When I got Caesar and Jeter I was told each of them were certain breeds of dogs. For Caesar, I was told he was a German Shepherd and Labrador mix. I met his mom who looked like a German Shepherd so I was pretty trusting in his breed, and as Caesar grew, he looked very much like a German Shepherd Dog too. With Jeter, I was told he was a Blue Heeler and Australian Cattle Dog mix. It didn’t take long, as he grew, for me to see that he absolutely was not either of those dogs.
There was something always disappointing for me when people would ask, “What kind of dog is he?” and I would say, “I don’t know.” Typically I would follow up with saying he is a little baby bear. But I really wanted to be able to answer that question – not just to let others know, but because knowing your dog’s breed can also help you estimate a life-span or know what health conditions you may need to look out for.
Eventually, though, the itch to really know what Jeter is grew until I absolutely needed to scratch it. I started researching dog DNA tests and after reading reviews and following discussion boards, I chose to use Embark Dog DNA Test for my dog.
Embark seemed to be the most accurate and was recommended by veterinarians and reputable breeders. Not only does Embark DNA test your dog to discover what breeds they are, but they also health test them for around 170 genetic conditions. Plus, they provide a family family ancestry, trait results (is it in your dog’s DNA to be a heavy shedder?), and even connect you with dogs that share similar DNA that could be close relatives with your pup. I was pretty impressed with how many things came with the test and the layout of the results. The breeds that make your dog are broken down into percentages and put into a lovely colorful pie chart.
I ordered Jeter a kit and when it came I was excited to activate it, swab his mouth, reseal the kit, and send it back, which I did fairly quickly. However, it takes several weeks for the results to come back. Basically, you active your “profile” on Embark’s website and they will send email updates on the status of your dog’s DNA. I think it took around 6-8 weeks to get Jeter’s results back, but what came in first was his health results. It was a huge relief to see that he was clear for all genetic conditions they check for. He was a carrier of one issue that causes vision loss, but this would only be a problem if he had children; luckily, he is fixed so that can’t happen.
The next day, Jeter’s breed results came in and I was ecstatic to finally have an answer to what Jeter is. Take a look at the breeds that make up Jeter:
I didn’t have the first guess as to what Jeter was before Embark, so it was pretty nice to finally put some breeds together that I can now look at and say, “Yeah, I can see that in him.” According to Embark, Jeter’s dad was likely an American Bulldog mix while his mom was likely a Labrador mix. From there, his family tree starts to get messier and messier. Embark also breaks down dogs’ chromosomes so you can see exactly where certain traits come from. The test even tells you how “inbred” your dog is (Jeter is 1 percent; very low) and how much “wolfieness” they have in them (Jeter has .6 percent wolf ancestor genes in his DNA; also very low).
I was soo thrilled with the results that I immediately ordered Caesar a kit. Even if I already knew his breed, I thought the health test alone was enough to splurge on the kit. When Caesar’s test came back, I was in total shock. I was told Caesar’s mother was a Lab. This was not true. Take a look:
Matter of fact, as you can see, there isn’t a drop of Lab in him and it turns out, his parents were so mixed that Embark couldn’t pinpoint exactly what they were. So, Caesar’s dad and mom both came back as “mixed breed.” However, his grandparents gave me more answers on how Caesar was made. Take a look:
Like I said, Caesar was more shocking than Jeter because I thought I knew what he was. It turns out there was a lot more to him. I can now easily see the Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) and it explains his size and build more. I also found it really neat that my two dogs, who look nothing alike, share a few breeds.
As far as Caesar’s health results, I was pleased to find out that he was clear for all genetic conditions. However, he is a carrier for Degenerative Myelopathy, a disease that affects the spinal cord. But, like Jeter, as a carrier this won’t affect Caesar and since he is also fixed, he won’t be able to pass it on. I also learned that Caesar is 4 percent inbred (still very low) and had 1.6 percent wolf ancestry in him (a medium amount).
DNA testing my dogs was really fun and after doing so, I know I will always DNA test every dog I own (even pure bred dogs), if not for just the health results alone. It’s also fun to see your dog’s family tree, their traits, how their chromosomes make them who they are, and to learn about where their ancestors came from; each breed listing comes with more information.
I will admit, the health results did give me a bit of anxiety. I thought, “What if it comes back bad?” I had seen it happen to others in Embark discussion boards. But early detection is key, and if I can see that one of my dogs is susceptible to a genetic condition before it becomes a problem, I thought, maybe we can get a handle on it before it’s too late. Overall, it was worth it just to know.
I highly suggest Embark. I can’t speak highly enough of them and I wasn’t possibly able to include every feature of Embark DNA testing in his post. It’s basically a 23 and Me for you dog and it’s worth every cent. If you’re interested in using Embark for you dog, use my link and get $25 off your first breed and health kit: https://www.talkable.com/x/UWVtSD