Laika’s DNA Test Results Are In
So a few weeks ago I finally decided to get a Wisdom Panel test done on Laika. They were having a $10 off sale at Wisdom Panel so I finally decided to give in to my curiosity. The DNA Test Results are in, and I must say it’s not exactly what I was expecting.
Our Guesses We’re at Least Half Right
I’ve said all along that she was a German Shepherd/Lab mix. The German Shepherd is obvious from looking at her. And she has the same exact build and fur as a Lab so I figured that was pretty likely given how popular they are.
She has a few characteristics I wasn’t sure about such as the wrinkles on her forehead and “freckles” on her chest that are common in Boxers, but then again I’ve read that physical traits aren’t necessarily always an accurate way to guess a dogs breed.
In 2008 a study by the National Canine Research Council found Wisdom Panel to be 84% accurate when there are two F1 parents. I don’t know exactly how much that accuracy goes down when more mixes get involved. Wisdom Panel has since increased the markers they test for – currently these DNA kits are checked for 312 genetic markers.
I suppose I’ll never know 100% but it sounded like fun, and perhaps might give us some extra clues into her ancestry. Since I knew they were coming soon I asked a few people what they thought:
My father: German Shepherd mixed with something hyper
My boyfriend: German Shepherd/Rottweiler
My friend Michelle: German Shepherd/Greyhound
And I’ve always said German Shepherd/Lab.
Everyone said German Shepherd and the other guesses ranged from Dingo to Jack Russell Terrier. I’m pretty sure they were making guesses based on her activity level, which is quite high, or as I sometimes say – insane. Though in the past year she’s mellowed out quite a bit I’m happy to say. She will in fact snuggle up for some late night cuddles rather than having to get in extra zoomies each night (after many hours of daily exercise – both mental & physical).
Laika’s Wisdom Panel Results
Laika’s Wisdom Panel results
The one big surprise is Bernese Mountain Dog. She’s only 70 lbs. so I’m surprised to see any giant breed in her ancestry. Everything else is a definite possibility – I’m really shocked that there’s no sign of Lab though.
We’ll never know what her actual ancestry or history is. We adopted her from a local animal control center after she was found wandering on a dirt road at about 5 months old. I’ve never owned a Berner, Staffie, or Rottweiler – I don’t really know if Laika exhibits behaviors like any of those breeds or not, but it’s pretty fun trying to analyze it all.
I told everyone that as long as she came back with mostly German Shepherd I might think there’s some validity to the test.
What do you think? Does she look like a German Shepherd/Bernese/Pitbull/Rottweiler mix to you?
The Extended Results Wisdom Panel Results
Laika’s extended possibilities
I don’t see any of these. I haven’t even heard of the first one. Thinking of Laika as possibly having Pomeranian just makes me laugh. Who knows. I know these are just the extra breeds they tried to detect in her mixed heritage but they’re still quite funny as I’m looking at my 70 lb dog resting on my lap.
I’ve found quite a few funny mixes on the Wisdom Panel community page – breeds I would have never guessed myself.
What Do You Think of Dog DNA Tests?
Do you hold any stock in their accuracy? Have you had one done on your dog? Did you agree with the results?
I did it for fun, and it didn’t disappoint. I’m just going to call Laika my little German Mountain Rottbull from now on. Or maybe my Bernese Pittweiler Shepherd. Or the dog that’s likely to hike up your insurance rates. Whatever she is I do know this – she’s the most lovely mutt in the world in my eyes.
This post is part of the Thursday Barks and Bytes Blog Hop hosted by 2 Brown Dogs and Heart Like A Dog. The Barks and Bytes Blog Hop is for anything and all bloggers are welcome – you don’t have to be a dog blog to join.
What a great mix! I love these DNA tests – I ran it on our dog Tino years ago and they weren’t as sophisticated as they are now. I don’t think it’s to be taken too seriously – I think it’s just fun.
Yeah the results are pretty fun – as with most of us who own mixed breeds I spend a lot of time considering all the possibilities.
I can see everything but the Bernese, too. Laika is so pretty!
I think these are fun. I want to do Boca but since she is SO mixed (very few purebreds on the islands) I bet it would come back really strange.
I also wonder if they have Swiss Mtn. Dog in their database…they are smaller and short-coated, and if they aren’t in the database the Bernese might be the closest.
That’s definitely a possibility. I just realized now I know why her play bites hurt so much when we got her.. 3 of those breeds have pretty strong jaws.
How interesting! I decided to guess before I read the results, and I was thinking SharPei, German Shepherd, and Foxhoud. 75 lbs seems pretty big to me but the Mountain dog is a little hard to see.
I still wonder about the wrinkles, I’ve often wondered about Shar Pei as well. Maybe since she’s smaller than some of her ancestors she just has a bunch of extra loose skin. I do love the faces she makes with those wrinkles though – such a concerned look.
