Dog DNA Test

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TxAg
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Dog DNA Test

Post by TxAg »

I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?

We just adopted a 3 month old Heinz 57. Reports say the mom looked like a Shepherd of sorts, but the dad went out for cigarettes and never came back.
livesoft
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by livesoft »

I am more skeptical than you, so I don't want to change your mind. Did I read that someone sent in human saliva or something and got back a generic "Mostly labrador, some poodle, some retriever." LOL!

Or maybe the testing company required a photo of the dog as well and just returned what someone at the company thought the dog looked like.
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alvinsch
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by alvinsch »

The Best Dog DNA Test

[ link formatted by admin LadyGeek]
Trader Joe
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Trader Joe »

TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?

We just adopted a 3 month old Heinz 57. Reports say the mom looked like a Shepherd of sorts, but the dad went out for cigarettes and never came back.
Go for it. I think you will enjoy the results:

https://www.amazon.com/Embark-Identific ... s9dHJ1ZQ==
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puc_ytpme
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by puc_ytpme »

livesoft wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:28 pm I am more skeptical than you, so I don't want to change your mind. Did I read that someone sent in human saliva or something and got back a generic "Mostly labrador, some poodle, some retriever." LOL!

Or maybe the testing company required a photo of the dog as well and just returned what someone at the company thought the dog looked like.
I read ya. I was always told by my mom that we were part Italian. Her maiden name is Italian. So, the wife got me the 23&me test for Christmas. Results came back in. No Italian in my DNA. Closest match geographically was Greek, 4% at that. The kicker was a third of my heritage was French. Never even remotely mentioned growing up. A modest WTF moment.
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Doom&Gloom
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Doom&Gloom »

I was a skeptic as well--still am a bit. We adopted a rescue two years ago and were delighted with him. For some silly reason, DW decided to spend $75 (+ a coupon IIRC) of her own money for one of these tests. She did not tell me in advance because she somehow sensed I would be skeptical. In fact, she only told me several weeks after she got the results when I mocked an ad for one of these things. Even after she showed me the report, I was skeptical. However, after some time I have not quite become a believer, but definitely less of a skeptic--especially since the report was generated with no additional info other than the DNA. I was always sure that the 50% part was fairly accurate. I quickly saw the next 25% as being plausible if not likely. The remaining 12.5% + 12.5% I can take or leave.

My attitude toward the dog has not changed one bit as a result, but somehow DW is happier "knowing." I still would not consider it a wise use of funds, but I would not view it as a waste if having it done were important to someone.
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JAZZISCOOL
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

alvinsch wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:36 pm The Best Dog DNA Test

[ link formatted by admin LadyGeek]
I used the Wisdom test mentioned here. It seems to be at least 90% accurate based on what I know about my rescue dog's mom. :beer
tomsense76
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by tomsense76 »

I guess this just shows how far down prices have come down on DNA tests (or perhaps how interested people are in their pets).
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rebellovw
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by rebellovw »

My dogs (two) privacy is important- I don't need documentation stating what breed they are. They are the cute variety - with some toughness and muscle.
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by jayk238 »

TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?

We just adopted a 3 month old Heinz 57. Reports say the mom looked like a Shepherd of sorts, but the dad went out for cigarettes and never came back.
If i had that kind of money laying around i would Give the money instead to a shelter. More info does not mean better care. The only reason to do it is if you are a breeder or planning to enter the show dog business.

Short of that, medically it is useless. We simply do not understand genetics well enough. For treatment, most options are limited and heavy handed. They either are done or are not and even if so-like surgery are not guaranteed to even be the right decision by the provider.

I would give such excess cash to a shelter in need.
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TxAg
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by TxAg »

jayk238 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:00 pm
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?

We just adopted a 3 month old Heinz 57. Reports say the mom looked like a Shepherd of sorts, but the dad went out for cigarettes and never came back.
If i had that kind of money laying around i would Give the money instead to a shelter. More info does not mean better care. The only reason to do it is if you are a breeder or planning to enter the show dog business.

Short of that, medically it is useless. We simply do not understand genetics well enough. For treatment, most options are limited and heavy handed. They either are done or are not and even if so-like surgery are not guaranteed to even be the right decision by the provider.

