DNA Test may help to find potential seizures in dogs

Scientists and dog owners throughout the United States have recently begun using DNA testing to study diseases and determine dogs' genetic backgrounds.

DNA testing is also being used to confirm dogs' pedigrees, as a dog's value to a breeder depends heavily on its pedigree, The Los Angeles Times reported.

With the cost of DNA testing coming down, dog owners who are curious about their dogs' behavior or about certain illnesses are finding answers through sequencing technology.

The Times talked to one couple who had their mutt, Drake, tested to determine where some of his behaviors came from. When the tests came back that Drake was part Alaskan husky, the couple said many of the dog's traits began to make sense.

About half a dozen dog DNA testing facilities exist in the United States, the newspaper said, often peddling their services at dog shows and on the Internet.