[kristen johnson 2]

Kathy I agree completely. I can assure you guys that the results are not questionable. My Luna has 13 breeds in her and it makes so much sense because no one could even guess what breeds she might have. There have been several guesses but they’re all across the board and no one has the same guess. No other panel would’ve given me that many breeds. My Dexter is half Jack Russell terrier and half Australian Cattle dog and we knew is was ACD and terrier. No doubt. The wait is worth it to help the science. It is a long wait but you do get a free DNA test for your dog. And you get to participate in some pretty cool science too. I’ve loved learning from this. Too bad people don’t rank dog studies higher and give them more grant money. I’m sure it’s frustrating for them as well to have science hindered by funding.

[kristen johnson 2]

I was able to use the test on both of my dogs and by myself. Honestly my dogs did better with this than when I brush their teeth.

[kristen johnson 2]

So fascinating! Thanks for that info Kathleen. This is why I love this project. It’s so interesting. Casey, I love that mix. And that name! My Dexter is half Australian Cattle Dog and have Jack Russell. He weighs about 25 lbs. He has such a weird body type and looks like he’s only a few pounds overweight. He’s constantly on a diet but never looks any different. Of course he’s also constantly being trained because as half herding dog (that came from dingos) and half terrier is is quite the handful! So even though I try to account for all the training treats I’m sure I don’t do a great job. I know that’s not at all similar to your situation though. I’ll be interested to see what that other breed Nigel has.

[kristen johnson 2]

I am so sorry for your loss! It truly is one of the hardest things to have to go through. My husband doesn’t understand why we would even have dogs when it hurts so bad to lose them. But I’m sure you agree, I couldn’t imagine life without them. My parents dog is waiting for a kit and he is getting older. Hopefully we still have a few years but you just never know. 19 years is an amazing life! I would likely purchase a kit for them if our time was getting short. I hope it would be a way to kind of keep him alive and as we learn about the different breeds we can remember him and his unique personality. I find it really fascinating to learn about the different breeds and where they came from. My dog is half Australian Cattle dog and I learned about that breed and how they were actually the result of dogs being bred in ugh dingos! He was listed as three different terriers but they ended up becoming Jack Russell and he is half and half. It so fits his personality too. As new breeds get added it will be a chance to learn more about him. Even if it is so compare and see all the ways she wasn’t like those breeds I hope you are able to do the same. Because even if they have the exact characteristics of their breed they are still so very unique. I’m so fascinated with how the different breeds have such different traits though. Especially in my other dog who is mega mutt with 13 breeds in her. Did she have any chihuahua traits? Or is that similar to the Coton de Tyler’s breed? My Luna had beagle listed as her 2nd most prominent breed. I couldn’t see it at all by looking at her. And then I realized that’s where she got her bayish howl and her nose that won’t stop! It’s been fun for me to learn about all 13 of her breeds.

[kristen johnson 2]

Oh wow. That’s fun. My Luna (the white dog with the spot on her eye) has 13 different breeds in her, as well as 26.5% unknown. She really doesn’t look like any of them. That’s also why I love her. I love a mutt! They’re so unique. I notice personality traits of her breeds more than the appearance. Her second largest percentage is beagle…….she looks nothing like a beagle, but man does she have a beagle nose and when she gets really worked up she has a beagle like bay.

[kristen johnson 2]

I love it!! As a mutt owner I never get to buy the stuff with specific dog breeds. That would be so fun.

[kristen johnson 2]

Katherine, I feel your pain!! I was so excited to participate in this study and was also thinking my dogs would be very useful because of their reactivity and/or fearfulness. I’ve put a lot of time and energy into my Dexter, who is extremely reactive, and it makes me sad to think that many people wouldn’t have been able to and he would’ve ended up homeless. He is also has ACD in him. We don’t have the problem of people approaching us though…..he makes it quite clear very early that they do not want to do that. He lunges and growls and snaps. We’ve been working on it and it’s better. He also has required Prozac and we see a behavioral veterinarian for behavior modification. We can walk a distance away from people without him freaking out now but it’s work. They can’t be moving too much and have to be far enough away. He’s making baby steps but I think he’ll always just be a work in progress.

Jennifer your description of the ACD and BC was interesting! The ACD is totally my Dex (half ACD and half Jack Russell)……minus the not dramatic part. Lol. He is very dramatic…….Maybe that’s the JRT in him. Anything that moves is going to be killed or herded. He’s also very protective of me and hates strangers. It’s very difficult to introduce him to new people and dogs but once he warms up and their in then he’s good. I read about ACDs when his breed results came back and saw they came about when herding dogs got bred with Dingoes. So no wonder he’s so difficult. Lol. We always used to joke that he looked like a Jackal or a Hyena……so now we call him a Dingo.

