Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed DNA Test Kit

by Wisdom Panel® Insights

• Create a more targeted and effective behavior training plan.
• Plan exercise and play activities that cater to your dog's natural tendencies.
• Customize your dog's diet and nutrition plan according to the breed's specific needs.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 2 x 4.8 inches ; 2.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B004GFN2ZA
• Item model number: Mixed Breed DNA Test Kit
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (798 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88 in Pet Supplies (See Top 100 in Pet Supplies)
  • #8 in Pet Supplies > Dogs > Training & Behavior Aids

Product Description

Amazon.com

From the Manufacturer

What is Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed?

Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed is a simple DNA test that helps reveal the breeds in a dog’s ancestry. Finding out a dog’s breed makeup does more than just satisfy curiosity. With knowledge of the breed mix, including physical and behavioral traits, you can work with a veterinarian to develop a more targeted care plan for your dog. This one-time investment helps owners feel confident they are providing their dog with the best care possible.

How does Wisdom Panel work and what type of information will it provide?

Testing is as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Simply collect a sample from the inside of your dog's cheek with the included swabs.
2. Mail them back to our laboratory in the postage-paid envelope.
3. Within 3 weeks, you'll receive an e-mailed Ancestry Report with your dog's results.

What's in the box?

Each box includes an instruction sheet, two swabs, a submission form, and a pre-paid envelope.

How do you report a Mixed Breed dog's results?

Wisdom Panel Insights breaks down a dog’s lineage the following way:

Significant Breed - At least 50% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so you are likely to see some physical and behavioral traits from this breed represented unless some of the genes are recessive.
Intermediate Breed - At least 25% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so you may see some physical and behavioral traits represented in your dog.
Minor Breed - At least 12.5% of your dog’s DNA comes from this breed, so it is unlikely that this breed’s physical traits are visually represented unless some of the genes are dominant.

Can the test be used to identify health issues or disease predispositions?

Wisdom Panel is used to help determine the breed makeup of a dog. It is not designed to determine which disease traits, if any, might be present in a dog.

Can I perform Wisdom Panel testing on puppies?

Yes. Wisdom Panel test kits are designed for dogs of all ages and are safe and easy to use at any stage in a dog's development.

Why did Mars Veterinary decide to create a swab test?

Wisdom Panel test kits are ideal for dog owners who are looking for an inexpensive, do-it-yourself kit that reveals their dog's ancestry. At Mars Veterinary, we believe that all dogs can benefit from the discovery of their ancestry. Wisdom Panel kits were created to provide dog owners access to unrivaled breed detection inexpensively and in a convenient way.

Learn more about our other products.

There are currently three consumer swab tests available which test against our database of known breeds, Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed, Wisdom Panel Purebred and Wisdom Panel Designer Dog. All of these tests serve different purposes. Generally, if you are not sure of the breeds present in your dog, or if you have a mixed breed dog, you should purchase Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed. If you believe that your dog is a purebred and you believe you know what breed it is, then you should purchase Wisdom Panel Purebred. This test will indicate if the dog's DNA is within the test parameters for the breed you indicate and give you a deeper understanding of your dog's genetic makeup for that specific breed. If you believe that your dog has two purebred parents, (i.e. your dog is a hybrid, otherwise known as a "designer dog") then you should purchase Wisdom Panel Designer Dog. If you are purchasing Wisdom Panel as a gift for someone, we would recommend that you purchase Wisdom Panel Mixed Breed, as this is the broadest test and does not require that the breeds be identified prior to testing.

How long does it take to get results?

Once the sample has been received at the lab it generally takes 2-3 weeks for the sample to be tested, results generated and report available for download on our website. You will receive email notification when the report is available for download.

Authorized Retailer Policy:

By purchasing from an Authorized Reseller, you have the assurance that you're getting new product (no damaged or stolen goods), backed by our full warranty and access to our industry leading customer support. If our products are not bought from an Authorized Reseller, we may not be able to process your test and you cannot not receive warranty or customer care support. If you are unsure, please contact the sales team at [e-mail] before purchasing.

Product Description

Wisdom Panel Dog DNA Test. Where does Buddy get his curly tail from? Why does he love digging holes in the backyard? Could I be doing more to make him happier and healthier? Your dog may not be able to tell you the answers - but his DNA can. Wisdom Panel Insights the most comprehensive mixed-breed cheek swab DNA test on the market can help explain a mixed-breed dog's ancestry. A dog's ancestry can influence him in surprising ways. Obvious and not-so-obvious physical traits plus behaviors like digging herding and barking all come from the various breeds in a dog's family tree. Once an owner understands a dog's natural tendencies it makes it possible to create a tailored training exercise and nutrition program to fit his one-of-a-kind needs. Knowing a dogs breed can help owners: - Target behavior training - Be smarter about nutritional planning - Plan exercise activities that make him happy 3 Easy Steps: - Collect samples from inside dog's cheek - Mail back in postage-paid envelope - Learn your dog's ancestry. Results emailed within 2 - 3 weeks

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2,480 of 2,499 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Review from a Biologist November 27, 2011

By Whizzer U, Now with HD graphics and a touchpad! TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Amazon Verified Purchase

I thought it might prove beneficial for people to read a review from someone who essentially does genotyping(this test) as part of his job.

