How Can I Tell The Breed Of My Dog? – Tips For Dog Parents

There are various types of dogs, and each of them has its distinctive appearance. It doesn’t seem very easy and it takes a long time for you to sort them. Making many dog parents unable to tell what is the exact breed of their baby. 

Then, many people would be wondering, How can I tell the breed of my dog? And are there any quick tips? Let’s scroll down and find out some helpful information!

How can I tell the breed of my dog?

Checking your dog’s appearance

The most helpful advice to you is to check their look. Dogs usually have unique features on their tail, color, head, fur, and even ears.

Heads

Like every other kind, its head would be the first impression for anyone. 

In general, there are three types of dog heads: Dolichocephalic, Brachycephalic, and Mesocephalic.

  • Dolichocephalic: This is the most common type of dog head. It describes a medium-long head skull with a long nose. Some dogs with the Dolichocephalic head are rottweiler puppies and chocolate lab puppies.
How Can I Tell The Breed Of My Dog
Portrait of Beautiful young wet Russian Borzoi dog standing at the seaside
  • Brachycephalic: Referring to Brachycephalic is the combination of a short nose with quite a flat head. These characteristics often appear in Shih Tzu puppies, blue french bulldogs, and black pugs.
  • Mesocephalic: Among the three types, this one owns the longest muzzle. You can take a look at these dog’s head types for more detail: Australian shepherd puppies and European Dobermans.

Ears

The canine also has three different ears: Erect ears, floppy ears, and long ears.

The dogs with straight, sturdy, and pointed ears will be the Erect type like the white Doberman. Otherwise, the floppy ears dog has long ears but not straight. They often lop their lugs off. Some of them are wire-haired dachshunds

Portrait of two dogs breed Wire-haired dachshund
Portrait of two dogs breed Wire-haired dachshund

The last one is the long ears dog with flat lugs. These species usually swim in the past; that’s why they should keep their lugs balanced and cover their ear holes to prevent water.

Coat

Canines’ coats can split the dog’s types because their coats differ depending on their distinctive climate living environment. For example, the hounds will have wiry fur to protect them from other dangerous species. 

On the other hand, working canines have a double layer of fur. The reason is that this double coat could defend them from severe climates like snow or rain. Yellow lab and black lab puppies often show this signature.

While many dogs have these features above, just a few kinds of dogs possess the curly poodle coat. This one-layer coat enables these dogs to swim freely and even assists them in walking or running faster.

Colour

The hue of a dog can also tell you more about their class. For instance, you may find some are spotted, while others have combined colors of black and white, yellow and white, etc.

Tail

Many people misunderstand that all dogs have the same tail shape. Their seats can have unique spots that will help us distinguish them from others.

You might usually see dogs with straight tails and some with short or curly tails. Meanwhile, only a few canine types, including the Pinscher, have no tail.

There is more than one answer to the question of “How can I tell the breed of my dog?” and you won’t get a 100 per cent correct answer. Because many dogs are purebred, and others are crossbreeds. Here, we will do some dog quizzes to test your skills.

Quiz 1: When you see a dog, you can immediately observe the ears. Based on this feature, can you guess which breed this dog is? Let’s imagine the big ears indicate a dog somewhere called a chihuahua or possibly a hunting dog. Also, you should notice the jacket; it is easy to distinguish between them.  

Quiz 2: Next, the coloring can also indicate various dog breeds; mixing black and white is popular. In addition, if you see the short coat or the longer muzzle, it may be the origin of the terrier. Are there poodle mixes or a poodle crossed with a Jack Rusell Terrier?

Three poodles sitting side-by-side
Three poodles sitting side-by-side

Quiz 3: The poodle’s distinct sign is its curly coat, but the way they run or stands can also give you some hints. Moreover, their legs’ skin colors will have something to do with their breeds. Might this be a teacup poodle crossed with a Bedlington Terrier?

Quiz 4: Would the stance and the longer coat indicate a long hair dachshund? It would be best if you looked at both the ears and the skin. If they have long hair and fur, they might be golden retriever puppies crossed with Havanese puppies. Could it be a GSD mixed with Collie? If you want to train them easily, you can read the Best Dog Collar For Pulling – Top 10 You Should Know For Your Dogs.

Taking the DNA test

Similar to how humans find out who their parents are, you can always do a DNA test for your dog. In general, this test involves taking a cheek swab from the dogs and waiting for analysis. The dog DNA test typically costs more than 65 dollars or less. This cost will be higher if you want to take advantage of your comfortable home. 

Many companies provide this service, and typically the test will cost quite a budget. Your test result would be much more accurate if it’s a company with sufficient breed data that conducted it.

After demanding a DNA sample, you need to take a cheek swab from your dog. You will send the sample following their instruction and receive the results in 3-4 weeks. The DNA test will determine, if possible, how many specific purebred breeds this dog has.

Additionally, according to many researchers, with the popularity of dog DNA testing, you should understand that the results will not be 100 per cent correct. There are many variables when you test your dog’s DNA, and the result will be only approximate reality.

Conclusion

In the end, have you got the solution to your wonder: How can I tell the breed of my dog? Knowing the exact breed of your dog will assist you in taking great care of him. No matter how you choose to find your dog’s breed, keep in mind all the instructions, we have introduced above. 

Even the DNA test only carries out less than 100 per cent of the truth, so there’s no need to be upset if you can’t figure out the correct origins of your dogs.