I tested my adopted puppy, who I knew to be a mixed breed, purely out of curiosity.
First, the process itself. It is very easy to do; the instructions and materials are well done. I was especially careful with the waiting period for objects in the mouth (Phoenix is approximately 5 months, and is still in the chewing phase), so that presented a little bit of an issue, though undoubtedly a necessary one. I took her toys away and did it very late in the night as she was sleeping. The two included swabs have light bristles on the end. Phoenix did not mind one bit; in fact, she went back to sleep as I was doing it. Everything for return shipping is included, and it is all quite simple. It was marked as received 1 day after tracking indicated (again, completely understandable), and the website has its own tracker as it is processed. It was completed in about 7 days, 2 weeks before the promise date.
More importantly, the results. I notice some of the others here doubt the results because it does not meet their preconceptions. This is understandable to a degree, but I came in with a more open mind. My dog's physical traits can be interpreted in many different ways, and it seems everyone has their own opinions (wire haired fox terrier/lab mix was the rescue's best guess, but she was very up front that it was in fact nothing more than a guess). I will include a picture on the product page so you can see for yourself (edit: this feature doesn't seem to be available right now for some reason, sorry).
With that said, I was extremely surprised with the results. Yet, when I put the pieces available together, it did make some sense. Logically of course it could be argued that you could say that about just about anything, but I take it at face value. It turns out my 25 lb 5 month old wire haired puppy has a plurality of Yorkshire Terrier! Needless to say, nobody had that one. Still, my dog is such a mix that this still accounts for only 25% of her lineage. Indeed, the report did in fact get the adult weight range of 26-43 lbs correct despite the Yorkshire terrier (this is impressive in my opinion). The other primaries were Bulldog and cocker spaniel (12.5 % each). That leaves 50% mixed going back to at least her great-grandparents.
The minors that showed had some dogs that made sense as well given her physical appearances (lab was included). Still, I am at a loss to explain her wire-haired coat (her hair is primarily black and about 3 inches and sheds very little, while her slight undercoat is a soft brown).
In the end, I enjoyed it. It still left some questions, but this was expected going in. I do have one suggestion. The report is very ambiguous as to the mixed breed signatures (less than certain breeds). I completely understand that there are limitations given the complexity of the science and data pool, but I would like to know the quantifiable likelihood of these breeds. The bar graph doesn't help very much. It shows relative comparison to each other and in relation to "detection threshold" (which itself is not quantified), but I really have no reference to be able to say how likely any of them truly are. All I know is that these 5 breeds are possible, and more possible than other breeds. That's better than nothing, but given a bar graph is provided, more specific information it would seem is available.
The bottom line - for me it was worth it. The results were both plausible and interesting. I am satisfied. Indeed, for me the idea that this kind of thing is even possible let alone available to the individual consumer is a scientific marvel. 25 years ago this was nothing more than science fiction. Now I have a DNA test on my dog to satisfy my curiosity! Pretty astounding when you think about it. Who knows, maybe in five years the test will have improved to the point where I can tell where my dog's hair came from.
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This Item  Wisdom Panel Dog DNA Test Kit - Canine Breed Identification and Ancestry Information |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $250.00 | $109.00 | $84.99 |
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Excellent Customer Service and Results!
Wow. I am so impressed with this company and their product. I tested 3 dogs. My sister's Pitt Mix, my Husky Mix, and a JRT mix. I was impressed with the results. You don't send in a picture, and it identified dogs that were obviously major contributors to each dogs phenotype (how they look).I have linked 3 pictures of the dogs next to their results. Milly and Dakota's results were right on par.Milly looks like an Am. Staff, but we knew there was something else in the mix. She is very standoffish and doesn't like strangers despite socialization efforts and LOVES to hut anything that moves. Having her be 3/4 Am. Staff and 1/4 Rhodesian Ridgeback makes total sense. We didn't think about it until after the results came back, but whenever Milly gets upset a line of hair on her back from her neck to her tail fluffs up. I don't know if this has anything to do with the "ridge" but you never know!Dakota is obviously a northern breed mix, but we have always been perplexed by her size, she is only 28lbs. We have been asked if she is a mini-Husky (didn't even know that was a thing), but we always answer 'no, just a Husky mix". Now it is easy to tell where her petit size comes from. The cocker and the Keeshund are on the smaller side. Kota was my dog with the most mixed breed ancestry. Her's made for interesting reading!Lizzie is where we hit a little snag. I believe the Russell Terrier/Cocker Spaniel was 100% correct, but she is just not 1/2 Am.Staff as you can clearly see in the picture, she is 19 lbs. I contacted Wisdom about this ans sent them a couple of pictures and they agreed that the results were off. Here is some of what they