2024 the best dog dna test review

Price: $199.00 - $149.00
(as of Nov 11, 2024 13:23:09 UTC - Details)

Product Description

Why dog DNA testing? Know your dog. Better.

At Embark, we’re all about bringing humans and their dogs closer together. Learn more about what makes your dog one of a kind with the most accurate dog DNA test on the market. Discover their breed ancestry, screen for health insights, find their relatives, see their family tree, and more.

It’s the perfect gift for any dog lover—the gift of knowing your best friend, better. Strengthen your bond with Embark, the dog DNA test trusted by millions of dog owners.

Product Features Get a full breakdown of your dog's breed mix

Test for over 350 breeds, with 99% breed ID accuracy. Includes Coyotes, Wolves, and Village Dogs.

Product Features Screen for over 270 health risks

Gain peace of mind and genetic health insights to help you give your dog the best care possible.

Product Features Finally, a tree they won't want to pee on

See how your dog's parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents contributed to their breed makeup.

Product Features Meet your dog's relatives

Find and connect with dogs who share your dog’s DNA with the world’s first canine relative finder.

Product Features See where your dog's ancestors lived and migrated

Trace the paths they traveled around the globe en route to your home.

1 Breed Mix

2 Health Screening

3 Family Tree

4 Relative Finder

5 Geographic Ancestry

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Health Insights

Included

Health Insights

Option to upgrade later

Health Insights

Not included

Traits

Included

Traits

Option to upgrade later

Traits

Not included

Breed Identification

Included

Breed Identification

Included

Breed Identification

Not included

Relative Finder & Ancestry

Included

Relative Finder & Ancestry

Included

Relative Finder & Ancestry

Not included

Estimated Age & Birthday

Not included

Estimated Age & Birthday

Not included

Estimated Age & Birthday

Included

How is Embark different from other dog DNA testing companies?

We’re proud to offer the most accurate dog DNA test on the market today. We invest in cutting-edge science to give you the most useful results. Every dog tested with Embark contributes to research that can help all dogs live longer, healthier lives.

Can I message my dog's relatives?

Yes! The Chat feature is available for dogs with privacy settings toggled to "Public" for breed data. To receive notifications about messages, visit your account Settings to turn message notifications on.

Can I access my dog’s raw data?

Yes! You can download your dog’s raw DNA data anytime after your dog’s results are ready. Once we receive your dog’s swab, it typically takes 2-4 weeks for us to process your dog’s swab.

What is a village dog?

They're free-ranging, free-breeding dogs whose ancestors were indigenous to a geographic area, pre-dating modern "breeds." Our co-founders have studied them on six continents since 2007 in their efforts to understand the history of the domestic dog!

What are Embark's privacy policies?

Nothing is shared without your permission. Sometimes, we share anonymized, aggregated data with research partners in an effort to better understand canine genetics. If you don't want to participate in that research, you can opt out during activation.

Know your dog. Better.

It all started with village dogs. Did you know that most of the dogs in the world are not descended from modern breeds? The majority of dogs in the world are a unique kind of dog, called village dogs.

Village dogs are free-ranging, free-breeding dogs whose ancestors were indigenous to a geographic area. To learn more about these special dogs, our founders spent years traveling the world and swabbing dogs in remote areas of Europe, Asia, and South America, along with a Cornell University-led research team. Through this work they discovered the origins of the dog in Central Asia, and also identified genetic regions involved in domestication and local adaptation. At Embark, we're proud to be the only dog DNA test that can identify village dogs, with the largest village dog reference panel of any canine genetics company.

Village dogs are important because they help us understand topics like where dogs came from, the history of domestic dogs, and how dogs and humans learned to live together. They were crucial to the rise of the modern breeds–and to the founding of Embark!

So, while a village dog does not have ancestry from modern breeds, their ancestors may have contributed to the founding of today’s dog breeds. Although they’re not recognized by kennel clubs as a breed, they are genetically identifiable, with many different village dog populations around the world. When we identify a dog as a village dog, it’s not because we can’t figure out what breeds are in the dog. Each type of village dog has a unique genetic signature that we can use to identify village dog ancestry.

What is a Supermutt? At Embark, we take pride in transparency. If a percentage of your dog’s breed mix doesn’t match any breeds in our database, or if it’s too small a percentage for us to be sure that it’s accurate, we’ll tell you. Other dog DNA tests may show other breeds in your dog’s results to make up that small percentage – breeds that may or may not actually be present.