My other dog Luna has some ACD in her as well as Border Collie, but she has 13 different breeds so she has a lot in her. Lol. I always thought she’d have BC in her because of her fearfulness. She’s 15.1% Australian Shepherd, 10.9% Beagle, 9.4% JRT, 6.5% ACD, 5.9% BC. She is fearful of anything new and different, very fearful of sounds. She’s cautious with strangers but mostly indifferent unless they approach her too fast then she will back up and howl. If they have treats she’s their best friend. However, she is extremely reactive around other dogs.

It’s all so fascinating. I knew what Dexter was mostly because of his behavior. Luna I couldn’t quite get but now I know why…….13 breeds!

[kristen johnson 2]

Casey, I have never heard of a Lancashire Heeler either. I had to google it and oh my gosh so cute!!! I had very similar questions with my dogs update. If you go to the forum thread I started called Change in Results you can read the response Kathleen gave me regarding my dog Dexter’s DNA being misidentified as other terriers and how they’ve been able to identify them as Jack Russell Terrier. I don’t know if that’s the case here but seems like it could be. I’m also fascinated with the appearances of the mixed breed dogs. My Dexter looks exactly like the Australian Cattle Dog and Jack Russell Terrier mix that he is. My Luna however…….I have no idea where she gets her appearance! She’s the white dog in my picture. She’s Australian Shepherd, Beagle, Jack Russell, Australian Cattle Dog, Border Collie, American Pitbull, Collie, Boxer, Pug, English Shepherd, Shetland Sheepdog, Brittany, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier. She has the softest rabbit like short hair and her ears are not floppy but not straight up……one is semi-floppy to the side. I guess when you mix up that many breeds you get something that’s not really any of them.

[kristen johnson 2]

Wow. That is an improbable combination! Interesting. My Dexter is a first generation cross between Australian Cattle Dog and Jack Russell Terrier. Not quite that improbable I guess……sure does make for a cute dog! I bet yours is as well!

[kristen johnson 2]

Thank you Kathleen! I appreciate you taking the time to explain. I really am just super curious about the whole thing. I’m not disagreeing or questioning……just intrigued. I think that makes sense with the other terriers being misidentified. But can I ask about my Luna’s changes. Maybe the English Shepherd was misrepresented as German Shepherd? She did have 2.5% Chow Chow but that’s gone……I don’t see any breeds that are similar there. I know the American Pitbull Terrier is a new breed that was added, was the Brittany as well? Also her percentages of most things increased, like she was 10.5% Australian Shepherd and now she’s 15.1%. What causes that to happen? Thank you again for taking the time to explain, I just love learning all I can about this study.

[kristen johnson 2]

Kate, Your dog is beautiful! How mixed is Chandler? I feel like my Luna will always have some unknown cause she has like 13 different breeds. I imagine she has some of the non-breeds or village dogs in her. My Dexter is apparently a first generation mix and his unknown is only 10%. It is super fascinating and exciting to follow. I love that they get on here and engage with us and fill us in!

[kristen johnson 2]

Rebecca you will…..it takes time. Luckily for the study they have lots of participation…….but that means they can’t process all our samples quickly. But it will be good in the long run. I think we’ll learn a lot about not only our own pets but dogs in general. And they’ll have to process that DNA in order to be able to use your information so you know it’ll get done. Lol.

[kristen johnson 2]

Thanks for clarifying. I believe I answered no because I figured it was better to take it literal. I have yet to fill out the survey for my other dog because I wanted to check her tongue first. I’m glad to see clarification on the freckled one……because I would’ve totally thought this was like my dog who has a white coat (with a grey spot on her back and eye) but her skin is so spotted! When she was a puppy she only had a few spots on her skin but every time I bathe her and see her skin underneath she has more spots. She’s covered now. I always call them her freckles. Lol.

[kristen johnson 2]

I just realized there was another survey! I definitely appreciated the pictures because I don’t know a lot of the terms for coat patterns and such. I also liked that I could pick several options. My little guy has the little spots that are from his Australian Cattle Dog but then he has a big black spot on his butt and the black mask on his face. I wondered about the blue on the tongue though because i know mine have blue on the roof of their mouth and gums…..but I don’t think they have any on the tongue. I’ll have to double check though. I wasn’t sure if I should take it literal and say no cause it’s not on the tongue or if in the mouth is all they wanted to know.

[kristen johnson 2]

I agree Jennifer. I really do like the idea of contributing. I feel like my Dexter has all the “negative” behaviors……so I thought he’d be a goldmine of information. Then I had to get my parents involved because their dog is about as well behaved as they come. He’s really eager to train and learns so fast but is so calm and chill. I think it could be very helpful for breeders as well. I think about the fact that if Dexter had gone anywhere else he would be homeless because no one else would have put up with him and it makes me sad. My dogs are mixed so breeders didn’t play a part here but I still think it would be useful for those who do get dogs from breeders.

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