Inside the barking world of dog DNA

With his non-regulation haircut and wayward ears, Colin is not everyone's idea of the perfect miniature schnauzer.

But even the biggest mini schnauzer snobs, with their luxuriant locks and fancy neckwear, have never confused him with a Pomeranian.

Yet the yap of a yellow dog's genes echo down the ancestral tree of our decidedly beardy little canine, according to the best reckoning of a $150 DNA saliva test.

There's apparently a distant dash of Australian shepherd in there too. Which certainly runs contrary to Colin's ability to, well, run.

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So between the test and the dog, had we been sold a pup? And which one?

This is the fraught world of DNA dog testing: a place frequented by vets, breeders, and the occasional doting pet owner whose pooch has everything, including identity issues. Dog genetics might be cheaper and more accessible than ever before, but methods for breed identification and their levels of success vary.

Colin's brush with gene science was just that a simple cheek swab via Genetic Technologies' Animal Network "BITSA" test mailed back to the lab. Some other services use a blood sample collected and sent off by a vet.

Then there are the phantom poopers: dogs that recklessly volunteer samples all over public lawns and footpaths. These results have been of particular interest to councils.

"We get a lot of, heaps of them ... the dog poo one," says George Sofronidis of Orivet Genetic Pet Care. "Does my head in."

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Inside the barking world of dog DNA