How to Find Out the Breed of Your Dog
For many people who adopt a shelter or rescue dog, knowing the breed of the dog just isn’t important.
We love our dogs regardless of what breed they are.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t wonder, spending hours looking at pictures of dogs online trying to figure it out.
From the day I brought home Milo, everyone had an opinion. The rescue group said he was a Shih Tzu mix. The owner of Wolfgang’s thought he might be an Affenpinscher or a Brussels Griffon. My vet thought he looked like a Lhasa Apso.
On Milo’s 3 daily walks, I almost always get asked at least once what type of breed he is.
So I decided to find out.
I ordered the Wisdom Panel Dog DNA Test
Milo is a Broodle Griffon…a cross between a Brussels Griffon and a Miniature Poodle.
While there is no guarantee that the test is accurate, I’m inclined to think they got it right.
I found this picture of a Broodle Griffon puppy at Dog Breed Info Center and it sure looks like it could have been Milo as a baby if he was brown.
The more I studied the pictures of Brussels Griffons and Poodles, the more I see their characteristics in him. If you combine the hairy ears of a poodle with the bent over ears of a Brussel Griffon, you’ve got Milo’s ears.
He’s got the thin hairlike non-shedding coat, front legs and stance of a Brussels Griffon, and the curled tail and size of a larger Miniature Poodle (Milo weighs 21 lbs).
So while there is no guarantee that the DNA test results are correct, I’m going to assume they are. They didn’t have a picture of Milo before they sent me his results. All I had given them was his name, sex and weight. I uploaded the picture for his report after the results were sent to me. So while there might be a little Llasa Apso or even German Shepard mixed into Milo’s heritage, I will now have an answer for all of the friendly people we meet on our walks when they ask “What breed is your dog?”.
Should you get your dog’s DNA tested?
That’s up to you. Your vet might find the information helpful as your dog gets older since some breeds are prone to certain problems. But, the truth is…if your curiosity over your dog’s breed makes the $60 you’ll spend on the test seem trivial…then go for it.
