The History of Dogs Knowing Their Relatives
Dogs are social creatures. In the wild, they live in packs, developing and maintaining a social order from puppy-hood through adulthood. They are born with others in a litter and have their earliest socialization experiences with their closest relations.
When it comes to their ability to tell if another dog is related to them, that will most likely be dependent on how long the dogs live together. Even then, the recognition may be more a function of familiarity than the ability to know a relative by appearance, scent or other cues.
In other words, when a dog is recognizing, it could be just that – familiarity. It does not mean the dog has a comprehension that the other dog was a littermate or parent. Remember, too, that dogs do not have morality like humans. They will mate with family members without awareness of relation.
Once the dog becomes a member of your human family and a member of your pack, you may find that your dog has some amazing abilities to remember and recognize you. Dogs will respond emotionally to reunions with owners. It is likely that the recognition of owners is attributable to the constant positive interactions.
Why is it important to find my dog’s relatives?
Connecting with your dog’s relatives can be helpful for your dog’s health the same way a family history helps humans manage our health. When owners with related dogs share information about conditions they’ve observed in their dogs, it can help both of them be better informed and proactive about their dogs’ health.
There’s a lot we still don’t know about the genetic roots for some diseases. The more genetic information we can collect about the genes that dogs share, the more health discoveries we can make.
How does Embark find my dog’s relatives?
Embark tests for 230,000 genetic markers—more than twice as much as other dog DNA tests. We analyze all this genetic information and find sections of DNA that are shared between your dog and other dogs. Generally, the more DNA they share, the more closely related they are.
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As more people seek to find out more about their ancestry, genetic test sales have become a growing businesses for companies like Amazon.
But its not just humans who can search for the code to their past. Dog DNA tests have emerged on the market as a way to find out about more about your furry companion and where they came from.
It might seem silly to run a genetic test on your pets – after all, theyre not going to care about the results – but when you adopt a dog, youre often left wondering about the life they led before they became a permanent member of your family. Ancestry tests can also help you anticipate health concerns typical of certain dog breeds.
My husband and I have a 9-year-old dog named Roscoe Jenkins and a (probably) 1-year-old dog named Amy Ruth.
In 2010, I moved into my first solo apartment, and to keep up with the adulting process I wanted to get a dog. After looking on rescue sites and shelters, I stumbled across a Craigslist post from an owner in the Bronx who was looking to get rid of her 2-year-old dog. Not only did he look like he fit the bill, his name was Roscoe. Roscoes House of Chicken and Waffles was my favorite restaurant when I went to college in Los Angeles, so I took it as a sign.
Despite his quirks and medical maladies – he cant eat grains, beef or chicken without scratching off his fur, he went blind because of a genetic disease about a year after I got him, and hes had to get many of his teeth removed – I quickly fell in love. More than seven years later, hes still by our side.
I tracked down the original owner who told me hes a Yorkipoo. But no one else believed it — the average Yorkipoo ranges from 3 to 14 pounds, much lighter than Roscoes 18 pounds. Roscoe doesnt shed so we always thought he was some kind of poodle mix. He loves to take toys and shake them to death, which we were told was terrier behavior. People on the street most often think hes a West Highland Terrier-poodle mixt.
We wanted to add another dog, so in October 2017, we started fostering a skinny 12-pound rescue dog with the original name of Lil Booger. She was between 1 and 2 and had just given birth to a litter of puppies. She also came with the note “REALLY shy but adorable. Needs help with confidence.” She had never walked on a leash, and didnt know how to play with toys. After fostering her for a few weeks, we decided to keep her and rename her Amy Ruth after my favorite fried chicken and waffles place in Harlem.
We thought she looked like a Chihuahua, but shes definitely much larger than the average 3 to 7 pounds. She also has ridiculously long legs for her size and is an incredible jumper, so maybe she had rat terrier in her. We then saw a Xoloitzcuintli but with hair (otherwise known as a Mexican hairless dog), and decided that was the closest to what she looked like.Amy Ruth (left) and Roscoe Jenkins the day they met.
I purchased the Wisdom Panel 4.0 online from the website, which usually costs $84.99. (I got a Black Friday discount.) It claims to be able to identify more than 250 dog breeds and track your dogs ancestry up to three generations.
The test itself was pretty easy. You rip the box open, register the ID online, fill out basic information on the box with a pen, use two swabs to swab the inside of your dogs cheek and gums, let it dry, pack everything up, seal it up with pre-placed adhesive, and mail it out with the pre-paid postage.
The company notifies you when it receives the test via email. You then get a link to a website where you can check the tests progress. It took about three weeks.
The results include a page with a snippet of your dogs unique DNA code. The next section then shows you your dogs ancestry, followed by a little description of the breeds that make up your dog. The final section, titled “health and traits,” shows you if your dog has the genetic markers for multidrug sensitivity, exercise-induced collapse, and approximates your dogs weight based on its breeds, and what the genetic trait markers show your dog looks like.Roscoe Jenkins
We learned that Roscoe was actually a Yorkipoo, for the most part! He was 50 percent Yorkshire terrier, 25 percent miniature poodle and 25 percent mixed-breed terrier and sporting dogs. The test can only go back three generations, so for dogs that may have a ton of other breeds mixed in the results give you a “mixed-breed” category and tell you which kinds of dogs are in their ancestry. He was predicted to be about 8 to 17 pounds, so it was pretty accurate. Amy Ruth
Amy was a quarter Chihuahua, a quarter Rat Terrier, a quarter Australian Cattle Dog (a total surprise) and a quarter of “mixed-breeds” from terrier, companion and herding backgrounds. In other words, shes got a little bit of everything. She was predicted to be between 19 and 33 pounds. While shes definitely gaining weight, I dont know if shell hit that range.
The one thing I did find strange is some of reported traits did not line up with what my dogs looked like, especially Roscoe. For example, his ears flop down but according to the genetic test they “could be prick or upright.” He also was supposed to have a saddle tan pattern of dark pigment on his back, but hes pretty much beige.
Wisdom Panel lead researcher Angela Hughes pointed out Roscoes miniature poodle breed often carries the “prick” allele, but doesnt always express it. It usually results in “base-erect” ears, which stand up at some point then flop over, instead of fully dropped ears. (Thats exactly what he has.) She also said that the test showed Roscoe would be mostly tan, and have black parts like his nose and pads. When Yorkies age they can “lighten” or “grey,” which can make darker colors stand out. Roscoes coat has become darker over the years.
Hughes, who ran the test on her own rescue, said the test could give me insights into how to train my dogs. Her adopted dog was driving her nuts barking out all the windows until the DNA test revealed she was part terrier. She was able to find proper terrier training techniques to help calm her dog down.
Do the results change how I feel about my dogs? Not a single bit. But at least now when someone asks me what kind of dog I have, Ill be able to answer the question. Roscoe Jenkins (left) and Amy Ruth