Instructions
Purchase the test kit. The Canine Heritage XL test is available at a variety of online outlets as well as at their website below. The test will include a data sheet, sample submission form, a DNA cheek swab collection brush, instructions on collecting the DNA sample and a prepaid return mailer.
Conduct the test. First complete the information on the sample submission form to return to the lab. Before you conduct the DNA test, make sure that your pet hasn’t eaten in the last half hour, then, prior to giving the test inspect your dog’s mouth for food debris. It is important to be able to collect enough of a sample of cheek cells, and not to have it contaminated with food debris. Write the dog’s name on the wrapper of the cheek swab and then open up the cheek swab. The check swab will have bristles. You will need to hold your dog’s head, take the cheek swab and place it in your dog’s mouth, rotating it so that the bristles are facing away from your dog’s teeth. Rub the bristled head against your dog’s cheek for 20 seconds to make sure that you got a good enough sample. When finished, place swab back in wrapper and return via regular USPS along with the sample submission form.
Lab tests the DNA sample. One you have sent the results back to the MMI laboratory, the lab will begin testing the results. It will typically take 4-6 weeks before you receive your results back. This is because the lab runs the DNA sample 10 times before attempting to match it to the 100 breeds in their system. If the lab feels that it did not get a good enough check sample the first time, they will send another check swab to you, but again, that will take another 4-6 weeks for results.
Receive and interpret the results. Your results will be divided into three categories. Primary is the breed that your dog will contain a majority of. However, most mixed breed dogs won’t have a primary unless one of their parents is a purebred. Secondary will show what breeds are recognizable in your dog’s DNA. These breeds could have a strong influence on your dog’s looks or temperament. The final category is “in the mix” which are dog breeds that your dog’s DNA show trace amounts of.
How to Determine Dog Breed With the Canine Heritage XL Test
Most owners of mixed breed dogs can only guess at what breed their dog might be, based on looks and temperament. However, recent tests have become available to owners that examine dog DNA and will be able to tell you what breeds make up your animal. The Canine Heritage XL is one type which tests over 100 major breeds in the US.