New Studies Show Unreliability of Visual Idenitification of Breeds of Dogs When Compared with DNA Analysis.
* * *
A video interview with Dr. Victoria Voith on breed identification.
* * *
A practical demonstration of Dr. Voith's findings
It is customary in our society to look at a dog and guess at its breed or combination of breeds. In fact, our reporting on dogs (for example, in a veterinarian's record-keeping, when licensed, or when admitted to an animal care and control agency) will usually require such a guess. Statistical compilations of our guesses then make their way into official or academic reports that influence how we view – even how we may feel we ought to regulate – different "breeds" of dogs.
Dr. Voith has shown that our guesses do not correspond, with DNA analysis of the same dogs, which properly calls into question these views and regulations.
NCRC has developed two posters that further illustrate this important point. The photos on each poster were obtained from the Mars Wisdom Panel™ website, along with the DNA analysis of each dog pictured. Look at each picture, then compare your guess with the DNA analysis at the bottom.
Breed labels assigned to dogs of unknown origin are usually inaccurate. We need a different, and better, way to identify and think about the dogs in our midst.
Can you guess the mix of breeds in these dogs? Which are "pit bull" mixes?
Can you guess the mix of breeds in these dogs? Which are Labrador Retriever mixes?