The Best Dog DNA Test – The New York Times

We independently review everything we recommend. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more›
FYI
In mid-2021 Embark upgraded its Breed + Health Kit to cover more breeds and traits. We’ve updated this guide to reflect the new results and testing protocol, but our picks haven’t changed.
If your pup’s parentage is perplexing, a dog DNA test could reveal its ancestry. These tests use your dog’s saliva (and the thousands of DNA markers within it) to tell you which breeds make up its family tree. We dug into 17 products, consulted five genetics experts, and collected slobber from five dogs to find that Embark Breed + Health Kit’s sizable breed database, wide array of inherited-disease screenings, and reliable customer support mark it as the best dog DNA test.
Embark has a comprehensive breed database, screens for more genetic diseases than its rivals, and has reliable customer service.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
Embark’s breed database covers most dogs recognized by the American Kennel Club, as well as some street dogs and the gray wolf. The company says its breed results are 95% to 99% accurate. And Embark analyzes twice as many genetic markers as the competition, leading to more-accurate results, our experts say. The genetic-disease detection tool screens for over 200 mutations, more than any kit we tested. Yet there’s no government oversight of the industry, so the genetic tests aren’t independently verified. Still, we appreciate Embark’s policy of contacting pet owners about worrisome results, which the competitors did not do. The website is easy to navigate and features a shareable dashboard and downloadable report, so sharing results is seamless.
Advertisement
Wisdom Panel Premium identifies more AKC-registered breeds than any kit we tested. Also, it’s cheaper, and the turnaround time is quicker than with other kits. But Wisdom Panel uses fewer genetic markers in its tests than the competition, so we don’t think the results are as accurate.
The Wisdom Panel Premium kit is the best option if you have a mixed-breed dog that’s suspected to be of a breed uncommon in the United States. This service tests for 350 different breeds, including the coyote, the Mexican street dog, and the wolf. However, Wisdom Panel analyzes fewer DNA markers in your pet’s saliva than Embark, so we don’t think the results are as accurate overall. (Wisdom Panel previously claimed a 93% accuracy rate, but at the time of writing, it no longer discloses that information because “it simply does not give consumers the whole picture,” according to a spokesperson.) Wisdom Panel also tests for 211 different genetic diseases, yet it may hide “at risk” results for some dogs without informing their owners because it considers the findings irrelevant. (And though Wisdom Panel quickly responds to customers, its answers aren’t always consistent.) Finally, Wisdom Panel doesn’t allow customers to share results through a web portal, something that is vital for social-media-obsessed pet owners.
Embark has a comprehensive breed database, screens for more genetic diseases than its rivals, and has reliable customer service.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
Wisdom Panel Premium identifies more AKC-registered breeds than any kit we tested. Also, it’s cheaper, and the turnaround time is quicker than with other kits. But Wisdom Panel uses fewer genetic markers in its tests than the competition, so we don’t think the results are as accurate.
I’m Wirecutter’s pets writer, and I’ve covered everything from the best automatic litter boxes to the top questions to ask your vet. I’m also a lifelong pet owner who’s curious about the truth behind pet DNA kits.
In researching this guide, I spoke with Dr. Brenda Bonnett, a veterinarian and the CEO of the International Partnership for Dogs, an organization dedicated to scientific collaboration in the canine research community and the standardization of genetic testing for dogs. I attended a webinar and discussed the validity of genetic testing with Dr. Jessica Hekman, a veterinarian and postdoctoral associate at the Karlsson Lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, who specializes in the genomic behavior of dogs. I also consulted experts at two leading dog DNA test companies: Dr. Angela Hughes, a veterinary geneticist at Wisdom Health, and Adam Boyko, PhD, co-founder and chief science officer of Embark Veterinary and an associate professor at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Biomedical Sciences. And I spoke with Leslie A. Lyons, PhD, the head of the Feline Genetics and Comparative Medicine Laboratory at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine. She’s a leader in feline genetics and often consults on consumer cat genetic test kits. She was also part of the original team at the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory that pioneered DNA-based ancestry tests for animals.
I also fetched a panel of five dogs (and their owners) to test each DNA kit we evaluated. And I spent two months boning up on canine genetics, speaking with customer service representatives, and consulting my dog’s veterinarian for advice.
