There are many reasons you need to know the breed of dog you have, ranging from curiosity to preventing future health problems for the animal due to the breed's tendencies. Your rescue dog may be purebred, or it may be a mix of many different breeds. It doesn't matter whether you use science or guesswork with good reason, you can always answer a common question from people: “Oh! What kind of dog is that?”
Step
Method 1 of 2: Relying on Experience and Knowledge
Step 1. Determine how curious you are
If you're just curious about the breed, you can guess the breed of a dog by its appearance. If you want to know if your dog is at risk for certain diseases because of the influence of his breed, you need to consult with experts. If you do this, seek written evidence, expert help, or scientific analysis as supporting tools.
For example, if it turns out that your dog is a Doberman Pinscher, you can know that this breed is prone to heart disease, as well as several health problems in the neck and spine. You can inform your veterinarian about this so they can monitor the onset of symptoms. In addition, you can also educate yourself regarding these health problems
Step 2. Check your dog's pedigree
Most purebred dog owners know the pedigree of their beloved dog, but sometimes the records are lost or forgotten. If you simply know that your dog is pureblood, there are ways to dig up further information.
- If you believe the dog is of mixed blood, skip this step.
- If you legally purchased a purebred dog, you should be able to request back information about the dog's pedigree either online or in person by contacting the seller and providing the dog's registration number.
- If you don't have this information, you may be able to guess which dog seller has the relevant records and get information about the dog's pedigree online.
Step 3. Ask your veterinarian what breed your dog is
Veterinarians see many dogs every day, treat a variety of different dog breeds, and can provide useful information to determine your dog's ancestry background.
- Ask the doctor's opinion about the breed of dog you have. They can immediately answer it or provide useful suggestions for further investigation.
- You can also ask the dog handler or seller to find out what breed your dog is, as they deal with them every day.
Step 4. Consider DNA testing options
There are many companies on the internet that offer dog-specific DNA testing. This can determine the breed of your dog accurately. But remember, not all home DNA tests have the same level of accuracy - the accuracy of the test is greatly influenced by the database owned by the company concerned. Lower-priced tests will help you save money, but they are usually conducted on a smaller database, so the information you get is not very accurate.
For example, a test may reveal that your dog has 60% of the labrador genes, 30% of the dachshund genes, and 10% of the other genes
Step 5. Do a DNA test
If you decide to do this test, there are several options with different levels of accuracy, complexity, and price (the three tend to be closely related to each other).
- Test fees are usually priced from IDR 600,000 and above. You can buy DNA test kits online or at a pet store. Some expensive test kits require a blood sample from a veterinarian.
- Before taking your dog's saliva from his cheek, you should make sure that there are no food debris or other objects stuck between his cheek and gums. Open the swabs that came in the sales kit (don't touch the cotton swab), then open your dog's mouth. Place the swab on the inside of the dog's lips, then lower the dog's lips. Rotate the swab and slowly move the object back and forth while keeping the dog's mouth closed. Allow the swabs to dry for about 5 minutes, then place them in the container provided.
- Test results will come within two to four weeks, either by mail or email.
- For a list of reputable laboratories, visit the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals website (https://www.offa.org/dna_labs.html).
- Despite the limitations and costs associated with DNA testing, it is the most scientific and accurate way to profile your dog's breed.
Method 2 of 2: Guessing Based on Physical Characteristics
Step 1. Realize that visually recognizing dog breeds has its limitations
While you can be sure that an expert can determine the breed of a dog just by looking at it, this method is not really the most accurate.
- A study of visual dog identification showed that people claiming to be “dog experts” could only accurately identify the dominant gene of a mixed breed dog by 27%.
- Regardless of its accuracy, identifying the type of dog from the animal's appearance is indeed the most common method used by owners, and a source of answers to their curiosity. After all, this method is free.
Step 2. Write down the salient physical characteristics of the dog when you identify it
Make a list of body parts that look different from other dogs (for example, dogs have big pointy ears but not very big bodies). This will help narrow the “search area” for your dog breed.
Step 3. Measure the dog's weight and height
If you don't have an animal scale, weigh yourself first, then weigh yourself again while holding the dog. The weight difference that appears indicates the dog's weight. Of course, you can also weigh it at the vet's clinic.
