Instructions
Ask for help. Even if you didn't adopt your mutt at the local pound or SPCA, these are excellent resources for you to go to, to ask for help. Bring your dog in and ask the veterinary technicians, volunteers or caregivers, who work with dogs on a daily basis, what their expert opinion is on what breed your dog could be.
Identifying your dog's traits will help determine what group of the breed your dog belongs to. Take note of the dog's physical attributes, like fur color, length, pattern, ear, head size, body proportion, tail length, weight and height.
Identify your dog's temperament. This again, will help further assist in the classification process.
Look at the notes you took and cross reference them with a breed directory book. Mark the pages of the breeds that share the same traits and temperament as your dog. You'll zero in on possible breed mixtures that make up your dog.
Buy a dog DNA test kit if you just don't want to commit to the research, but are still curious. Dog DNA tests are similar to their human counterparts. By simply mailing off some saliva samples taken with a swab, you'll be able to identify what breeds make up your dog.
Is your dog lazy or does it have boundless amounts of energy? Is your dog playful or protective?
Is your dog small or big? These personality queues may seem trivial, but they can be telling whether or not your mutt belongs to a specific group.
How to Determine the Breed of a Mutt Dog
Dogs are like people. Even though dogs have personality traits specific to them, owners of mixed breeds or mutts, can learn a lot about why their dog does the things they do, like dig indiscriminate holes in the backyard or jump into the pool unexpectedly, by determining their ancestry. With more than 150 different types of breeds registered with American Kennel Club, trying to figure out what combination Fido is may seem like a never-ending task, but with a little effort, determination and a couple of shakes of a dog's tail, it can be done.