When I see a dog of an unfamiliar breed, I play a private game of “Guess Who?” and try to match its features to various breed characteristics: That dog’s chest is shaped like a wasp, so maybe it’s part whippet. But it also has a saddle coat and a long muzzle; maybe it has some German shepherd, too.
Guessing a dog’s background can be entertaining, but its appearance may be the greatest con in the animal kingdom. “We really like to play the [guessing] game,” said Dr. Jessica Hekman, a veterinarian and dog genomics expert, during a recent lecture. “It’s funny how we interpret how dogs look, and how it doesn’t necessarily have a whole lot to do with what’s in there.” Appearances are so confusing that even dog experts are outwitted. In a 2012 study of 100 shelter dogs that surveyed 5,922 dog professionals, the professionals correctly guessed a dog’s prominent breed just 27% of the time. And a 2015 study across four shelters reported that DNA tests determined one in five dogs were pit bull mixes, while staff had guessed that half the dogs were pit bulls. (Both studies used Wisdom Panel technology.)
If experts fail so spectacularly at interpreting dogs’ appearances, there’s little hope for the rest of us. Facebook groups like This is BS and Embark Has A Personal Vendetta Against Me and Sounds like Wisdom Panel results, but okay poke fun at the shocking, Maury Povich–esque paternity reveals.
To determine breed results, a dog DNA testing company collects a sample from a subject and loads the information onto a DNA reader, known as a chip. Then it genotypes the sample along targeted gene points, known as markers. A computer algorithm reads the markers and identifies billions of possible ancestry combinations before interpreting the most accurate solution. Finally, the lab spits out the solution to a mixed-breed dog’s mix. (Pet owners may pay an additional $50 to $100 for inherited-disease detection.)
These breed ancestry DNA tests are different from similar tests marketed specifically to breeders. The latter are sometimes more affordable, but they’re too specific and granular for most people. For example, the American Kennel Club offers a $45 DNA test (which doesn’t identify the breed of the dog but rather its exact parentage) as a way of supporting the club’s breeding program and confirming AKC registration. Embark and Wisdom Panel (through Optimal Selection) both offer a variant of their tests for breeders. These also won’t tell you what breed of dog you have; they instead offer genetic health testing relevant to an already-known breed. And they will give you information on a breed’s physical traits, as well as help you avoid inbreeding.
The AKC cautions pet owners about using consumer-brand dog genetic tests to make health-related predictions for their dogs, because the results leave substantial room for interpretation. The AKC says the “correlation [to disease] doesn’t mean causation, so a gene that often occurs with a particular disease might not cause it.” The group suggests considering the dog’s lineage, in addition to the test results, to gain a better understanding of potential health risks for your pup. (Wirecutter adds that a responsible breeder should be willing to discuss the results with you prior to your committing to a dog.)
Breeder opinion on these consumer-facing products is mixed. In online forums, some say they use Embark for verifying the health status of a dog, while others cite the price and slow processing times as barriers. Some breeders also prefer more traditional, already-established and trusted testing companies, such as the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals and the AKC.
If you’re in the process of buying a dog from a breeder (either to get an AKC breed or a mix that’s in high demand), breed ancestry DNA tests can be a useful tool for confirming what the seller is telling you before you spend a large sum on a pup. (Some breeders do test their litters before selling their pups, to identify preferred genetic traits and to limit inbreeding.) If you and the breeder are both prepared to wait the requisite three weeks or so for the results, a test can confirm that your labradoodle is in fact half “labra” and half “doodle” and at limited risk for commonly inherited diseases. But keep in mind that some of the results won’t always be 50/50 for designer dogs (thanks to genetics) or may include results from related dogs in the breed group—the genetic lineage of dogs is long, and the breeding record is less so.
If, based on your dog’s looks, you think you have some idea of its breed, understand that the answer may be surprising. And if you’re just plain curious about the breed composition of your mutt, mixed-breed, shelter, or designer dog (not that it will make you love them any more or less, of course), there are solid options that can provide a clearer picture of your pup’s genetic background.
