There are more than 400 canine hereditary diseases, many of which have no genes that stand out as potential causes of disease. Thus, to identify those regions of the canine genome that are implicated in such diseases, a screen of the entire genome must be done. This is possible by characterizing specific repetitive sequences found throughout the canine genome on each chromosome. These sequences, termed microsatellite markers, can be typed to determine whether specific changes in the sequences of these markers are linked to the expression of disease. Characterization of these markers is costly, inefficient and time consuming. Multiplexing is the simultaneous characterization of multiple microsatellites, thereby reducing the cost and time required for a whole genome screen. Proposed here is multiplexing of specific microsatellite markers to expedite screens of the dog.