“Supermutt” refers to a portion of ancestry that is from significantly far back in a dog’s family tree and therefore cannot be as confidently identified as more recently inherited breeds. Our ancestry algorithm works by finding identical segments of DNA between your dog and the purebred dogs in our reference dataset. These long identical stretches of DNA are more likely to reflect recent ancestry, whereas shorter segments reflect more distant ancestry.

Many dogs descend from other dogs that were themselves mixed breed. The further in the past, your dog has purebred ancestors, the smaller the identical DNA segments match our reference dataset are. In some cases, the best matches to our reference dataset are so small (reflecting very distant ancestry) that they can no longer be as confidently assigned to any one particular breed. Instead these are assigned to the “Supermutt” percentage. Within the “Supermutt” result, we provide insight into which breeds are most likely to be distant ancestors.

Why breed results can be surprising. Sometimes looks can be deceiving! And your dog’s breeds may not obviously match their appearance. While it’s fun to guess which breeds might make up your dog, visual breed identification is notoriously unreliable—studies have shown that visual breed ID is wrong over 80% of the time!. Less than 1% of a dog’s 20,000 genes impact appearance. There is so much variation among dogs in general that visual or behavioral ID is generally an unreliable way to diagnose a dog’s ancestry.

Even in single-breed dogs, it is ultimately several genetic trait results (and not necessarily their breed) that are responsible for appearance. While breeders tend to strive for consistency in several of these traits to match a breed standard, this in no way precludes the possibility of a surprising outcome in a single-breed puppy. Additionally, dogs with a single-breed result can sometimes have a very small percentage of DNA (about 1-5%) that represents a separate breed. These very small proportions are typically undetectable by a DNA test, but can yield some surprising looks in an otherwise single-breed dog.

Strengthen your bond with the dog DNA test trusted by millions of dog owners

The video showcases the product in use.The video guides you through product setup.The video compares multiple products.The video shows the product being unpacked.

Embark was founded by scientists with a passion for research and a lifelong love for dogs. An Embark Dog DNA Test kit provides valuable information about your dog with just a simple cheek swab. Embark is an official research partner of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.

Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.2 x 3.5 x 5.8 inches; 4 ounces
Date First Available ‏ : ‎ April 19, 2016
Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ Embark Veterinary
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01EINBA76