We sniffed out 17 different dog DNA testing services and ranked their DNA collection methods, turnaround times, the number of detectable breeds, the number of DNA markers they use to interpret results, and the type of information that’s revealed. Then we limited testing to four contenders: DNA My Dog’s DNA Breed Identification Test Plus Health Plan, Embark Breed + Health Kit, Find My Pet DNA, and Wisdom Panel Health.
In 2019, we assembled a panel of dogs of different ages, sizes, breed appearances, and medical histories: one American Kennel Club Chihuahua and four mixed-breed dogs from across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Then we assessed how user-friendly each service’s website was, the collection method, the turnaround time, how detailed the results were, how robust the databases were, the number of genetic markers they used, the price, and whether the company invested in further genetic research. Finally, dogs with anomalies in their genetic health reports received follow-up consultations with their veterinarians so we could compare the results.
In 2021, we tested the new Wisdom Panel Premium with two of the mixed-breed dogs from our original panel. And we compared the results to those of the company’s older product, Wisdom Panel Health, as well as to those of our main pick, Embark Breed + Health Kit.
Dog genetic-testing companies are only as good as the science behind them. None of the companies we spoke with offered specifics into their testing (citing proprietary concerns), and they offered generic overviews instead. Embark and Wisdom Panel both said they use the latest human genetics science to test each dog’s DNA. But, as we found when covering human ancestry tests, big companies rely on algorithms to estimate ancestry percentages—so there’s no way to know their accuracy for sure. Plus, dog breeds are a new-ish invention, and many breeds are closely related (such as the Siberian husky and the Alaskan malamute). You must also consider respective data pool sizes, as well as how many DNA markers (data points) labs use to identify what type of dog you have. Thus, breed reports across labs can get murky really fast.
When a pet owner receives the results, a dog’s breed composition is broken into percentages. We compared findings between Embark and Wisdom Panel, and the top breed result matched 80% of the time during our 2019 testing. When the breed breakdowns got into smaller digits, typically less than a quarter of their heritage, results were nebulous. Some Embark breakdowns listed six breeds, and Wisdom Panel listed just three. And when the two agreed on a dog’s overall makeup, they didn’t always align on just how much of each breed was in its genetic code.
Hekman, the veterinarian and genomics expert at the Karlsson Lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, confirmed that percentage breakdowns are a gray area. “Some of these bits are so small that it’s hard for the computer to make a good guess,” she said. “In my laboratory we definitely don’t trust it below 5%.” She believes companies that use more genetic markers are probably more accurate than labs that use fewer markers. This is why Embark’s results (using 200,000 markers) are usually the most detailed and combine breed results that are less than 5% of a dog’s lineage as “supermutt” listings. Comparatively, Wisdom Panel (using 100,000 markers) will include breeds that are just 1% of your pet’s background; this is more granular, but it doesn’t mean it’s more accurate. We prefer Embark’s approach because our expert said that reporting information down to 1% isn’t any more accurate than 5%, since at those low levels it’s hard to be really sure what breed they come from.
Our experts agreed that the accuracy in breed ancestry will improve as technology advances. (For example, one panelist tested their pup with Wisdom Panel three times in five years and received refined yet different results.) To see what the technology reported on our pups at the time of writing, view the breakdowns, below.
Your feline’s genetic code is a mess when it comes to figuring out their family. Cats are far more difficult to identify by breed than dogs, because their DNA is much less diverse.¹ And historically, a lot of what we consider to be cat “breeds” have intermixed with random cats frequently and repeatedly, further muddying the genetic waters. Currently, the UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, which was among the first to offer genetic testing, can trace cat lineage back to eight geographic regions, rather than to specific breeds. But if there are similarities between your cat and one of the 29 breeds that the laboratory has sequenced within those regions, it will tell you which ones are closely related to your cat.
Wirecutter identified nine additional labs that offer cat health screening, ancestry, or kitty paternity tests commonly used by breeders. Basepaws is a newcomer to the market, targeting pet owners of mixed-breed cats. Currently, Basepaws tests for only 21 different breeds, and it stresses that “analysis does not necessarily mean that there was a pedigreed cat in your cat’s ancestry.” Basepaws also doesn’t test for all known cat breeds and admits to needing “many more samples” for its database.
