As the saying goes, choosing a purebred pet dog is perhaps the most efficient way to get an insight into its looks and personality, but it is never quite a guarantee. Since looks can be deceptive at times, here in case of pet dogs also, a pure breed dog does not necessarily always dictate its appearance. There are thousands of varieties among pure breeds of the dogs, and within the dogs descended from them, there are more than multiple thousands of crossbreeds of the dogs. So, a dog’s looks and personality cannot just be predicted by knowing its breed name. It depends quite a lot on how it is born and in which atmosphere it is brought up or adopted, and more significantly how it has drawn the luck card from the shuffled card deck of its genetics or heredity.

The Reason for Some Specific Looks or Traits Present in Specific Dog Breeds:

  • Many times, people usually keep on wondering why the dogs and wolves are so similar in looks, but dogs can be their pets whereas the wolves cannot be tamed. There is a reason behind it. Dogs have a special “friendliness” gene which is not present in the gene of the wolves. Hence, this friendliness gene is the only piece of evidence that distinguishes a dog from a wolf. The WBS gene (WBSCR17) has different mutations in dogs and wolves which attributes to friendliness for the dogs.
  • Many people love the furry natural bobtail of the Welsh Corgis. Their bobtails get that specific look and shape because of their mutation in T-box genes present in their chromosomes. On the other hand, Braque du Bourbonnais is a specific breed of puppies which possess a very short tail or no tail at all, because they have T-box genes absent in their pair of chromosomal settings.
  • Basset Hounds and Dachshunds have short legs which make them puppets. The reason for their short legs is a mutation gene named FGF4 (Fibroblast Growth Factor 4)).
  • Otterhounds have a specific gene (GTF21) that makes them having a woolly and affectionate appearance. This is a very rare gene to find among dogs.
  • German Shepherds are stout and medium to large sized dogs which are more popularly known as the Alsatians. They are intelligent and creative. They have TTN gene in mutated form within their genes which attribute such qualities in them.
  • Bloodhounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Great Danes and Boykin Spaniels have great hunting potentiality because of their presence on chromosome 22 in pointers.

Dogs Genetics Play a Vital Role:

Genetically speaking, each and every dog’s way of behaving has something to do with their set of chromosomes present in their genes, which are imbibed from their parents by birth. After they get brought up in a certain atmosphere, they start to make adaptations which may or may not contribute to mutation of their settings of genes. But mainly, it is their genetic set up inherited by birth that determines their looks and traits. When a dog is bred, it can inherit one phenotype (dominant) and another genotype (dormant) trait from its pair of parents. It is a matter of “luck” which one it can derive through heredity. If we take the following example, it will be clear further.

 

For further clarity, let us have an example where the grandparents are-

Pair 1 grandparents: 1 Spaniel (Grandparent 1) + 1 Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Grandparent 2)

Pair 2 grandparents: 1 Yorkshire terrier (Grandparent 3) + 1 Great Dane (Grandparent 4)

From these pairs of grandparents, their lists of descendants after breeding would be the following-

Grandparent 1 x Grandparent 2 = Parent 1

Parent 1 = Mixed (with phenotype Welsh Corgi dominant, and genotype Spaniel dormant)
Grandparent 3 x Grandparent 4 = Parent 2

Parent 2 = Mixed (with phenotype Yorkshire terrier dominant, and genotype Great Dane dormant)

From these pair of parents, their crossbred dog will be-

Parent 1 x Parent 2 = DOG (with phenotype Welsh Corgi dominant, genotype Great Dane dormant)

Hence, ultimately the resultant dog has inherited here a phenotype of Welsh Corgi (dominant) originally from its Grandparent 2 and a genotype of Great Dane (dormant) from its Grandparent 4. So it is a matter of luck which pair of genes it will inherit from its pairs of predecessors.
Environmental Adaptation and Mutation in Dog Genes:

Even though dogs are predominantly characterized by their inherited genetic forms, sometimes, they also get a change or mutation in genes because of their upbringing and adaptation in a specific environment. For example, Bull Terriers are known for their leg cramps because of L2HGA genetic pattern. But over the time, they have adapted to their environment and now they have got mutated L2HGA gene for which they do not undergo leg cramps.
DNA Testing Report for the Dogs:

Embark has the reputation for being the topmost cadre dog DNA testing spot. Their DNA testing has ample scientific reasoning behind their strategy. This apart, their dog DNA testing results are very comprehensive and easy to interpret by the human beings. The result of their dog DNA test displays the screening of dog’s particular breed identification, the list of dog’s characteristics traits, the dog’s list of ancestry disease risks and its genetic disease risks. The DNA test report for the dog also contains a detailed veterinary report so that people can do their vet planning according to their research based on the supplied report. They have the partnership with Cornell University’s veterinary science department for all sorts of collaborations in order to maintain standard quality control in providing with dog’s DNA testing report.
How to Get Discount on Dog DNA Testing?

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