I would give such excess cash to a shelter in need.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but the kits I saw were around $100. Not exactly big money.
jayk238
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by jayk238 »

TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:13 pm
jayk238 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:00 pm
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?

We just adopted a 3 month old Heinz 57. Reports say the mom looked like a Shepherd of sorts, but the dad went out for cigarettes and never came back.
If i had that kind of money laying around i would Give the money instead to a shelter. More info does not mean better care. The only reason to do it is if you are a breeder or planning to enter the show dog business.

Short of that, medically it is useless. We simply do not understand genetics well enough. For treatment, most options are limited and heavy handed. They either are done or are not and even if so-like surgery are not guaranteed to even be the right decision by the provider.

I would give such excess cash to a shelter in need.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but the kits I saw were around $100. Not exactly big money.
It could be the difference between feeding a shelter dog and not. In my city area we routinely get calls for donations of dog food and how they will run out. We usually donate.
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Raymond
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Raymond »

puc_ytpme wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:02 pm ... I was always told by my mom that we were part Italian. Her maiden name is Italian. So, the wife got me the 23&me test for Christmas. Results came back in. No Italian in my DNA. Closest match geographically was Greek, 4% at that. The kicker was a third of my heritage was French. Never even remotely mentioned growing up. A modest WTF moment.
Why the "WTF?" moment. There is a long history of Greek settlement in southern Italy, going back to ancient times:

Magna Graecia - wikipedia.org

Greeks in Italy - wikipedia.org

Genetic history of Italy - wikipedia.org

And France is just next door to Italy, so that's not surprising either - the city of Marseille was founded by Greeks around 600 BC.
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puc_ytpme
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by puc_ytpme »

Raymond wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:11 pm
puc_ytpme wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:02 pm ... I was always told by my mom that we were part Italian. Her maiden name is Italian. So, the wife got me the 23&me test for Christmas. Results came back in. No Italian in my DNA. Closest match geographically was Greek, 4% at that. The kicker was a third of my heritage was French. Never even remotely mentioned growing up. A modest WTF moment.
Why the "WTF?" moment. There is a long history of Greek settlement in southern Italy, going back to ancient times:

Magna Graecia - wikipedia.org

Greeks in Italy - wikipedia.org

Genetic history of Italy - wikipedia.org

And France is just next door to Italy, so that's not surprising either - the city of Marseille was founded by Greeks around 600 BC.
The modest WTF was a brief thought. Am I the milkman's baby? Lol! Followed by some skepticism on the results. Just found it a bit amusing to be told we have Italian blood (results came back at 0%) with no mention of French blood in 37 years. A third at that. I'm not remotely disheartened by the results. Nor did I share them with my folks. My grandfathers folks were from Lucca, Italy though. Much closer to Marseille than southern Italy. With the history lesson you tossed at me. I realized that a good portion of the globe is a much bigger melting pot than I had originally thought.

Thanks for taking the time to take me to school!
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by manatee2005 »

Raymond wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:11 pm
puc_ytpme wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:02 pm ... I was always told by my mom that we were part Italian. Her maiden name is Italian. So, the wife got me the 23&me test for Christmas. Results came back in. No Italian in my DNA. Closest match geographically was Greek, 4% at that. The kicker was a third of my heritage was French. Never even remotely mentioned growing up. A modest WTF moment.
Why the "WTF?" moment. There is a long history of Greek settlement in southern Italy, going back to ancient times:

Magna Graecia - wikipedia.org

Greeks in Italy - wikipedia.org

Genetic history of Italy - wikipedia.org

And France is just next door to Italy, so that's not surprising either - the city of Marseille was founded by Greeks around 600 BC.
It is surprising, just because greeks settled in italy in ancient times doesn't mean that italians are getting greek dna results. The test is smart enough to distinguish between modern italians and greeks.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JoeRetire »

TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?
The test you don't take is best.

What could possibly be the motivation for dog DNA testing? What would you do with the resulting information?

Save the money. Buy an extra chewy toy or two.
This isn't just my wallet. It's an organizer, a memory and an old friend.
SpaghettiMonster
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by SpaghettiMonster »

We used the Wisdom test on our two rescues and were very happy with them. They don't require a picture of your dog so don't think that they use that to guess the mix. It traced our dogs back to their great grandparents and showed that one is almost purebred. The other, which my spouse swears has a lot of Malamute in her, had one Malamute great grandparent and one Husky great grandparent. My spouse enjoys being smug in that they were partly right.
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

JoeRetire wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:47 am
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?
The test you don't take is best.