I ordered this test because we purchased a dog from the pound and had no clue what breed she was. The test is a pretty simple one, providing you with two q-tips that allow you to gather DNA from your dogs cheek. You essentially get two chances to acquire decent DNA to send to them, so make sure they count. This is the first point where I felt the instructions could have been better. Contaminating DNA is easy, and many people who complain are most likely contaminating their DNA and then wondering why it's getting false calls.

The instructions remind you to not feed your dog 2 hours prior to doing the test, what the instructions DO NOT tell you is that you also shouldn't let your dog chew on anything like a dogbone, lick anyone, or genuinely be allowed to touch anything. Any of these acts could potentially hurt results, and while unlikely, can cause a great deal of these errors. I would personally recommend giving the dog some water, then taking the water away and quarantining the dog for 2-3 hours without anything. Put him in a crate or spare room if you have to, make sure she/he has nothing they can lick, eat, or chew. Then take the dog out, and make sure they don't start licking your hands while you are trying to give the test. It also would be a wise decision to wash your hands thoroughly before using the test, and never let the qtip touch anything but the dogs mouth and the inside of the plastic piece it is placed in.

The second thing I wanted to mention is with regards to how genotyping works. Essentially, the "testers" have positive controls which show a spread of bands they picture.... They run the DNA through something called PCR in order to search for markers(bands) present in your dog, usually indicated by size. Dirty DNA can lead to bad bands, hard to read bands, and in the long run, bad calls. What many people don't realize is that the test only determines how much a dog is of a certain breed. These means that if the dog turns out to be 25% beagle, this DOES NOT mean one of the grand parents was a 100% beagle. This means that your dog has 25% beagle in him, which could theoretically be possible if you have two half beagles breed. Also note that recessive genes carry through, so even though all the dogs they determined in your lineage are big dogs, this in no way means your dog can't be small or vice versa. So just because 50% of your dog is Great Dane, yet your dog looks like a poodle, doesn't necessarily mean the test failed, as you have 50% of your potentially dominant DNA unaccounted for from any number of breeds. Likewise, a dog could have a parent with 50% beagle and end up with essentially no beagle in them. This is simple genetics. In reality, two dogs, both 50% beagle could theoretically have a dog with no significant beagle DNA, or a dog with 100% beagle DNA(although unlikely as the genes that make up a breed are a little more complex than a punnett square)..

This test DOES NOT determine lineage... merely the higher percentages of DNA present in the animal. They might call them "parents" and "grandparents", but that is just a reference for "has X% DNA" and has no baring on what the parentage is. This also means that any breed that makes up less than app. 12.5% of your animal simply doesn't show up. So a true heinz 57 dog with 20 breed of dog in it's genetic makeup would render no result.Furthermore, there is no way to determine what your dogs parents are, unless your dog turns out to be exactly 50% one breed and 50% the other.

If you strongly disagree with the results of your test, I'd highly recommend that you call the company or amazon and demand a replacement test. If they refuse to offer one, then file a credit card dispute and get your money back however you can. If you retake the test and receive the same results, it might be about time to start reconsidering how you see your dog. If the results differ, you can always question them on the differing results and get to the source of "which one is right", which might even include a 3rd test. Don't be angry if you need to repeat this test three times (presuming they are willing to provide you free kits twice). All this is doing is confirming the information and reinforcing your data, which is always a plus in science.

So that is my two cents on the subject. With respect to my dog, we adopted her under the belief it was a border collie lab mix. However, over the course of a year, it seemed to lose any border collie appearance and my wife wondered if the dog possessed any pitbull in her due to people often believing she is a pitbull. Turns out there was no pitbull in her, at least none over 12.5%. The test is what it is. The report is well done. I would have appreciated more information regarding how the test is done and what genes they are testing for, and in truth, I am tempted to call them and see if they can tell me and maybe even provide me the data from my animals test upon request. I suppose I can forgive them for not including that data, as it would most likely just clutter things and make them confusing to read, although I am curious as to how well their lab keeps a record and would I be able to obtain my dog's data on request. Read more ›

267 of 274 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The phenotypes match the genotypes! October 13, 2010

By Happy Vegan

I chose Wisdom Panel for their large breed database. Of the North American companies, WP is the only to include Australian Cattle Dog in their database. This was very important to me, as I strongly suspected my dog Zoe was of Australian Cattle Dog descent. I also assumed with more breeds in the database, I would increase my odds of uncovering all recent purebred ancestry in my dogs. Furthermore, some other companies will search for and report "the closest match" if a breed detected in your dog is not included in their database. This can result in false breed reporting. If your dog has American Pit Bull Terrier ancestry, for example, other companies may report breeds as distantly related as Boston Terrier. It's my understanding that WP does not make a practice of this, which I appreciate.

