Discovering Buster's breeds with Wisdom Panel {AD-Gifted} – Mummascribbles

AD – Gifted

In the weeks after we got Buster, I was continuously asked what breed he is. Of course, being a mixed breed rescue dog from Bulgaria, we had absolutely no idea what was in him. People had all the opinions. From terrier crossed with lab, to my own suspicion of a bit of German Shepherd. The more people asked, and the more he grew and changed, I was desperate to find out a little of what his background is. So I got in touch with Wisdom Panel, the World’s leading canine DNA testing company, to see if they wanted to work with me and they agreed.

How Wisdom Panel Works

Wisdom Panel have DNA tested over 1.5 million dogs. They have a fully comprehensive breed database that they work with, along with a very sophisticated algorithm to help them determine just what is in a dog.

We use Illumina® Infinium® chips created specifically for our tests. These chips are processed and analyzed at Eurofins Genomics laboratories, the world’s largest genomics testing facility and a member of Eurofins Scientific, the global leader in bio-analysis . Eurofins Genomics is ISO 17025 certified, and has been obtaining rank 1 over the last 15 years on all ISAG (International Society of Animal Genetics) ring trials, for canine and all other tested animal species.

You can’t really argue with that.

When you purchase a dog DNA test, in the post you receive an A4 envelope that is enclosed with two swab sticks and all of the information you need to get a successful swab, along with a return envelope that has fully paid postage – which is cool because the return is Denmark and therefore would usually require queuing up at the post office!

Taking the swabs is all very simple. You take the swab sticks out of the packet that they come in and then you take a swab of the inside of one cheek with one stick for 15 seconds, and the other cheek with the second for the same amount of time. You then have to leave them to air for 5 minutes in a cup (get this ready first). While they are airing, you can go onto the website and activate your kit, making sure that you write your activation code on the swab label. After five minutes, pop the swabs back into the protective seal making sure you don’t actually re-seal the packet. You then pop the swab sleeve inside the pre-paid envelope, complete your contact details and shipment date and then it is ready to be popped in the postbox.

The easiness of taking the swab does depend on how much of a chewer your dog is. Buster is very mouthy and it was a bit of a struggle, but I felt like I had rolled it around enough for a decent swab. The recommended time is 15 seconds and it’s a good idea to fully roll it around the cheek and gums to get a really strong sample.

And then you wait! It can take up to 3 weeks from the point of Wisdom Panel receiving the swabs for the results to come back. I sent it off just before Christmas so I was expecting it to take a while. It actually got there pretty quick and I received an email to tell me that it had been received and was processing. You can at this point log in to the website to see the status of the samples, but you do also get email alerts at each stage. And it wasn’t long before I had the email to tell me that the results were in. I was so excited to go and find out what Buster was!

The results!

So the results are very, very thorough. It features a whole host of information on top of just what breeds of dog yours is, including,

  • Percentage breakdown of breeds and breed groups found in your dog
  • A detailed family tree going back three generations
  • Extensive information about each breed and breed group found
  • A predicted weight profile

The 3.0 version which is now available on their website also features further health information relating to the breeds.

The first piece of information you are given is a breakdown of the breeds that have been detected.

Are you ready for this?

After weeks of questions and wonderings, we found out that Buster has 12.5% American Bulldog, 12.5% German Shepherd (I knew it!), and 12.5% Samoyed.

It then also tells you the remainder breed groups that came out as obviously he has a lot of history mixed into him! That came out as both herding and companion.

As you then scroll down the page, it gives you lots of information about the different breeds within your dog. It tells you about their personalities, their sizes, and their weights. And as you read, it starts to make perfect sense when you compare it against your dog! All three of these breeds are very energetic, a bit stubborn, and better with reward based training! Piecing it all together, Buster definitely has many traits of all the breeds.

The report then explains the different breeding groups that came out of the test, giving examples of dog types and a bit about what they are like.

And it then shows you the family tree which is really interesting. Buster’s parents are are likely to have been a German Shepherd crossed with American Bulldog and other breed groups, who was then mixed with a Samoyed and the other breed groups. It then goes right back to Grandparents and Great Grandparents and even states the ones that may be traced even further back in the ancestry.

At the end of that section, you then have a certificate that you can print off which shows the results that came out. And then it is on to the health information.

It tells you their ideal weight based on all of the breeds detected and information to go with to determine whether they are underweight, overweight, or perfectly proportioned, along with how they calculate it.

And that takes you to the end of the report. With a full run down of all the different traits of your dog and the happiness of finally knowing what is in them!

I am so glad that we now know a little of his history. We knew he was born in a disused garden and rescued as a tiny pup. But now we have an idea of what he came from and what he is going to be like!

Disclosure

I was gifted the canine DNA test kit for the purpose of this review. As always, all words and images are my own.