrecked the cat flap, and still insisted it was his right to sleep on our bed. This was in spite of his other two companions having joined him by this time.


I have to say that none of his behaviour was his fault. His first home had been with a young lady who treated him like her "baby". She carried him everywhere and he slept with her. When a real baby came along he was re homed to Brenda and David. They failed to break any of his habits.


We started work on teaching him to sleep in a soft crate beside our bed and gradually moving it out of the bedroom. By the time we found a suitable home for him he was sleeping quietly outside the bedroom with our bedroom door open. The next step would have been to slowly close the bedroom door. This was not necessary, however, because his perfect home came along where they already owned a Cockerpoo and knew about the hairy feet (dirt everywhere), the demands for open plan living, the tendency to guard his possessions and, best of all did not mind him sleeping on whichever child's bed he fancied 


Despite his funny ways, all learned in previous homes, I did like his personality and he was super intelligent. This was, of course, the reason he had manipulated his previous owners into getting all his own way and resisted their efforts to retrain him. 


Baxter's new family adore him and, as they took their existing dog on trips up Snowdonia, and planned similar excursions with Baxter, I am sure he sleeps soundly wherever he lays his head.


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