When we adopted a tiny black-and-white puppy in February, we couldn’t even try guessing her breed. She was one of more than 100 dogs rescued from a hoarding situation, and she arrived in foster care without siblings or a mother. We immediately ordered a doggy DNA test and learned our little Gabriela was 81 percent terrier — a mix of chihuahua, toy fox terrier and dachshund. She also had smidges of beagle and Boston terrier.
Gabriela’s personality began to shine as she realized she was in her forever home. She now makes little woo-woo sounds to get our attention. Is this, we wonder, because she is four percent beagle? And she loves to chase squirrels from our yard and then stand with her paw up so our other two dogs are alerted to the prey. Is this because she is mostly terrier?
Scientists now have a clearer understanding of how breed types influence behavioral traits. In a new study, a team of researchers at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard paired thousands of doggy DNA tests with surveys from pet parents to determine which behaviors were strongly associated with breeds. The results showed we should rethink breed stereotypes. Although researchers can attach some traits to specific breeds, dogs are far more individual than previously realized.