ACTIONABLE HEALTH INSIGHTS: Test for over 270 genetic health conditions and get actionable insights to help you give your pup the best care possible. Knowing if your dog is at higher risk for certain health conditions means you can intervene earlier and work with your veterinarian to create a personalized care plan. After receiving their test results, 37% of dog owners changed how they care for their dog.
MOST ACCURATE BREED IDENTIFICATION: Test for over 350 dog breeds including dingoes, coyotes, wolves, and village dogs. Using a research-grade genotyping platform developed in partnership with Cornell University of Veterinary Medicine, Embark offers the most accurate breed breakdown on the market.
TRAIT INSIGHTS THAT HELP YOU BE MORE PREPARED: Test for 55 physical traits. Size, coat, grooming needs — your dog's traits don't just make them adorable! Knowing their characteristics in advance, from how big your dog will become to how much they will shed, makes you a more informed and empowered pet owner.
WORLD'S FIRST CANINE RELATIVE FINDER: Find and connect with your dog's relatives. Uses patented technology to find your dog's family members based on their shared DNA. Nearly one million messages exchanged for countless happy reunions.
EXCELLENT SERVICE & FAST RESULTS: Have a question about your results? Just talk to one of our dedicated vets or geneticists — they’re ready with the answer. Embark generally delivers results in 2-4 weeks and keep you updated every step of the way.
Reviewer: Precise Disarray
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: fun process, loaded w/ helpful information, can find dogs relatives, WORTH IT
Review: I think it is worth it. Everyone has their own budgets so I dont factor in price in my rating. I was able to get this when on mega sale for $139.00 for the DNA & Health option. Fun process, loaded with info. Worth it.We recently adopted what I was expecting to be a Lab & Mountain Curr mix. Her photos appeared that way, and she looked to be a bigger puppy with expected adult weight of 60 lbs. I am used to big dogs(80-110lbs), so when my soul mate beloved girl English lab passed away recently at just 7 years old, I set out to look to adopt a dog for her surviving brother (another English lab). Saw a listing for an 11 weeks old "Lab Mountain Curr mix", her expression and details caught my interest and so I started the adoption process. She was in the south (rescue grabbed her from a kill shelter), I am in the north, they provide transport. Took a chance on sight unseen.5 weeks later, she arrived. Basically we were catfished. She is actually 9-10 months old, and her pics were recent. So what I thought was a 30 lb 11 week old was actually a 28 lb 9 month old. That makes her a small/ish dog, and that makes her nearly full grown! SO, my 110 lb dog has a new 30 lb small dog. Our life and yard is set up for big dogs, not small. Ah well. We are adjusting. My boy is thrilled to have a friend.Which brings us to, well what is she then? Labs tend to be larger to BIG, and Currs are medium to large with similar large weight ranges. What is this weird little dog?I sniffed around various DNA test brands. I ultimately went with Embark (love the name) because of the tie to Cornell University (in my neck of the woods). My vet scoffs at these tests, but for me I figure it is simply information. I learn something or I dont.I was basically curious, and I also wanted an idea what to look for in terms of play style, training, motivation, etc. I KNOW labs (and to lesser but sizable degree, Currs-- hence the perfect match up for me), but I dont know other breeds. I am not set up to have a dog that needs to herd sheep, nor do I have an agility course. I want to know what the propensity is for the breeds she may be, so I can tailor my style to what she may need. I want her to blossom. Her personality description seemed like a good fit, but since we were basically catfished on some info, who knows what else was left to discover? Hence, DNA test.Process was simple. Kit arrived very quickly. Just swab mouth with included tools, stick in tube, put in mailer (postage included), and mail it. They will contact you when kit has been picked up in mail, will contact when arrived. Will likely keep you informed of where they are at in the process and how long it will take. It feels more personal and professional. I got an early email saying they found a health red flag (potential back/neck disc issue). Then shortly after I got the full DNA & health results.There is a TON of information, down to nitty gritty details for the science nerds. Also super easy graphics for those less inclined for data. This info can also be shared easily, including info can be sent to your vet if you want.Nothing labrador related came up in results. She is basically a Super Mutt, not surprising. I was hoping for a little more standout on one breed, but the breeds that were sussed out are still small fractions. So 51% mega mutt (at least Mountain Curr is part of that), but for the 49%, that broke down into Beagle (12%), Great Pyrenese (10%---hilarious at her small size, but remember genotype differs from phenotype, AND her expect 40 lb weight means that she has big dog lineage). Then smaller % of boxer, golden retriever, german shepard, eskimo & collie. Oddly, I can kind of see it. Disappointed not to have lab in her. I know rescues always put "lab mix", but I really did expect it given her "angle wing" at her "shoulders".There are link to each breed so you can quicky and easily learn about each listed as part of genetic profile.Her expected adult weight is 40 lbs, which I concur with. I hope she gets bigger anyway.Main thing is that she is sweet. Doesn't have that deep intelligence that my English Labs have nor the deep soulful eyes, but I knew I was getting a mixed bag. It is an adjustment. Still learning about her, but now I have a little more framework to operate within.What I like is that this Embark info doesnt stop here. They have a robust website loaded with info, and you can share pics and videos, take quizzes, dive into resources specific to your doggo and dogs in general. If there are any dogs that are close in relationship to yours then you can make contact as they are likely related. Neat stuff. I hope to find some relatives.So please be sure to fill out as much info as you can, add some pics, and maybe you too will be able to connect with family members. Even if later down the line someone decided to do DNA kit with their dog, it they are a genetic match you will be able to find out.If you are skeptical and have the extra money, you could wait to shop a sale to get another one, or from another brand to compare. Though if I did that, Id probably get this brand again for true fidelity of results.

Reviewer: meagan dean
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Works great
Review: It was easy and results came fairly quickly. Very detailed as far as what we should be concerned about and what we didn't need to worry about!

Reviewer: Laurie Danielle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fun and Interesting - A Great Way to Know Your Canine Friend Better
Review: We adopted a puppy from the Humane Society and were told she was a lab/dachshund mix - well of course we had to see what she REALLY was because we all know that shelters love a lab + random dog, but rarely is that the case. We live in the South where pretty much all shelter dogs are part pitbull, so we expected some sort of pitbull mix. And lo, she was lab (and pitbull too, of course!). We had some surprises - shihtzu and terrier , but no dachshund at all. She turned out 5% Rottweiler, though! It was fun to see what her (large) super mutt was in part comprised of: chow-chow, American bulldog, chihuahua, and American Eskimo Dog. 😂 She’s a wonderful Heinz 57 All American, and 100% Good Girl. It was well worth the cost to be able to accurately tell people her mutty pedigree. The health report was all clear - so that gave us peace of mind. Loved the Embark kit - so easy and great fun! Would definitely do it for future shelter dogs.