Similarly, Wisdom Panel recently launched Wisdom Panel Complete for Cats. It tests for more than 70 cat breeds, plus dozens of genetic conditions and traits. The company also says it can’t guarantee reporting a cat’s exact lineage, citing, “the breed(s) detected may be representative of the background of a genetically related breed rather than the one reported.” Plus, the collected genetic markers come only from cats within the United States and Europe, severely limiting the reference pool for cat owners.
We don’t believe the results of either test are accurate enough, so we’ve elected to shelve testing them for now.
Embark has a comprehensive breed database, screens for more genetic diseases than its rivals, and has reliable customer service.
*At the time of publishing, the price was $150.
The Embark Breed + Health Kit leads the pack for both its sizable breed database and the robust list of genetic health conditions it reviews. In addition, the service was founded by faculty of the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine and is committed to canine research. Embark also has strong customer support.
Embark features a comprehensive dog-breed database including most breeds that are common in the United States. Embark reliably tests for more than 360 different breeds; this includes 90% of the 208 breeds in the American Kennel Club database. It also tests for breeds not accepted by the AKC, such as seven types of street dogs from around the world, the American pit bull terrier, the coyote, the dingo, the gray wolf, the Koolie, and the Volpino Italiano. To confirm the results, Embark’s computers test about 256 quadrillion different genetic ancestry combinations, and its scientists manually cross-check suspicious results. Its proprietary process means the breed results are 95% to 99% accurate, claimed Dr. Adam Boyko, Embark’s co-founder and chief science officer.
Breed ancestry isn’t the only driving force for some pet owners. The genetic health results can calm a pet owner’s fears regarding their dog, or it can theoretically help them plan for a future diagnosis or medical expenses, if health results are troubling. (For real peace of mind, pet insurance is a better bet.) Embark screens for over 200 different genetic diseases, but it wouldn’t confirm the exact number. Comparatively, Wisdom Panel tests for 211 diseases, and DNA My Dog’s Nextgen Breed Identification and Genetic Age Test evaluates for more than 100 genetic diseases, although we tested only the breed component for this guide. Boyko said Embark’s inherited-disease screening results are 99.99% accurate.
Robust genetic-health testing sounds intriguing, but “please take them with a grain of salt,” cautioned Hekman, the canine genomics expert at the Karlsson Lab at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. “They’re completely unregulated. The link between the test result and the disease is weak.” Currently, the Food and Drug Administration, which oversees animal drugs, food, and medical devices, doesn’t regulate the pet genetic-testing industry. Pet genetics researchers who are critical of the testing industry, including another author from the Karlsson Lab, found no independent studies on how accurate dog DNA tests are. But a Genetics in Medicine report revealed that results from human genetic-testing companies were inaccurate 40% of the time.
So I remained skeptical of the health results we received for this guide. Two of the five dogs we tested were reported as being carriers of degenerative myelopathy, a debilitating spinal cord disorder. (Both dog test subjects were desexed, so passing it down wasn’t a concern.) And Embark didn’t corroborate that Sparky, our 20-year-old pup, had kidney disease, an ailment she was diagnosed with four years ago. But Sparky’s vet later confirmed that her disease was age related and not hereditary.
I also received an email from an Embark geneticist about my dog Sutton’s results hours before they were officially released. The geneticist said Sutton was at risk for dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), one of the most common adult-onset heart diseases in dogs. But published research into the DCM gene, known as PDK4, has focused only on 90-pound purebred Doberman pinschers, so my 9-pound dog’s risk of developing DCM was relatively low. Regardless, they offered to chat if I had any questions. (As of writing time, if your dog has genetic markers for a particular disease, Embark will let you know, even if your pet’s breed breakdown means the disease is unlikely to be a problem.)
The results were further muddled when Wisdom Panel reported that Sutton was not at risk for the disease. (In light of the discrepancy, Embark’s veterinary geneticist offered a free retest.) Wisdom Panel later confirmed that Sutton did test positive for that specific mutation, but its policy is to hide the findings for any dog that isn’t a Doberman or Doberman mix.