What could possibly be the motivation for dog DNA testing? What would you do with the resulting information?

Save the money. Buy an extra chewy toy or two.
In my case, the DNA test confirmed a breed that is pre-disposed to a certain medical condition that my dog ended up needing ongoing treatment for so it was very helpful to me and to my vet. It gives you more data about a rescue pet so can be very useful.

Also, I donate to several animal shelters. Not a binary decision. :happy
IowaFarmBoy
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by IowaFarmBoy »

Our daughter had our rescue tested using Wisdom Panel. He came back:
.25 beagle
.25 lab
.125 cocker spaniel
.125 chow
.125 pit bull
.125 (everything else)

Prior to the test, we would have guessed a lot of beagle and lob/golden so at least that part of the test seems believable. I thought the "everything else" was kind of funny given how much of a mix he already was. His ancestors certainly got around....
Last edited by IowaFarmBoy on Mon Mar 22, 2021 9:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
Brewman
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Brewman »

We did this more out of curiosity and entertainment than anything else. We used Embark on our two rescues and each daughter used it on their rescue as well. No pictures were sent just saliva and for two of the four dogs it was obvious by looking at them what some of their ancestry was (one golden retriever mix, one beagle mix) they were spot on with one being 50% Golden the other 50% beagle. The other two dogs we really were only guessing their makeup and when we got their results back it really did make sense given the traits of the mixes and their size! Just more fun than anything. Oh and we do donate to our local shelters also.
lillycat
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by lillycat »

OH Yes! DH tested our foster success girl RAE as a surprise Christmas gift 2 years ago.
We got her through her through the local CORGI rescue group as an 8 week old pup.
Weirdest looking Corgi ever - but cute. The rescue group was stumped too.

But - Voila! Yes, as per Embark, she is half Pembroke, Half Jack Russell.
Kismet! Hubby said he’d always wondered what owning a Jack would be like.
And I love Corgis,so.... Our CoJack Rae is perfect for us. And really looks like her genetics.

The test also has a section on genetic traits and predispositions. Maybe helpful?
And I also donate to animal welfare groups, and via the Amazon SMILE program, of course.
boglebill
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by boglebill »

We used Embark for multiple dogs. We did a lot of pre-purchase research.

We were extremely pleased with the product, communication, and data/results. We have also received several compelling DNA matches.
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JackoC »

JoeRetire wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:47 am
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?
The test you don't take is best.
What could possibly be the motivation for dog DNA testing? What would you do with the resulting information?
Save the money. Buy an extra chewy toy or two.
We thought about doing this for our late dog though never did. The quasi-practical aspect would have been related to 'pit bull' (and the hysteria those two words generate in some quarters). She 'looked like one' although we tended to think she was half or mainly Dogo Argentino; others thought American Bulldog. Eventually by chance we got to know a close relative of the originator of the Dogo breed who believed it obvious she was part or largely Dogo, mixed so smaller than a pure breed. But she was, obviously, the same dog regardless of varying guesses about her heritage, and our state prohibits Breed Specific Legislation ordinances by its municipalities. However some people with equally pleasant dogs have to worry about 'pit bull' hysteria due to local laws. Renters and potentially for home insurance also sometimes. Although, our daughter's shelter dog looks like a pure breed APBT and a test if accurate would probably show her close to it, an equally sweet dog (though different personality otherwise, hilarious trouble maker unlike the serene and queenly Dogo mix). The idea you can predict aggression toward humans in individual dogs by breed is dubious, but in some cases you can short circuit such ignorance by showing the dog isn't a 'pit bull'.
Last edited by JackoC on Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JackoC »

duplicate
123
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by 123 »

If the results are not favorable you don't have to disclose them to your dog. Some things are better left unsaid.
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Raymond
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Raymond »

manatee2005 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:11 am
Raymond wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:11 pm
puc_ytpme wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:02 pm ... I was always told by my mom that we were part Italian. Her maiden name is Italian. So, the wife got me the 23&me test for Christmas. Results came back in. No Italian in my DNA. Closest match geographically was Greek, 4% at that. The kicker was a third of my heritage was French. Never even remotely mentioned growing up. A modest WTF moment.
Why the "WTF?" moment. There is a long history of Greek settlement in southern Italy, going back to ancient times:

Magna Graecia - wikipedia.org

Greeks in Italy - wikipedia.org

Genetic history of Italy - wikipedia.org

And France is just next door to Italy, so that's not surprising either - the city of Marseille was founded by Greeks around 600 BC.
It is surprising, just because greeks settled in italy in ancient times doesn't mean that italians are getting greek dna results. The test is smart enough to distinguish between modern italians and greeks.
That's the problem - they can't accurately differentiate at the country level. Maybe at the level of a continent or part of a continent.

For example:

"My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?" - wbur.org
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tivattom
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by tivattom »

Check out reddit's doggy dna subreddit and see which types of reports you prefer. I did Embark and was very happy.

https://www.reddit.com/r/doggydna
LittleMaggieMae
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by LittleMaggieMae »

The people I know who did the Dog DNA test did it more for entertainment than anything else.

I get why people do it - especially with the "status" attached to cutely named mixed breeds (labradoodle or chi-weenie or whatever).

That's one of the first questions out of people's mouths when meeting a person with a dog - "what kind of dog is it?" No one asks cat owners that...

My relative tells people his dog is a "dragon/lion" cross breed (he actually had the DNA thing done - and yep, it's basically whatever he wants the dog to be the results came back with 10 different "dog dna" bits.

My niece has a Red Dog. It looks like a hound of some sort (not beagle). She succumbed to pressure and had the DNA test done. Yep, it's majority DNA is Coonhound and then a mish mash of stuff.

I think it's best to think of the cost of the test to be an "entertainment" cost.
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CABob
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by CABob »

LittleMaggieMae wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:15 pm The people I know who did the Dog DNA test did it more for entertainment than anything else.
...
I think it's best to think of the cost of the test to be an "entertainment" cost.
I agree.
We adopted a dog from the Humane Society described as a Dachshund/Mix. As he got older we saw less of the Dachshund and more of the Mix including Corgi, Basset, and Beagle. We were curious and had a DNA test done by Wisdom Panel. They came back with a mixture of Greyhound, Vizsla, and Shih Tzu none of which I can see in his characteristics. The DNA report claimed they had detected breeds for only three of the eight grandparents so there is room for error. In any case we love the dog and find the DNA report "entertaining" if not accurate.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JoeRetire »

LittleMaggieMae wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 1:15 pm The people I know who did the Dog DNA test did it more for entertainment than anything else.
That makes sense. I guess there are worse ways to spend money on entertainment.
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Boglegirl81
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Boglegirl81 »

jayk238 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:21 pm
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:13 pm
jayk238 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:00 pm
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?

We just adopted a 3 month old Heinz 57. Reports say the mom looked like a Shepherd of sorts, but the dad went out for cigarettes and never came back.
If i had that kind of money laying around i would Give the money instead to a shelter. More info does not mean better care. The only reason to do it is if you are a breeder or planning to enter the show dog business.

Short of that, medically it is useless. We simply do not understand genetics well enough. For treatment, most options are limited and heavy handed. They either are done or are not and even if so-like surgery are not guaranteed to even be the right decision by the provider.

I would give such excess cash to a shelter in need.

I don't necessarily disagree with you, but the kits I saw were around $100. Not exactly big money.
It could be the difference between feeding a shelter dog and not. In my city area we routinely get calls for donations of dog food and how they will run out. We usually donate.
I think people can both give to charity and purchase superfluous things. It’s not one or the other.
manatee2005
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by manatee2005 »

Raymond wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 12:37 pm
manatee2005 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 4:11 am
Raymond wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:11 pm
puc_ytpme wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 8:02 pm ... I was always told by my mom that we were part Italian. Her maiden name is Italian. So, the wife got me the 23&me test for Christmas. Results came back in. No Italian in my DNA. Closest match geographically was Greek, 4% at that. The kicker was a third of my heritage was French. Never even remotely mentioned growing up. A modest WTF moment.
Why the "WTF?" moment. There is a long history of Greek settlement in southern Italy, going back to ancient times:

Magna Graecia - wikipedia.org

Greeks in Italy - wikipedia.org

Genetic history of Italy - wikipedia.org

And France is just next door to Italy, so that's not surprising either - the city of Marseille was founded by Greeks around 600 BC.
It is surprising, just because greeks settled in italy in ancient times doesn't mean that italians are getting greek dna results. The test is smart enough to distinguish between modern italians and greeks.
That's the problem - they can't accurately differentiate at the country level. Maybe at the level of a continent or part of a continent.

