The Association Blog

We know that dogs for adoption at shelters are regularly labeled by breed, and we know that staff regularly make their best guesses—based on looks—to describe a dog’s breed or breed mix.

A resource shared in this week’s Roundtable on Dog Breeds: Implication for Behavior, Adopter Expectations & Legislation provides interesting insights into the accuracy of visual breed assessments.

The Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine asked more than 5,000 dog experts, including breeders, trainers, groomers, veterinarians, shelter staff, and rescuers, to look at the photographs of 100 dogs and assess their breeds.

Peruse the Dog Breed Identification Chart & Photos to see how the experts’ answers stacked up against DNA results.

What are the implications of these results for how you label dogs in your shelter? For more talk on this topic, register for the recording of The Roundtable.

Learn More

Recording:  Dog Breeds: Implication for Behavior, Adopter Expectations & Legislation
Resource: Dog Breed Identification Chart & Photos
Blog: The Genomics of the American Mutt

The survey respondents guessed that the predominant breed/breed mixes of the dog in the photo were: Australian Cattle Dog, German Shorthaired Pointer, Pointer (includes English Pointer), Border Collie and No Predominant Breed. The DNA test revealed 25% Miniature Pinscher, 25% Greet Pyrenees, 10.79% Afghan Hound, & 10.09% Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. Photo: Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine