My dog is mixed, what will the scores look like?Updated 2 months ago

My dog is mixed—what will the results look like?

Your mixed-breed dog's results may show specific breeds, lineages, or a combination of both.

When will I see specific breed percentages?

If your dog has breed ancestry within the last 3 generations (parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents), those breeds will likely show up as distinct breed percentages in your results.

When will I see lineage percentages instead?

If your dog's ancestry comes from more distant relatives (beyond great-grandparents), we report that ancestry as a lineage rather than a specific breed. This is because the DNA segments from distant ancestors are very small, and only a tiny fraction differs between closely-related breeds within the same lineage. Reporting by lineage gives you a more scientifically accurate answer rather than guessing at individual breeds.

What does this look like in practice?

For example, your mixed-breed dog might show:

• 17% Labrador Retriever (recent ancestor)

• 15% German Shepherd (recent ancestor)

• 10% Beagle (recent ancestor)

• 8% Rottweiler (recent ancestor)

• 30% Herding Dog Lineage (distant ancestors from herding breeds)

• 20% Scent Hound Lineage (distant ancestors from scent hound breeds)

Important note: Even though Rottweiler is part of the Herding Dog lineage, it appears as its own 8% because we detected it as a recent ancestor (within the last 3 generations). The 30% Herding Dog Lineage represents other herding breeds from more distant ancestors that don't meet the threshold to be reported individually.