When my husband and I were first married, we thought about getting a dog. I did a lot of research about what dog breed might fit our lifestyle. In the end, we felt that we were away from home too often so we decided against it. Fast forward 8 years, and two kids later, we thought it was the perfect time to add a new member to our family. With two dog shelters in our town, we felt strongly that a rescue dog would be the “best dog breed” for us.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Mars Veterinary. All opinions are 100% my own.
We applied to be an adoption family and I kept an eye on their website for available dogs. On a crisp fall day 3 years ago, we learned that a new litter of puppies had been born at the shelter. Their names all started with P. We went to the shelter and played with 8 puppies with names like Petey, Pandora, Piper, Pepper and Panda. In the end, we fell in love with Panda.
What’s interesting about having a dog, especially a rescue is not knowing much about their family history. The dog shelter took a guess at her breed mix, but we always wondered.
Our kids often asked questions like:
- Why is Panda so fluffy?
- Why does Panda like to chase us and bump us with her nose?
- Why does Panda like to tug, but not fetch?
- Why is Panda afraid of strangers?
The DNA Behind the Best Dog Breed for US!
When I was approached by Wisdom Panel® Canine DNA Test to get Panda’s DNA analyzed, I jumped at the opportunity! The kids were so excited to find out the results. We learned that knowing more about Panda’s breeds could help us plan for her health, nutrition, and training needs.
Getting the DNA sample is painless. The test packet comes with two swabs to gently roll along their gums and cheek. You just need to make sure your pup has not eaten within two hours of the test. You don’t want to contaminate the DNA with food or treats or heck, your dog breed may come back as part fish or cow. LOL! Once the swabs are dry, you place them back in the package and mail them to the high tech folks at Wisdom Panel. A few weeks later, the results are sent via email. We were fascinated to learn all about Panda.
I was impressed to learn that Wisdom Panel has the largest breed database on the market covering 250 breeds, types and varieties. The test uses 1,800 markers for breed and disease detection and a proprietary algorithm that makes more than 18,000,000 calculations before assigning a final family tree. Super impressive, right?
So, how does this report help us know more about Panda? Well, take a look:
Panda’s Health
We learned important information about Panda’s health and weight. She’s doing just fine at 30 pounds.
Panda’s Behavior
We were pretty sure that Panda had a herding dog in her DNA. She especially exhibits the following behaviors:
We learned that both of her other dominant breeds have issues with fear of strangers. This has been an issue we’ve been working on in her training. It was fascinating to learn that this issue is actually in her DNA. My daughter said, “Being shy must be in my DNA too.” It was pretty cool for the kids to make connections about how this “DNA stuff” relates to them.
Panda’s Traits
We found out more about trait markers that may help explain Panda’s coloring and appearance. There’s even more than what’s listed below too.
If you’ve ever considered having your dog’s DNA tested, I highly recommend the Wisdom Panel® Canine DNA Test. It was super easy and we learned so much about the “Best Dog Breed” for our family! We love her so much!
Panda looks adorable! I didn’t know you can get your dog DNA tested and know more about them.
I’ve love to know the DNA results of my pets. I’ll have to check out Wisdom Panel® Canine DNA Test.
panda is certainly a cutie and thank you for adopting before shopping! i have always wanted to do this for my own dog who was also adopted, and didn’t know they supplied this much detail in the test, how cool!
We have a purebred Golden Retriever that we got from a breeder. She is such a sweetie. She is almost 14, and is slowing down a lot. I know if we ever get another dog, I would definitely rescue. Your pup is such a cutie!
I didn’t even realize they had testing like this. How neat! Thanks for sharing.
Your dog is certainly a photogenic furbaby, mine hardly ever cooperates. And I had absolutely no idea you could find out all of this info regarding your dog.
I honestly had never heard of DNA for dog breeds, this is such a super cute idea. I will have to check it out for sure. Sounds like they have some great ways to help you!
Wisdom Panel Canine DNA Panel can be very helpful for any family with their dog. It would really help with the training and you would know why the dog does what the dog does. I would love to do this for my dog. Thanks for sharing your gorgeous family pet and the awesome results.
What a cool service. I had no idea that you could find out this information. My dog is a purebred but still, this is great to know.
Great info for dog owners…. Panda is so beautiful! The DNA test sounds pretty fun and useful.
What a cool post. It can be hard to find the right breed of your dog for yourself and your family!
She is so beautiful! I think it is really cool that you can find out so much about your dog through their DNA. Thanks for rescuing her!
Such a sweet baby! I’m so glad you considered a rescue pup 🙂 Choosing a dog is a huge decision, I wish other people would take it as seriously as you have!
I think it would be so cool to figure out exactly what breeds our rescue dogs are a mix of. They’re pretty unique looking so we haven’t figured it out.
Oh wow, it’s really cool that pet owners can finally get their questions answered. I’m glad these DNA tests are available!
Panda is beautiful with her special colors in her coat. I had no idea we had DNA testing for dogs so I’m happy to learn this. We have two mixed breed dogs which are the very best companions ever. I can’t imagine a life with our furry friends.
This is such a great idea. Who knew you could analyze a dog’s DNA to learn so much about their health, temperament, etc. I will share this post with a friend who has two dogs!
We just adopted a lab puppy back in March. He is definitely mixed with something – they say border collie but I have doubts. I’d love to do this to know for sure!
It’s a great service. I say check it out!
What a cutie she is!