Reviewer: Save a Life - Adopt A Pet
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Surprise results - glad we did Embark
Review: We adopted a 2-3 yr old rescue, who was believed to be mostly Yellow Labrador Retriever. As you can see in her photo, she looks like an English Pale Yellow Lab, with the same size (71 lbs), blocky head, otter tail and body. But, her ears are smaller, higher, with spotted vs ombre tips, her eyes are smaller & almond-shaped, her muzzle fur is thin, with freckled skin, and she has no undercoat. She is also very mellow & reserved, low-energy & less playful than a Lab, and has minimal interest in food or treats. She also has behaviors like nocturnal roaming indoors & barking at night, and her bark & whine are very different than any of our past dogs (Labs, German Shepherds, Husky, Hound). As a rescue, her health history & that of her parents is unknown. We've had other dogs that developed life-altering or fatal issues due to genetic issues, that could have been avoided or better & less expensively treated if uncovered earlier via DNA screening. So, we decided to do a DNA test to learn more about this dog's breed mix and heath. We decided on Embark after reading several reviews in Wirecutter and on other sites, which compared results between Embark and other brands. Another factor was that Embark works with Cornell, not just to have the latest, most relevant technology and scientific information, but to contribute results & info from tested dogs to Cornell to help with research on canine health and traits that can help improve and develop care and medical treatments to benefit all dogs.Collecting my dog's DNA sample was extremely easy to do. We created our Embark account to activate the test code when we opened the box, took the sample, and put it in our mailbox. Embark actually sent us an email the next day, shortly after it picked up & brought to our local post office, to let us know that it was enroute and being tracked by them in the postal system. A few days later we received another email, letting us know that they'd received the package and would start processing on the next business day. Then another, telling us when processing began. About 2 weeks later, our first results - breed - were ready, and 2 days after that, we received her health results. Big surprises!First, Embark was very accurate re:her physical traits. I didn't provide any photo or info, other than her estimated age & sex. They got her exact size, coloring - even the faint fawn spots - coat & fur length and texture, dew claws, eye, nail & nose colors, weight, tail, etc. The breed results were very helpful, and surprising to us, the rescue, and our vet. Based on her ears, face, deep "woof" and nocturnal barking, we speculated she might have a trace of Kuvasz, or even, way back, Great Pyrenees. Her muzzle, with with freckled skin & thin fur, and smaller, almond eyes, made us wonder about American Bulldog, Staffordshire, Bull, Jack Russell or Pitbull Terrier, or even Beagle. Embark identified two genetic health issues, one that she only carries, so we don't have to address, since she is neutered. The other, though, affects her, and is important for our vet to know if she develops certain illnesses or injuries, or needs certain medications. Knowing will allow it to be monitored easily at her annual check-ups, and allow us to avoid treatments, diets or medications which could aggravate it and make her seriously ill or damage her liver.The breed results were the biggest surprise. She is only 12.9% Lab! As well as 12.9% each Australian Cattle Dog, Pit Bull, and Hungarian Komondor. But she she is 50% Great Pyrenees. It was really neat to see the breakdown that Embark did of parents/grandparents/great-grandparents. Everything about makes sense now. The area where she was found is rural farm country, where Great Pyrenees, and a few Komondors, are popular on farms as livestock guardians, bred to roam the perimeter of farms & pastures at night, discouraging predators, warning herds/flocks & alerting caretakers by barking, then resting in the daytime. It makes us think she likely resulted from a stray mix + pure bred GP mom, and spent her puppyhood in such an environment, learning to be a guardian/herder.Knowing this helped remendously inunderstanding and successfully addressing behaviors like herding & nighttime barking that are purposely bred into those breeds. It also helped us adjust how we interact with her, and her training. After years of Labs & other breed mixes, we were used to dogs that easily & quickly trained using food motivation, and who were more excitable, active, affectionate & playful. And now we know where her freckled ears & nose come from!She is a very sweet, wonderful dog, and Embark's health & breed results provided info that let us know what potential health issues we need to work with our vet to watch for, and that we needed to adjust her diet to keep her weight healthy, as well as adapting our routines & training methods to better her suit her dominant Great Pyrenees breed. It's really made a difference. Instead of trying to control & train her behaviour like our other dogs, we worked with her instincts, recognizing her need to do the job she was bred for, that her breed has done for thousands of years. Within 2 weeks, her "new rescue" adjustment period stress was *gone*, her nocturnal barking & whining was 99% ended, and we communicated better, understanding why she needs a "last call" late night walk in the yard & around the house, and that she responds to calm, gentle acknowledgement & ear rubs vs stern correction or training treats.

Reviewer: Myra
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fast shipping
Review: Fast shipping, detailed and easy to use instructions, only downside is they don’t seem to have and app and it takes a while for results to get back..