- Take a tape measure and measure your dog from front to back, top to bottom and left to right.
- The results of this measurement will help you cross out the list of dog breeds that are significantly different in size from your dog. For example, if your dog weighs 22 kg, you will know that he does not have the genes of the small breed.
- Small dogs (2 – 4.5 kg) usually have the Chihuahua and Shi Tzu genes, medium sized dogs (4.5 – 22 kg) usually have the setter or retriever gene, while large dogs weighing over 45 kg usually have the Saint Bernard gene., Mastiff, or other giant dog genes.
- If your dog is young, look for online calculators that can estimate a dog's weight as an adult simply by entering the puppy's age and weight.
Step 4. Check the dog's body shape
Take note of the characteristics that stand out. Is the dog's body medium or small? Does his chest seem high? Does he have a muscular or lean body?
- For puppies that are still puppies, you may need to wait until they are adults so that their characteristics become apparent.
- Think about the relationship between a dog's body shape and his abilities. This may help you to narrow down your search for the breed. For example, if a dog has long legs and a slender build, it may be a herding dog breed.
Step 5. Pay attention to other physical characteristics
Pay attention to the snout, skull, back, legs, and tail and note the parts of the body that look different.
- Dogs such as the pug and bulldog have a round skull and short muzzle (brachycephalic), while the Collie and Greyhound have a long muzzle and flat skull (dolichocephalic). Mesocephalic dogs have skulls that look balanced (not too much), like the Labrador or the Australian Shepherd.
- Seek information on how to identify adopted dogs for some examples of physical characteristics associated with a particular breed or breeding group.
Step 6. Check the fur
Is the dog's coat long, short, or thick? Is the texture rough or soft? Some dog breeds, such as Dachshunds, have long backs and short legs, and three different coat types: long, short, and coarse. Other dog breeds have only one coat type, such as the fine, tapered coat of the Chinesee Shar-Pei, or the dense white coat of the American Eskimo.
There are various types of dog hair. Rottweilers usually only have short black fur and brown fur that looks distinctive on the head and chest. Most (not all) terrier breeds have a short, coarse coat with a small, compact build like the Cairn Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer and Jack Russell (aka Parsons) terrier. Poodles have a characteristic curly coat, as well as a variety of sizes and colors
Step 7. Check the color of the dog
What color is his fur? Is there a unique pattern in the fur lining? Some breeds of dogs usually only have one or two color patterns. This can help you narrow the search area.
For example, the German Shorthair Pointer is usually red and white, while the Vizslas is a solid copper color. There are also types of dogs that have a merle pattern where black or red blends with white, for example, like the coat of the Australian Shepherd or the Shetland Sheepdog
Step 8. Use the available visual clues to “guess” your dog's breed
No matter how detailed you describe it, you can never make a completely accurate guess about its race. However, with the help of the collected clues, you can eliminate many possibilities.
- There are many online search options for finding dog breeds. This search requires a photo and a short description to help find the breed of dog you own. Some search engines also rank searches by dog size, from “small” to “very large”.
- The American Kennel Club (AKC) website, for example, provides pictures and descriptions of characteristics common to each dog breed.
- Eliminate breed groups that do not match your dog's characteristics. After that, look for photos and descriptions of racial groups that are similar to him.
- Keep in mind that your dog may be of several different breeds. If your dog has a number of prominent characteristics that are similar to a particular breed of dog, but not exactly the same, he or she may only have some of the breed's genes.
Tips
- In some cases, knowing the breed of your dog can help you maintain good health. Although some breeds of dogs have a predisposition to certain diseases, this does not mean that they can not get other diseases, whether due to genetic factors or not.
- In theory, a “hybrid” dog that comes from two purebred breeds should have “hybrid resistance”. This means that they tend to be healthier than their parents. However, in reality, this is not always true.
- Most dog owners have mixed breed dogs and this uniqueness makes the process of keeping them even more interesting. Finding out the secrets of keeping mixed breed dogs is a fun process, but not knowing where your pet comes from will not detract from the value of the human-animal relationship.
- Fun fact: The AKC (American Kennel) has officially registered mixed breed dogs so they can compete in AKC talent shows featuring agility, obedience, tracking skills, and rally classes.