Lol about the bernese!! I could see the other ones though! I still kind of want to test the girls but the cost is still holding me back. 😀
It was hard enough for me to decide to buy one because of the cost; I don’t think I’d want to double it 🙂
The Bernese one is a little off I agree. But the rest is definitely a possibly I think.
I have always been interested in getting one of these.
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Very interesting. I think dog genetics is fascinating. I have been trying to learn about it.
I think probably with the exception of Shepard, the other genes are pretty diluted and you may not see much of those breed characteristics in Laika. For example in pure bred dogs, they say past 5 generations the dna of those ancestors is extremely diluted. So say having a Field Champion 5 generations back it is unlikely the pup will get much of that dna (sadly). Now imagine when you are mixing breed dna…it would be further diluted. GSD is there a few times so I would thing more of those genes expressed, although by the time you get ti her, it is pretty diluted.
Breed size won’t normally express if you mix (I won’t go into why…its complicated). I think the Extended Results probably just hit one marker similar to those breeds (out of the whole DNA). I am guessing the reason that they guess parents vs. grandparents is due to the repetition of the markers?
Let’s hope there is little Bernese Mountain dog dna because that breed has so many health issues and is not known to live long lives. (I once wanted one, but the health issues made me decide no.)
Thanks so much for sharing your results on the hop. You are right it was fun to see them. 🙂
Thanks for the detailed explanation; I knew you’d have great input 🙂 It is odd that things such as size aren’t good markers for breeds because it’s generally one of the first things we think of. I tell Laika all the time she looks like a giant Chihuahua. It is pretty sad knowing about all the health issue Bernese Mountain Dogs have – the ones I’ve known have such great personalities. Thanks for having me in the hop, it’s always a fun one because you never know what you’re going to find 🙂
I had to chuckle, because our Lab mix Luke’s results also showed him having Pomeranian in him (as one of his top 3, along with miniature dachshund!), and he now weighs over 60 lbs! Other than the Lab we knew for sure that was confirmed, we were pretty skeptical of his results as it sounds like you are a bit with Laika’s. But we really just did it for fun too. Of course, they are our babies no matter what is in their DNA, and Laika is adorable. Those ears! Do those even seem large for a GSD, or is it just me? They’re so cute! 🙂
Pomeranian for Luke as well? It was fun, and I’m glad I did it. And yes Laika’s ears are pretty large – maybe ear size is where the Bernese Mountain Dog comes in – they’re the GSD shape in giant size 🙂
How interesting! Berners are one of the “smaller” giant breeds so I could see that being a possibility. Our fist dog was a shelter boy and I kept debating about trying a DNA test. I so wish I had!
Hmmm… I don’t see the Berner, but like Linda says, that’s probably a good thing. Fascinating! In spite of my Rosie’s strange body built, I never dreamed her results would show she’s such a true mutt. Laika has a lot of GSD which I would expect. Good thing we did this for fun, right? 🙂
I never would have guessed Bernese Mountain Dog either. I loved your dad’s guess of German Shepherd mixed with something hyper, lol! I bet it was fun getting the results back 🙂
Interesting. I heard a bit on the radio about dog genetic testing. Not sure how important it is, but it’s intriguing.
I always think these tests are so interesting. The results they gave seem believable to me, although she is not as big as a lot of those breeds. I was disappointed when I did the Wisdom Panel test with Ace because it said he is half Lab and half mixed breed … well I coulda told you he is a Lab mix! At least it did have Lab in there I guess!
My guess was Shepherd and Foxhound. The DNA test sounds more like fun than anything truly accurate. Who knows? Who cares? We love the rescued ones, whatever they may be.
Honestly I don’t see any lab in her at all. Besides the hair length.
Thank you for sharing the results! I can definitely see the GSD in her! 🙂 I had to laugh out loud at your comment about Bernese being a giant breed. I have owned the breed for 15 years and most of by Berners weigh 70 to 80 lbs. In fact my girl is only 64 lbs 🙂 I do also have a boy that is 100 lbs but I thought I would fill you in on the HUGE size range in this breed! It is hard to see the Berner in Laika since the markings are what most people notice about the breed but who knows, maybe she gets her pretty eyes from her Berner great-grand parent 🙂
Wow I was under the impression that they were a lot bigger, but yeah looking at those weight ranges they’re really not that much bigger than Laika.
From looking at the pics you posted at the top I guessed German Shepherd, Pit bull, and a little bit of Rottweiler. Three out of four right, woohoo! I wonder if I can find something like this for my cats?
Great guesses, and that would be really cool if you could get that done for your cats. I found a couple of places that will do genetic marker tests and a DNA marker one, but I’m not sure that’s exactly what you’re looking for. ( https://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/services/cat/, http://www.animalsdna.com/www.animalsdna.com/web/page/feline.html)