Can Embark distinguish certain sub-populations of breeds such as Miniature vs. Standard Dachshund, Euro vs. American Doberman, English Vs. American Labrador, English Cream Golden Retriever, etc.?
We can only determine which sub-population of a given breed a dog has ancestry from if this population has their own, unique genetic signature. In the case of Dachshunds, for example, we are not able to report if a dog is a standard or miniature dachshund as, genetically speaking, individuals from these populations are the same breed and only differ in size. Additionally, dogs will return as “Dachshund” regardless of their coat type, because the three coat varieties are not yet genetically distinct.
By contrast, we are able to distinguish between varieties of Cocker Spaniels. American Cocker Spaniels (listed just as “Cocker Spaniel” in our breed reporting), and English Cocker Spaniels have distinct genetic signatures and can be differentiated with confidence. We can also distinguish between Standard Poodles and varieties of Small Poodle (again because of a genetic distinction), but not yet between Toy and Miniature (which currently fall under “Small Poodle” on our tests). You can check out our breed list for the different ancestries we can confidently identify at the following link: embarkvet.com/resources/dog-breeds/
Breed varieties we are commonly asked about that we do not distinguish between genetically:
| Breed | Sub-population |
| Golden Retriever | “English” vs. “English Cream” vs. “American”, etc. |
| Labrador Retriever | “English” vs. “American” vs. “Field”. etc. |
| Small Poodles | “Miniature” vs. “Toy” vs. “Teacup” |
| Dachshunds | “Miniature” vs. “Standard” vs. “Long- Coat” vs. “Wirehaired,” vs. “Smooth” |
| Chihuahuas |
“Deer head” vs. “Apple head” |
| Don't forget! Your MyEmbark account includes information about your dog's sample status, your dog's results, and many other helpful resources. Log in to your account here! |
Comments
0 comments
Article is closed for comments.