Embark Dog DNA Test for Purebred Dogs

Will your test show if a dog is part coyote?

The Embark Dog DNA Test Kit tests for over 200 dog breeds, even wolf, coyote, and village dog ancestry. You can find a full list of breeds on the manufacturer's website.

Is MDR1 included in this test?

The MDR1 Test is included.

Im looking to find out not only what breed my pup is but also if she is inbred. Will it tell me if shes inbred?

Embark also provides insights into inbreeding and genetic diversity. Inbreeding is a measure of how closely related your dog's parents were. The higher the inbreeding coefficient, the more closely related the parents. In general, higher inbreeding coefficients are associated with increased incidence of genetically inherited conditions.

How does the testing process work? Does it require a blood sample or vet visit?

A cheek swab and instructions will be mailed to you. By swabbing your dog's cheek, you can easily take a sample in under a minute at home, no blood required. Then all you have to do is mail us the sample in a provided pre-paid return envelope and your results will be available in a few weeks.

How long does it take?

Our typical turnaround time from when we get your test kit returned to us is 2-4 weeks.

Which breeds can you identify?

We test for over 350 breeds - and even wolf, coyote, dingo, and village dog ancestry. Together, these breeds cover over 98% of dogs in America. This is the only test that can test for village dogs, and we can distinguish where village dogs come from! For more information see the full list of breeds that we test for.

What exactly are village dogs?

Village dogs are the free-breeding, "outside" dogs found around the world living in and around human settlements big and small. They're also known as island dogs, pariah dogs, or free-ranging dogs. Many village dog populations precede the formation of modern breed dogs. They make up about 3/4s of the billion or so dogs living on Earth today. They serve as trash cleaners, sentinels, and even sometimes companions while still retaining much of their freedom. Embark's co-founders have studied village dogs on six continents since 2007 in their efforts to understand the history, traits, and health of the domestic dog. Through this work they have discovered the origins of the dog in Central Asia, and also identified genetic regions involved in domestication and local adaptation (did you know Himalayan dogs have a gene for high altitude adaptation?). Embark has the only dog DNA test that includes diverse village dogs from around the world in its breed reference panel.

How does Embark benefit my wallet?

Americans spend on average over $400 per dog in veterinary expenses each year, and this amount increases as a dog gets older. The Embark DNA test results helps you prepare in advance for numerous possible genetic health conditions, allowing you to take preventative steps to avoid costly treatments later on, and reducing the likelihood you'll face expensive bills for avoidable clinical or genetic tests later on if symptoms of these conditions develop in your dog.

How will my dog's results be given to me?

Your dog's results will be delivered online in easily understandable, interactive ways that guide you to understanding your dog and caring for them better. Additionally, we provide a Print Report, which is a PDF that can be downloaded or printed to share with others. You can also facilitate conversations with your veterinarian by printing your dog's Embark Veterinary Report. We encourage you to discuss your dog's results with your vet. You should not take any action based on our tests until you have discussed the results with your vet.

What does my dog's wolfiness score mean?

Only Embark is able to provide you with a wolfiness score for your dog. A higher wolfiness score does not mean your dog has recent wolf ancestry (this would be reflected in the breed results), but does mean your dog has some neat, ancient genetic variants! We look at divergent markers in those regions and assign each dog a "wolfiness" score. There are a couple dozen regions of the genome that scientists think were really important in dog domestication (called "candidate domestication regions" or CDR) because they have very different patterns of genetic diversity in dogs versus wolves.

Does access to my dog's relatives cost extra money?

Access to our Doggy DNA Relative Finder is free with the purchase of an Embark Dog DNA Test Kit.