If you’ve read my previous Arcas blog, you know that I had a vision in mind of what my dream dog would be: big, scary, intimidating, 100+ pounds of obedient, man-killer muscle and razor sharp fangs. What I ended up with was a tiny, spiteful, spidermonkey-sized demon…
I am an avid researcher when there is something I want to know. So I had spent about a month researching every breed he even slightly resembled and came up with an answer. He had to be a Belgian Malinois mix. The body type, the black facial markings, the ears and tail and coat – it all made sense. People usually don’t go throwing Malinois to the curb but I mean, other than that, it made sense.I researched training facts and methods specifically for Malinois and all his behavioral traits lined up perfectly, even the genetic traits associated with Belgian Malinois seemed to be apparent in him. Over the course of the month that I had him prior to getting his DNA results back, I had three Malinois owners and one security K9 trainer stop and ask if he was a Mal puppy, so finally I decided to pull the trigger. I couldn’t be in the dark any longer.
The Process:
I received my Wisdom Panel kit in the mail and it was incredibly easy to complete. I activated my online account, which was straight-forward and simple, then I held the demon down while I swabbed his cheek to collect testable cells. Wrangling a 25 pound puppy alone was probably the most tedious part of the entire process but considering he’s about 1,175 pounds lighter than the horses I spent years trying to coerce into doing what I wanted, I was pretty efficient, collecting my cheek cells with 0 casualties and all of the appendages I had started with. I send the samples out in the mail the next day and, roughly two weeks later, my results were posted to his online Wisdom Panel Account.
The Results:
I am not sure what I expected and I was surprised but not shocked to find out his genetic makeup:
- 37.5% American Staffordshire Terrier
- 12.5% Berger Blanc Suisse Shepherd (White Swiss Shepherd)
- 12.5% German Shepherd
- 12.5% Australian Cattle Dog
- 12.5% Labrador
- 12.5% Breed Groups- Herding, Hound, Sporting, Terrier
The White Swiss Shepherd helps to explain his build and coat texture; the German Shepherd explains the build as well as his facial coloring; Australian Cattle Dog explains why he seems to be smaller in size and reinforces the standing ears that the Shepherd genetics are also involved in; the Labrador explains the webbed paws and his affinity for water. The most surprising to me is the Staffordshire. His coat is not at all like the coat of any Pit I have ever met; his features are incredibly refined and sharp, not broad and square like that of the Staffordshire. For the Staffordshire to be the most genetically prominent,I find Arcas has very few physical similarities and the personality traits that appear, such as confidence and the affinity to be affectionate, could just as easily be attributed to the Lab in him.
Knowing his genetic makeup will be helpful for his future training, nutrition and exercise routines and for finding him a job that he is suited for and enjoys that we are both able to learn together, whether it is agility or obedience or something completely new to both of us. There are more benefits to the Wisdom Panel DNA test than breed percentages. They were able to calculate an estimated weight based off the genetic information, conclude that he is not at risk for MDR1 (MultiDrug Resistance 1) and alert me that he has two copies of the EIC mutation (Exercise-Induced Collapse).
But at the end of the day, every percentage of every breed that makes up his DNA has contributed to making the most amazing, handsome, self-righteous, cocky, deviously smart terror that holds the biggest part of my heart and I wouldn’t change a thing.