said:"The cheek swab that you collected was sent to our laboratory in Lincoln, NE where the DNA was extracted from the cheek cells and examined with the 321 markers that are used in the test. The results for these markers are then sent to a computer that evaluates them using an algorithm designed to build all of the pedigree trees that are possible in the last three generations, from a simple pedigree with a single breed (a pure-bred dog) or two breeds at the parental level (a first-generation cross) all the way up to a complex tree with eight great-grandparent breeds coming together.Our computer uses over 200 breeds that we have in our database as well as the three ancestral dog groups to build the family trees. The three ancestral dog groups consist of the ‘European’ group that contains most of the Terriers, Hounds, Retrievers, and herding breeds; the ‘Guard’ group that contains breeds meant to guard us such as the Bulldog, the Boxer, and the Mastiff; and finally the ‘Ancient’ group that contains largely the Asian and Arctic breeds like the Chow Chow, the Chinese Shar-Pei, and the Siberian Husky. For each of the family trees built the computer gives a statistical score representing how well those breeds in those proportions match to the data and the family tree with the best score is the one sent out to you.Based on my review of Lizzie's Wisdom Panel data, I can see that she appears to have a significant amount of European breed ancestry. Her strongest observed chromosomal match was to the "pet style" subtype of American Staffordshire terrier, which shares both Guard dog and European terrier ancestry, and is a very diverse breed. The Russell terrier and Cocker spaniel are both European breed dogs, of the terrier and hunting/gundog families, respectively, and were well supported by the data as grandparents by chromosomal match. there is suggestion that other breeds are present in Lizzie's ancestry; herding breeds were also showing similarity to her signature. When looking at the quality of the swab sample for Lizzie, it does appear that while the sample was good enough to generate a unique DNA signature, the quality is not as high as we generally hope for, matching to only about 81% of the markers tested. This may have impacted the accuracy of her results, given her level of genetic diversity. I feel that a retest is the recommended course of action to attempt to obtain the most information about her breed makeup."Essentially, her sample that I collected wasn't great and of the 321 markers they test on, only 81% were quality enough to be tested. They are sending me a complimentary re-test. I could not be happier with their customer service and test accuracy! (When a proper sample is given!)Strongly recommend! I will be purchasing another for my new JRT mix pup we rescued!THANKS!
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2012
I know that phenotypes don't always match genotypes. However, I'm still rather skeptical about the results of my dog's test. She is most definitely some sort of hound mix-- she bays and howls like nobody's business, has a hard hound coat, and an intense toy/prey drive. She's exuberantly friendly, incredibly stubborn, and goes deaf when she's on a scent. As a puppy I thought she might be a Beagle cross, but as she grew older Beagle seemed less likely, based on her size (almost forty pounds) and structure (very tall and lean with skinny legs and a narrow face). I waffled a bit over buying a DNA kit because of the poor reviews, but eventually I caved. The whole process was very simple: swabbed her cheeks after isolating her as per previous reviews for several hours with nothing to lick or chew and then sent the samples in. The results arrived rather quickly, just under two weeks after the sample was received.
They indicate she's primarily a mutt, which I expected: only two breeds found in the last three generations. They also say she's 12.5% basset hound, which I definitely can see, in personality if not in stature. However, it's the rest that has me skeptical. The largest breed found in her (25%) is Cocker Spaniel. I just don't really see it in her at all. She doesn't look like a Cocker, and she doesn't act like a Cocker. The rest of the results (the less-than-12.5%) were equally as perplexing: 9% otterhound (one of the rarest breeds in the world!), 8% bullmastiff, and then a variety of wire-haired terriers. All put together, I'm just not sold. Could she be this odd combination of non-hound, very rare breeds? Maybe. But she doesn't look or act like a dog who supposedly only has 12.5% scent-hound in her, excluding otterhound, which again I just don't believe at all given the rarity.
I gave it three stars because it is certainly entertaining and fun, and it's easy to do. Had a good laugh at the results. If you have fifty or sixty dollars to spare, go for it. But go into it knowing the results might be a bit suspect. That said, I may go ahead and buy another test for my other dog, if only to see if his results make more sense, or are equally as unexpected. I tested my 'hound' first because she at least sort of resembles some breeds, while I can't even begin to guess with him, other than some kind of terrier. First I'll have to work myself back up to stomaching another sixty dollars, though.
UPDATE 08/15/12:
I have to reduce this to one star, based solely on my experience when I ultimately did attempt to test my second dog. Note the 'attempt'. Again, I followed all directions. The dog was isolated for several hours with nothing to lick or chew prior to the test. I let the swabs air dry without touching anything before shipping them right off. This time, it took an entire week for the samples to be received at the lab, as opposed to roughly three days for the first test. A little strange, but I shrugged it off.
