Embark Breed Identification DNA Test for Dogs

We are a Border Collie family with 30 years of experience with the unique and highly intelligent breed. We rescued a 3yr Border Collie that has one blue eye, and while many BCs have blue eyes these days, we wanted to see if there was some Aussie in our dog's past, for eye health reasons. After researching DNA test options here on Chewy we decided to go with Embark, ordered and administered the test, just as the instructions detailed. When the results came in, we were completely shocked. Not only was there no Aussie shown within the results, neither was Border Collie!! After a lengthy discussion with Embark, their bottom line is "Phenotype (physical appearance) and genotype (genetic readout We are a Border Collie family with 30 years of experience with the unique and highly intelligent breed. We rescued a 3yr Border Collie that has one blue eye, and while many BCs have blue eyes these days, we wanted to see if there was some Aussie in our dog's past, for eye health reasons. After researching DNA test options here on Chewy we decided to go with Embark, ordered and administered the test, just as the instructions detailed. When the results came in, we were completely shocked. Not only was there no Aussie shown within the results, neither was Border Collie!! After a lengthy discussion with Embark, their bottom line is "Phenotype (physical appearance) and genotype (genetic readout) do not always correlate. While a dog may have all the characteristics of a breed-standard dog within a breed, they may still have the genetic DNA of a different breed or breeds altogether." Embark supposedly accounted for our Border Collie's DNA 100% with the following breeds which cannot be combined to produce a dog even resembling a Border Collie: Labrador Retriever, Rottweiler, American Staffordshire Terrier, Pekingese, German Shepherd, Boxer, Pomeranian, Dalmatian, Chow Chow, and Standard Collie. Any highly regarded breed expert would agree that we have a BC, yet the breeds Embark told us our dog's DNA is made up of, simply cannot be combined to produce a 22”, mostly black, medium dual-coated dog, with 4 white socks, a white cap on its tail, a white chest and collar, with a white blaze up its nose. You can breed other dogs together to get a hairy black and white dog, but the distinctive BC markings, not to mention the breed's well-known intelligence, do not happen by chance. Something is amiss. … more

This was the 3rd test we tried, the 1st seemed way off base, the 2nd seemed to have gotten lost in the mail so they canceled it and told us to request a refund from Chewy, Embark was the 3rd shot at it. We got the results earlier than anticipated and they seemed to make sense. I always said Bella had Chinese Shar-pei in her and indeed she does. They also give you a breakdown of what they call "supermutt" which are the mixes that they can't 100% identify. They give you a family tree going back several generations. We are very satisfied with the results, they are very believable and make sense. If I wanted to do a doggie dna test in the future I would go with Embark.

My wife and I rescued two adorable puppies. At first glance, it appeared they had some Chihuahua mix, but we did not know for sure and what was the mix. Well, Embark settled our concerns and questions and we now know for sure that both of our puppies have 30% or slightly more of Chihuahua and we now also know what is their other 70% mix and this also explains their behavior and physical appearances.

I've used other dog DNA kits before that were not accurate unless you used a blood draw. Or they didn't break down the breeds to the level that Embark does. I have done 4 DNAs with Embark...and it's always interesting to see what new relatives come up. Two of my dogs have show lines in their DNA and a fluke that my new Schnauzer from a rescue group, came up as related to my Schnauzer that passed away. He was also from a rescue 10 years ago. I ran the angel boy's DNA shortly before he died to find relatives due to his heart condition.

We adopted our dog in Korea, so we knew it was going to be somewhat of a gamble trying to figure out what she was, but the test ended up being a big disappointment. The process is fine, and I'm sure it's more interesting for domestic dogs, but I definitely don't recommend it if you adopted your dog from Asia. Being told she is 100% a "Korean and Japanese village dog" just seems lazy, especially since Japan and Korea are two very different, unconnected countries, so I don't understand why they are lumped together in the first place. Again, the test, the process, the customer service was all fine, just felt like a waste of money with the results we got.

I loved that Embark kept me in the loop from the box being mailed to me and then back to them for processing. Every stage they kept updating. Final results and relatives were shocking. My boy is a acceptable purebred in some Kennel Clubs. I love that they show you close relatives and able to indirectly contact them. So fun! My boy is actually related to my best friend’s pup. Crazy

It's a cool thing to do when you aren't sure what mix you're shelter dog is. While it was fun to guess and tell people Basil was likely a Dutch shepherd, I was pleasantly surprised that she was not. The embark test goes beyond results. I love getting emails about other dogs that could be related or are the same % make up of her breeds. It's really neat.

I am so glad to know about what mix my dog is it makes sense of a lot of her personality traits and now i can learn about those traits of what she is she was a rescue so I dn't know anything about her parents this helps so much thank you for helping the K9 world and letting me understand my dog better so I can care for her better and give her the best life I can I recommend any one who adopts a dog or rescue do this dna test

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this DNA test due to poor reviews of multiple different brands of tests. I purchased this test and submitted the swab without any details about my dog.I received the results showing he is 64% lab and 36% Australian cattle dog which is a bread I had never heard of. I Googled pictures and they are spot on. Very happy with the results.

More of us are choosing to rescue rather than go to a breeder and often the shelter or rescue makes a guess about the pup’s breed(s) that is wrong. Embark can give you a better idea that can explain why your pup is the way he or she looks and behaves. Bedsides it is fun to find out.