For example:

"My Grandmother Was Italian. Why Aren't My Genes Italian?" - wbur.org
It's irresponsible for the author to write an article like that without getting a paternity and maternity test to prove that they are biologically related.

Maybe she was afraid of what she would find.
westie
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by westie »

from my perspective, all this test does is determine how big the hole in the fence was.
JackoC
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JackoC »

Boglegirl81 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:15 pm
jayk238 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:21 pm
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:13 pm
jayk238 wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 9:00 pm
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?
We just adopted a 3 month old Heinz 57. Reports say the mom looked like a Shepherd of sorts, but the dad went out for cigarettes and never came back.
I would give such excess cash to a shelter in need.
I don't necessarily disagree with you, but the kits I saw were around $100. Not exactly big money.
It could be the difference between feeding a shelter dog and not. In my city area we routinely get calls for donations of dog food and how they will run out. We usually donate.
I think people can both give to charity and purchase superfluous things. It’s not one or the other.
I agree, and it's also presupposing an arbitrary bucketing of money to 'dog things'. Why don't you donate to an animal shelter instead of a nice restaurant meal, or any of the myriad 'superfluous' things virtually everyone in rich societies buys? Just because the DNA test also happens to relate to animals, I don't think that's so logical.
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lthenderson
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by lthenderson »

Dog DNA testing is sort of the wild wild west right now. There are no standardized tests, methods or formulas so which ever company you decide to get the test from will most certainly give you different results than the other companies. Human DNA is often run 30 times to average out results and errors that occur when reading the various SNPS. Dog DNA is only run once with whatever translation errors occurred.
jj
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by jj »

We used Wisdom Panel for the DNA tests for our two rescue dogs. We suspected that they were sisters (dog dna tests do not tell you if dogs are related, only the breed) with at least the same mother. The tests gave us the breeds that we thought they were. It was a frivolous expenditure, I admit. We do financially support the rescue organization that we got the dogs from.

Only this morning I received an email from Wisdom Panel. As it's National Puppy Day they are offering discount codes of $20 off their Essential test - code PUPPY20 and $30 off their Premium test with code PUPPY30

https://www.wisdompanel.com/en-us

(I pass this on for informational purposes, I have no commercial relationship with this company, except as a previous customer.)
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Luke Duke
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Luke Duke »

JoeRetire wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:47 am
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?
The test you don't take is best.

What could possibly be the motivation for dog DNA testing? What would you do with the resulting information?

Save the money. Buy an extra chewy toy or two.
I came to post this same thing. In my professional life I don't waste time, energy or money acquiring data that I never intend to use. I try to let that carryover to my personal life as well.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by quantAndHold »

My dog claims to be a cocker spaniel, but looks more like a sentient teddy bear. She’s definitely built for comfort, not for any sort of work. Maybe we should try this to find out if she’s telling the truth.
Herekittykitty
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Herekittykitty »

Embark. We've gotten excellent results from it. My family and I love dogs and have tested 4 adopted rescues at different times. We've found the results helpful in understanding the individual dogs genetic wiring, which has enhanced the relationships with the canine friends. You can also see pictures and descriptions of your dog's DNA relatives posted by their owners, which is kind of fun.

We used Wisdom Tree for the first dog we DNA tested, and the results were okay. The next dog we tested was with Embark and the results were great, with excellent detail. We then used Embark to test the dog we had used Wisdom Tree for. The results were consistent for the dog between the two tests, but Embark had more information. The Embark was more expensive but we thought it was worth it, and have just used Embark from then on.

My brother used Embark for two dogs, and the results were excellent. One he was confident of the breed before he tested it and the test confirmed what he thought. The next one was a mutt whose ancestry he knew just a little about, and Embark was helpful, it was accurate for the parts he knew already and it identified the rest, we had guessed wrong, and getting the accurate DNA results helped explain a lot about the dog.

