What Breed of Dog Do You Have?

Additional Resource

Dogs come in all shapes and sizes, and frequently without pedigrees to describe their breed or heritage. The identities of dogs with unknown or mixed-breed lineages are frequently guessed based on their physical appearance, but it is not known how accurate these visual breed assessments are.

Maddie’s® Shelter Medicine Program at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine conducted a national survey of dog experts to compare their best guesses for the breeds of dogs in a series of photographs. These visual assessments were compared to DNA breed profiles for the dogs.

Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, College of Veterinary Medicine. (n.d.). What breed of dog do you have?: Dog breed identification. University of Florida monogram. Retrieved November 29, 2021, from https://sheltermedicine.vetmed.ufl.edu/research-studies/past-projects/dog-breed-identification/.

Photo: iStock.com/adogslifephoto

View Resource
Topic(s): Genetic Counseling, Genetics, Health, Shelter and Rescue