A simple cheek swab can reveal your dog's ancestry, provide insight into its health— and even help explain its behavior 擦一下狗的脸就可以揭示它的祖先，了解它的身体状况，甚至帮助解释它的行为

Nikki Trost, an accountant from Minneapolis, was worried about her dog Bear, who suffered from mysterious fainting spells. 来自明尼阿波利斯的会计尼基·特罗斯特(Nikki Trost)很担心她的狗，贝尔，因为它经常莫名其妙地昏过去。

Trost had Bear checked out by a vet, but it was not until she ordered a DNA test that she learned her dog had a genetic mutation for something called exercise-induced collapse. 特罗斯特曾带贝尔去兽医那里检查过，但直到她进行了DNA测试，她才知道她的狗带有一种叫运动诱发崩溃的基因突变。

"We still take her to the dog park," says Trost. "We just make sure she isn't doing anything too extreme." “我们仍然会带她去狗公园，”特罗斯特说。“我们只是确保她没有做太极端的活动。”

The health finding was a bonus; Trost wanted the DNA test to confirm her suspicions that Bear was a German shepherd mix. 这一健康发现是一个意外收获；特罗斯特怀疑贝尔不是纯种德国牧羊犬，想通过DNA测试来确认。

She was wrong. Bear is part Labrador retriever, rat terrier, golden retriever, husky and Australian shepherd. 她错了。贝尔有拉布拉多猎犬，大鼠梗，黄金猎犬，哈士奇和澳大利亚牧羊犬的基因。

It turns out people aren't very good at judging dogs' genetic makeup. 事实证明，人们并不擅长判断狗的基因构成。

Elinor Karlsson, assistant professor of bioinformatics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recently conducted a survey in which respondents were asked to guess the ancestry, by looks alone, of 31 dogs. 马萨诸塞大学医学院(University of Massachusetts Medical School)生物信息学助理教授埃莉诺·卡尔松(Elinor Karlsson)最近进行了一项调查，调查对象要仅凭长相猜测31条狗的祖先。

Nearly 35,000 people participated. "Most did badly," says Karlsson. "The highest score was 50 percent, and that was achieved by only one person." 将近35000人参与调查。卡尔松说：“大多数人的表现都很糟糕。”“最高的分数是50%，只有一个人能做到。”

"Curiosity is the No. 1 driver for people to get their dog's DNA tested," according to Angela Hughes, veterinary geneticist at Wisdom Health, a genetic-research pet-care company that has tested more than 1 million dogs. “好奇心是人们测试狗狗DNA的头号动力，”安杰拉·休斯说。休斯是智慧健康(Wisdom Health)的一名兽类遗传学家，智慧健康是一家基因研究宠物护理公司，对100多万只狗进行了测试。

Its database has more than 250 breeds and varieties, plus 1,800 genetic markers for more than 150 diseases and traits. 它的数据库有250多个品种和种类，还有150多种疾病和性状的1800个遗传标记。

Owners swab their dogs' cheeks and send the sample to the company for analysis. 狗主人们用棉签擦拭狗的脸颊，然后将样本送到公司进行分析。

If the results are a surprise, well, it's not all about looks. 如果结果出人意料的话，那么，这并不仅是外貌的问题。

"Sometimes hidden breeds may not manifest physically but behaviorally," Hughes says. "Knowing what makes your dog tick can be helpful." 休斯说:“有时候隐藏的品种可能不会在身体上表现出来，而是在行为上表现出来。”“知道你的狗动力来自哪里非常有用。”

In the end, says Elinor Karlsson, "don't worry about fitting your dog into a box. It's not just DNA; it's also environment and the way your dog is treated. Your dog is one of a kind." 最后，埃莉诺·卡尔松说，“不要担心给你的狗归类。不仅仅是DNA；环境和你的狗被如何对待也有很大的作用。你的狗是独一无二的。”