A great thing about Embark (and other dog DNA tests) is that the expense is a one and done, and the information and insight into the dog is forever. I'm a fan.
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Fat Tails
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Fat Tails »

123 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:58 am If the results are not favorable you don't have to disclose them to your dog. Some things are better left unsaid.
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lawman3966
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by lawman3966 »

What is the motive or goal behind this exactly? Is your dog trying to find out if he's related to Rin Tin Tin? I guess it would give him bragging rights in the neighborhood.
veggivet
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by veggivet »

One of the most important uses from my perspective would be to assess potential risk for specific diseases, as many dog diseases, while not being breed specific (though there are a few of those), are heavily influenced by genetics, and, by therefore, by default, to breed composition. Veterinary medicine is typically 5-8 years behind the human field from a technical perspective, so I would imagine a few years out we may have the ability to assess individual animal risk to a range of diseases, and potentially, evaluate the likely response to treatment by a specific therapeutic agent. This is where individualized medicine is at with us at this point...
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JoeRetire
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JoeRetire »

quantAndHold wrote: Tue Mar 23, 2021 11:13 pm My dog claims to be a cocker spaniel, but looks more like a sentient teddy bear. She’s definitely built for comfort, not for any sort of work. Maybe we should try this to find out if she’s telling the truth.
Or just use a lie detector. Probably just as accurate.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JoeRetire »

Fat Tails wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 1:07 am
123 wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 11:58 am If the results are not favorable you don't have to disclose them to your dog. Some things are better left unsaid.
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TxAg
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by TxAg »

We haven't purchased a test yet.

For those interested on why we'd even consider it, we are just curious.
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JoeRetire
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by JoeRetire »

TxAg wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 7:28 am We haven't purchased a test yet.

For those interested on why we'd even consider it, we are just curious.
Sounds like fun. I'm guessing every test would provide similar fun value.
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s2kduff
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by s2kduff »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 7:26 am
JoeRetire wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 5:47 am
TxAg wrote: Sun Mar 21, 2021 7:22 pm I'm a skeptic, but change my mind. What test is best?
The test you don't take is best.

What could possibly be the motivation for dog DNA testing? What would you do with the resulting information?

Save the money. Buy an extra chewy toy or two.
In my case, the DNA test confirmed a breed that is pre-disposed to a certain medical condition that my dog ended up needing ongoing treatment for so it was very helpful to me and to my vet. It gives you more data about a rescue pet so can be very useful.

Also, I donate to several animal shelters. Not a binary decision. :happy
This is good information and one of the reasons we used Wisdom Panel when we adopted our dog at approximately (8) months from the Animal Welfare Society. A DNA test for an unknown mix is not just for entertainment purposes. Wisdom Panel was also the leader in pet DNA tests at the time, I haven't done recent research to see if that has changed.
Independent George
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Independent George »

The utility of the dog DNA test is exactly the same as for human DNA tests: 99% entertainment, 1% for contributing to aggregate genetic data which might one day be medically useful someday.

I used Wisdom Panel for my dog, and the results came back as primarily as 'Canaan Dog' - which is basically a feral dog of indeterminate lineage. In other words, my mutt is mostly a mutt.

I'm really glad they cleared that up for me.
s2kduff
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by s2kduff »

Independent George wrote: Fri Mar 26, 2021 3:19 pm The utility of the dog DNA test is exactly the same as for human DNA tests: 99% entertainment, 1% for contributing to aggregate genetic data which might one day be medically useful someday.

I used Wisdom Panel for my dog, and the results came back as primarily as 'Canaan Dog' - which is basically a feral dog of indeterminate lineage. In other words, my mutt is mostly a mutt.

I'm really glad they cleared that up for me.
Your mutt must be too much of a mutt for a DNA test to determine breeds on either side. Too much cross breeding will cause this, and Wisdom Panel states this in their Help Center. You are also incorrect about the accuracy of a DNA test.

https://help.wisdompanel.com/s/article/ ... -my-report
Last edited by s2kduff on Fri Mar 26, 2021 4:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Kookaburra
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Re: Dog DNA Test

Post by Kookaburra »

According to Maury, “you are not the dog-father!”
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