Breed Determination - Any Experience with DNA Testing?

[margoo]

Does anyone know how accurate the BITSA DNA test is? I assume that two dogs from the same litter should have the same make up. However, which traits are coming through is obviously very individual. So I understand the result doesn't tell you an awful lot about your dog.

Anyway, I have requested a test for our LabX and the result is ... surprising... to say the least. BITSA claims a 99something % accuracy in primary breeds (i.e. breeds that make up 50% of your dog) but it is silent on the accuracy of secondary and distant breeds. There is no primary breed in our dog so I'm wondering whether the result is any more accurate than a lottery?

Here is a pic of the dog in question... feel free to guess away!

[ChoppaChop]

ooohhhh DNA testing.....need more coffee for this one lol!

Suffice to say I dont hold much faith in it as yet.

Just on the matter of 2 litter mates having exact dna though , only if you are 100 percent certain the bitch was mated only by the one dog

[Crested_Love]

DNA works perfectly... for proving who the father of the dog is.

For determining breed? Save your money.

[Hyacinth]

I assume that two dogs from the same litter should have the same make up

Erm - wrong.

It is possible for a litter to have multiple fathers depending on how much opportunity the bitch gets to be a complete tart. Ie she's not secured properly away from access by entire males.

My brother's first dog came from a litter with multiple fathers. They had puppy all sorts.

[Beloz]

I was very tempted to get my dog dna tested because I am just so very curious. But I didn't mainly because there seemed to be some suggestion that it is indeed not very accurate when it comes to secondary breeds. (I also had a bit of a cashflow problem which prevented me from impulsively ordering one to satisfy my curiosity about what the test is like. If I were a cat, I would've been killed a long time ago. lol)

Your dog is a real cutie! I am not very good at guessing breeds (still no real idea what mine is). But out of curiosity (!), what did the test list as secondary breeds?

[margoo]

It is possible for a litter to have multiple fathers depending on how much opportunity the bitch gets to be a complete tart.

I am SO shocked!

[margoo]

We bought him from a BYB (yes I KNOW... well now I do anyway. Back then I had no clue. So no point in flaming me now)

When we bought him his mum was there. She appeared to be a pure bred Lab although I didn't ask if she is pure or not. She looked it anyway. Dad is supposed to be a Kelpie X Rottweiler. We were shown a pic of his dad, who really looked like neither of those breeds. If anything he looked like a smallish Heeler X (but then what do I know of dog breeds!)

The test result gives no primary breeds, i.e. his mum isn't a pure Lab. The secondary breeds are (in that order) Lab, Pomerian and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Erm. As I said I'm really not good at breeds but I kind of really don't see either of these two in him... At all.

[Hyacinth]

As far as I know - most of the dna for these tests to compare with comes from the USA, and we do know that the USA breeds look a bit different to the Oz ones. So their DNA profiles would be different too. Depending on how close the dog was to dog dna imported from the USA.

I expect the test would improve as more local breed specific dna becomes available to compare with.

As CL said, the DNA test is best for saying which known dog is the father and after that, it's still a bit of a guessing game - though good for getting a dog out of BSL jail.

[Crested_Love]

As far as I know - most of the dna for these tests to compare with comes from the USA, and we do know that the USA breeds look a bit different to the Oz ones. So their DNA profiles would be different too. Depending on how close the dog was to dog dna imported from the USA.

I expect the test would improve as more local breed specific dna becomes available to compare with.

As CL said, the DNA test is best for saying which known dog is the father and after that, it's still a bit of a guessing game - though good for getting a dog out of BSL jail.

There is a video on youtube of a lady doing a DNA test on her AmStaff... he came back as a Border Collie.

[Hyacinth]

This is a USA site with some stuff, was discussed in another thread on this forum...

National Canine Research Council

DNA testing on dogs that look like Labradors - answers down the bottom
http://nationalcanineresearchcouncil...D%20Poster.pdf