True Colors Shining Through: DNA Testing Mix Breed Dogs
What would happen if you had your dog's DNA tested and discovered that your Siberian husky mix was really a golden retriever mixed with poodle and Dalmatian? Would you believe it? Would the new information change anything about the way you train, exercise and relate to your dog?
Many people are choosing to test the DNA of their mixed breed dogs to discover their animal's true heritage. Many of those people are finding the results surprising.
Although the breed specific books often make generalizations like, “Dobermans are one man/woman dogs.†Or, “Pugs are stubborn and very hard to train.†Statements like this are not universal. There are characteristics that are prevalent in specific breeds. For example, most border collies are obsessed with balls and/or Frisbees and will herd all of the dogs at the dog park. But this is not the case for all border collies. In fact, if we collect data on 1,000 border collies, we’d see a ton of behavioral variability within the breed. Some are couch potatoes, some have no interest in fetching and some can’t be bothered to herd anything.
From a trainers perspective the heritage of a dog doesn’t change how I train. Every dog is an individual. Some are motivated by food, others go crazy over balls and some would rather play “tug†than do anything else. I use what works best to motivate the dog and try to teach the human good training skills.
There seems to be two consumer mindsets about DNA testing. One group of people just wants to appease their curiosity. Finding out the truth is exciting but in no way changes how they feel about their dogs. In fact, these people can often be found running around the dog park challenging other dog owners to guess the breed makeup of their dogs so that they can astound everyone with the true results.
The other camp seems to take a much more serious approach to the test results. Finding out that their dog is something other than what it was believed to be generates a slew of negative responses.
This group of people seems to have an emotional investment in what they believe to be true and learning otherwise is unacceptable. Oftentimes the results are so unbelievable that they think the information must be wrong and they have somehow been ripped off. To get a bird’s eye view of some of these responses go to Pissed Consumer You will be able to read consumer complaints sent to Wisdom Panel and the comopany's responses.
For me, the results would quell my curiosity but otherwise wouldn’t change how I feel about my dogs or what we do together. I know what makes them happy, regardless of their true heritage.
So what do you think? Which camp would you be in? If you have a background in genetics, please chime in. Is it true that “DNA never lies?â€Â
http://petcentral.startribune.com/blog/true-colors-shining-through%3A-dna-testing-mix-breed-dogs
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