For two complete weeks, the status checker on the website informed me the sample was being processed. Then this past Monday evening (8/13), it changed from being processed to results pending. Okay. Great! When I next checked it, however, it had reverted back to being processed. What? No word for Wisdom Panel on why, and for two days I waited, thinking it would change back. Nope. Finally, a bit confused, I e-mailed them asking what was going on. Their reply? The DNA sample was insufficient and didn't have enough markers, and if I wanted results, I would have to test again. Given that I followed their directions to a 'tee', could it be perhaps that the week the sample spent in the postal system in the dead heat of summer before they supposedly received it had anything to do with this insufficient DNA? I mean, a week seems like a heckuva long time for first class mail, especially when a sample sent not a month prior was received by them in less than three days! But what most rankled me is the fact that they apparently weren't going to tell me anything about this problem with my sample-- at least, not in a timely manner-- even though it seems quite clear that they knew about it on Monday, at the very least. If I hadn't e-mailed them, I feel like they would have just let me sit around for another two or three weeks despite knowing well and good that they couldn't analyze my sample. Not a good way to treat paying customers. Not to mention, when sending me back their form letter, they didn't even bother to fill-in-the-blanks with my dog's name... the e-mail literally read: "It has been brought to my attention that the sample you submitted for (pet name) was unable to be successfully processed..." Really?
They offered to either send me a new kit-- no offer to expedite or anything like that, so that would mean another month or so of waiting with no guarantee that THIS sample would be sufficient-- or they said I could seek a refund. But because I bought through Amazon, they wouldn't actually give me the refund themselves. Cue a very nice LiveChat with an Amazon rep in which I was told I could not get a refund because I didn't physically have the product to return... well, long story short, I didn't take no for an answer and did end up with my refund. Go Amazon! But the whole experience has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I will definitely NOT be dealing with WisdomPanel again.
They indicate she's primarily a mutt, which I expected: only two breeds found in the last three generations. They also say she's 12.5% basset hound, which I definitely can see, in personality if not in stature. However, it's the rest that has me skeptical. The largest breed found in her (25%) is Cocker Spaniel. I just don't really see it in her at all. She doesn't look like a Cocker, and she doesn't act like a Cocker. The rest of the results (the less-than-12.5%) were equally as perplexing: 9% otterhound (one of the rarest breeds in the world!), 8% bullmastiff, and then a variety of wire-haired terriers. All put together, I'm just not sold. Could she be this odd combination of non-hound, very rare breeds? Maybe. But she doesn't look or act like a dog who supposedly only has 12.5% scent-hound in her, excluding otterhound, which again I just don't believe at all given the rarity.
I gave it three stars because it is certainly entertaining and fun, and it's easy to do. Had a good laugh at the results. If you have fifty or sixty dollars to spare, go for it. But go into it knowing the results might be a bit suspect. That said, I may go ahead and buy another test for my other dog, if only to see if his results make more sense, or are equally as unexpected. I tested my 'hound' first because she at least sort of resembles some breeds, while I can't even begin to guess with him, other than some kind of terrier. First I'll have to work myself back up to stomaching another sixty dollars, though.
UPDATE 08/15/12:
I have to reduce this to one star, based solely on my experience when I ultimately did attempt to test my second dog. Note the 'attempt'. Again, I followed all directions. The dog was isolated for several hours with nothing to lick or chew prior to the test. I let the swabs air dry without touching anything before shipping them right off. This time, it took an entire week for the samples to be received at the lab, as opposed to roughly three days for the first test. A little strange, but I shrugged it off.
For two complete weeks, the status checker on the website informed me the sample was being processed. Then this past Monday evening (8/13), it changed from being processed to results pending. Okay. Great! When I next checked it, however, it had reverted back to being processed. What? No word for Wisdom Panel on why, and for two days I waited, thinking it would change back. Nope. Finally, a bit confused, I e-mailed them asking what was going on. Their reply? The DNA sample was insufficient and didn't have enough markers, and if I wanted results, I would have to test again. Given that I followed their directions to a 'tee', could it be perhaps that the week the sample spent in the postal system in the dead heat of summer before they supposedly received it had anything to do with this insufficient DNA? I mean, a week seems like a heckuva long time for first class mail, especially when a sample sent not a month prior was received by them in less than three days! But what most rankled me is the fact that they apparently weren't going to tell me anything about this problem with my sample-- at least, not in a timely manner-- even though it seems quite clear that they knew about it on Monday, at the very least. If I hadn't e-mailed them, I feel like they would have just let me sit around for another two or three weeks despite knowing well and good that they couldn't analyze my sample. Not a good way to treat paying customers. Not to mention, when sending me back their form letter, they didn't even bother to fill-in-the-blanks with my dog's name... the e-mail literally read: "It has been brought to my attention that the sample you submitted for (pet name) was unable to be successfully processed..." Really?
They offered to either send me a new kit-- no offer to expedite or anything like that, so that would mean another month or so of waiting with no guarantee that THIS sample would be sufficient-- or they said I could seek a refund. But because I bought through Amazon, they wouldn't actually give me the refund themselves. Cue a very nice LiveChat with an Amazon rep in which I was told I could not get a refund because I didn't physically have the product to return... well, long story short, I didn't take no for an answer and did end up with my refund. Go Amazon! But the whole experience has left a bitter taste in my mouth and I will definitely NOT be dealing with WisdomPanel again.
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