Reviewer: Amazon_Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I decided to get my pup dna tested and I chose embark as they are the most accurate and most reliable canine dna test on the market.I am in the UK, so I expected it to take quite a while to receive the results considering that embark is based in America, but it actually only took just over 3 weeks, which is shorter than what was estimated.First I had to swab my dog, which was pretty easy as my girl just wants to put everything in her mouth lol. Then I had to send it off, which I did using the pre paid envelope included in the kit, as Embark states on their website if purchased from Amazon UK, you can use the envelope supplied and it will be sent to their UK warehouse, and then rerouted to their lab in the USA.After I sent it, it took 2 days to be received in the UK warehouse, and then just under 2 weeks to arrive at the lab. A week after it was received at the lab I was emailed the results.We were told that my girl was a german shepherd x belgian malinois mix, with her mum being a pedigree german shepherd. And her dad being a working Malinois cross. Her results came back 60% german shepherd, 20% Belgian Malinois, and 20% dutch herder, which all make sense. She also came back with completely clear health so it was well worth doing just for that.The only things that I would say don't seem completely accurate are the family tree, the weight estimate, and the relative match.On my dog's family tree, her mother is listed as having a belgian malinois mix grandparent, which I know is incorrect as her mum has a pedigree to prove it. It does have a disclaimer however, that the family tree displayed is just what the algorithm determined was most likely, and that it is not the only possible one. So I would take this with a pinch of salt.The adult weight estimate also seems to be off, my girl is only 10 months old and weighs 92 lbs, yet it predicted that her adult weight would be 63 lbs. After looking other dog's results online, most of the weight estimates seem to be incorrect by quite alot.The relative match is not necessarily incorrect, but is not explained very well. For example my girl matched with alot of purebred German shepherds that embark claims are "close relatives" as they share 35-36% of her dna, even though it says this for every single pure German shepherd I compared her with, and they are definitely not all "close relatives". After speaking with other people online, apparently this is the case with most dogs that are primarily a breed that's known to have low diversity. But it is somewhat misleading to say a dog is another dog's "close relative" when they are actually no more related then any two dogs of that breed. The actual shared dna percentage is seemingly off too.So it definitely has it's flaws, but is still definitely the most reliable compared to the other tests that are available, and the actual parts of the test that matter are reliable. If you want to find out your dog's breed, I would definitely recommend.

Reviewer: HML
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Overall, this DNA test was easy to use, and the results were interesting and informative.We adopted a rescue dog from the SPCA a few months ago, and wanted to know her breed and any health concerns that we should talk to our vet about. I researched a bunch of the different options, and although this one was the most expensive, it seemed to receive a lot of praise for accuracy and information, so I purchased it. And I wasn't disappointed.The test was one simple swab in the dogs cheek for 1 minute. I would suggest having someone help and hold up a treat so you get a lot of saliva. Then you close the cap, shake the bottle for 10 seconds and send it back in the exact same package it came from with postage already paid.It took a few weeks to get the full results, but we got updates along the way (the package had arrived, it was in processing etc). And the results were very informative - we found out our rescue dog is a purebred. It also listed probable siblings or parents (with more than 45% DNA match), as well as a long list of relatives (which from my understanding can usually only be done with purebreds). It also identified some possible problems we should tell our vet about.All in all, a great test and highly recommended.

Reviewer: Victoria F
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Very good customer service. Quick reply to queries. Timelines were exceeded. The test results are easy to understand and very comprehensive

Reviewer: Florian Mayer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Very happy with the product and the handling. Fast delivery (US to AU in 1 week), fast processing (3 weeks). Useful and cheery email updates along the way. The results are presented in a very accessible prose. Although we managed to contaminate the swab with a few bits of beef liver treats, the analysis seemed to have worked (otherwise our dog would have come out as like 20% cow).This test achieved three goals:* Screen for hereditary diseases, estimate treatment cost, compare to pet insurance premiums/cover and estimate whether pet insurance will be worth the investment (in our case for a completely healthy puppy - likely not).* As a bday present for my wife, she was super happy to learn more about our rescue puppy. The photos and character descriptions of our puppy's relatives on the embark website are a delight!* The daily, hour-long discussions about which dog breeds look similar to our puppy and what breeds she might be a mix of now have found a satisfying resolution.This test is definitely good value for very young dogs to evaluate pet insurance ROI. If hereditary conditions are found, early treatment can give your pup a longer, healthier life.

Reviewer: bradford Ramage
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Painless process, fun to get some insight into his breed(s) a few people guessed correct, the health info was great, they nailed his weight and shedding haha. note if you are mailing from canada you may have to top up the postage.