The test was extremely easy to use. I answered a few basic questions (dog's name, my name, my e-mail address, etc.) and swabbed each of my dogs' cheeks with two separate swabs (Annie then ate one of her swabs--the company promptly sent two replacements at no extra charge). I let the swabs air dry for 5 minutes, packed them up, and sent them on their way. No pictures or hints as to my dogs' appearance were provided.

About two weeks later, the results were in. Results are sent via e-mail. The e-mail contains a link to a .pdf file. The reports are informative but they aren't terribly detailed. If you want lots of interesting science and detailed explanations of the results, you won't get that from this or any other company at present. What you will get is a chart showing the breeds detected for your dog and the level at which they are detected.... WP also provides a page of information on each breed detected (be warned, however, that their breed trait illustrations are sometimes shown with cropped ears and docked tails, traits which obviously will not be inherited by our beautiful mixed breeds).

Zoe (who looks like an obvious Australian Cattle Dog mix)'s results showed Australian Cattle Dog at the intermediate or "grandparent" level. She also showed traces of Siberian Husky. Though the company claims it's unlikely that dogs will resemble breeds detected at the "minor" level, I do see possible hints of Husky ancestry (enough so that I had considered the possibility prior to receiving her results). For example, Zoe has a curled tail, "snow nose," and partial heterochromia (two different colors in the same eye). Though Zoe's results reported only a small portion of her ancestry, I am pleased, much moreso than had I been given a long list of breeds. Her results are extremely believable and indicate a dog who is several generations mixed breed (my favorite kind!) along most lines.

Annie looks like an obvious Beagle mix. In fact, people regularly comment on my "pretty Beagle." Though she looks very Beaglish, she is a bit large and muscular for a Beagle and is mostly white with just a few red spots. According to Wisdom Panel, Annie's most recent purebred ancestor was a Beagle, again at the grandparent level. At the great-grandparent level, WP detected Boxer (which I may see in Annie's facial markings, wrinkled forehead, her slight underbite, and her athletic build and demeanor). WP also reported traces of Old English Sheepdog, which I cannot see at all but I'm willing to consider (after all, I look nothing like my great- or great-great-grandparents!), especially since I am aware of at least one OES in the teeny tiny rural town where Annie was found as a stray. Again, WP told me I have a well mixed mutt, which I appreciate much more than a long list of marginally related breeds.

I definitely intend to purchase Wisdom Panel Insights again for all of the mystery mutts in my future. :) Read more ›

466 of 484 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars If you truly have a mixed breed, don't expect miracles February 4, 2010

By Jon B. Phillips

Amazon Verified Purchase

First off for this review, the sample is easy to collect; the customer service at Wisdom is awesome and the test results are completed in a very timely manner. We chose Wisdom because their dna database library had over 170 identifiable breeds, so we figured that our Heinz 57 could be matched to at least 1 breed. Last but not least, if you think you have a mixed breed, go into this knowing that you may not agree with the results. From reading reviews from the other DNA outfits, folks seem to have very high expectations; you need to understand that if your dog resulted from other mixed breed parents and grandparents (like most shelter dogs), the dna markers are going to be diluted. So go into it with low expectations and be prepared to be entertained.

OK - so we decided to do this test because our shelter dog is now almost three and everyone who would meet her would ask us what she was. Most people assumed that she had some Staffordshire Bull Terrier in the mix, but we were leaning towards a Pointer/Dalmatian mix. What came back really surprised us - a minor match to Rottweiler. At 46 lbs and more than half white with some big black spots and some black ticking, a Rotti was the last thing we'd guess. So I emailed the folks at Wisdom to explain why out of 170 breeds, we only received 1 minor match (great grandparent). Within 24 hours, my email was responded to and I was given a choice to have one of their Vet's who's also a genetics expert review our dogs results free of charge. They set the expectation that this would take about 10 to 15 days, which it did and I was able to personally speak with the person who was assigned....

I was impressed by the customer service and after personally talking with the Vet who reviewed our dog's results; I now better understand the results and how they were achieved. To clarify, my dog has a 1 in 8 (great grandparent) match to a Rottweiler and some very minor matches (beyond a great grandparent) to a Pointer, Border Collie and Miniature Bull Terrier. I would definitely do this again for another dog because it not only was entertaining but also educational. In the end, we love our dog regardless of the results of this test and if you are willing to spend about $80 - don't think of it as a waste - because after all, if you knew what breed your dog was, you wouldn't be getting the test done. Read more ›