“The correlation to actual clinical disease is not supported in the vast majority of these breeds,” said Dr. Angela Hughes, a former veterinary geneticist at Wisdom Health, Wisdom Panel’s parent company. “It’s basically what we consider a false positive,” she said, adding that there are no plans to disclose these results in the future.²
In light of the results, Sutton’s veterinarian recommended an echocardiogram, an ultrasound of the heart. The ultrasound was negative for signs of DCM. Her vet warned that she may develop heart disease as a senior dog, and they suggested tracking Sutton’s health with extra bloodwork during annual wellness exams. But neither Sutton’s veterinarian nor the echo sonographer consulted Embark when giving this advice, which is something our experts encouraged.
Whatever the findings, Embark makes it easy to nerd out over your dog’s genetic results by revealing more information—in an easy-to-read format—than any kit we tested. The dog’s breed composition is broken into percentages, and results that are less than 5% of the dog’s genetic code are combined as a “supermutt” listing (unless there’s a closely related breed that’s already present in the results, in which case those small percentages will be added to their near neighbor). There’s also a family tree that goes back three generations, to the “great grandparents.” The genetic health results specify either “at risk,” “carrier,” or “clear” statuses for the more than 200 diseases it reviews. And there’s an inbreeding score, 25 trait markers, predicted adult weight (which was 5 to 10 pounds greater than our panelists’ actual weights in 2019), a “genetic human age,” a “wolfiness” score, and even a list of doggy relatives, just like with human ancestry tests.
View each dog’s dashboard for yourself: our control dog, Sephora, and our mixed-breed dogs Gus, Sparky, Sutton, and Swanson.
Embark sponsors the International Partnership for Dogs, a consortium standardizing dog genetic-testing services. Partners of IPFD disclose their accreditation, mishandling protocols, licenses and patents, and their genetic-testing list to increase transparency in an unregulated industry.
Embark’s dedication to scientific openness is twofold, since it also partners with researchers to better understand canine genetics. In October 2018, Embark published the culmination of one such study in PLOS Genetics, using 6,000 canine participants, and found a chromosomal link to blue eyes in Siberian huskies. It may seem obvious that there’s a genetic component, but researchers say the proof was abstract at best. They believe large-scale canine genetic testing like this can potentially unlock the genetic basis of aging, behavior, and even cancer.
When discussing medical privacy, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (also known as HIPAA, the piece of legislation that safeguards a person’s medical data) immediately comes to mind. But there’s no equivalent in the pet world. Yet Embark says its privacy policy is modeled after HIPAA and that it doesn’t disclose any information without owner consent. However, dogs are opted in to genetic research (the information is anonymized), and users may opt out by changing their privacy settings.
Pet owners can also share results with third parties without granting them account access. They can view a certificate or the full report, email the report to their vet, or download the raw genetic data. Pet owners can also share an interactive dashboard and hide from view any sections, such as the family tree or health results. Geneticists are also available to consult with a pet owner’s veterinarian so they can better understand the results.
Embark’s support team was transparent and thorough in its responses. Most emails were answered within one business day, and sometimes sooner. And phone wait times were less than five minutes. We also valued Embark’s proactive approach when a veterinary geneticist emailed us ahead of time to explain that Sutton was “at risk” for a life-threatening disease. Their offer to reconfirm the results, when Wisdom Panel didn’t report the same gene mutation, was also stellar.
Comparatively, DNA My Dog and Find My Pet DNA weren’t as forthcoming when we asked representatives about their products (they either couldn’t provide database breed counts or how many genetic markers they use). And at the time of writing, one email from Find My Pet DNA had gone unanswered for more than 30 days.
Embark has the largest collection wand of any DNA test we reviewed, and that can likely feel uncomfortable inside a small dog’s mouth. The swab itself looks like a Q-tip and is approximately four times larger than other swabs we used in this guide. Our testers with dogs under 20 pounds said it was difficult to fit the swab between their dogs’ cheeks and gums.
The collection instructions were also confusing. Embark has the pet owner swab the inside of the dog’s cheek and under the tongue for 30 to 60 seconds, then enclose the swab in a stabilizing solution tube and mail back the kit using a prepaid box. But Embark offers three versions of printed instructions (the box, a cardboard insert, and a plastic storage bag), and each was slightly different. “I think having a single set of instructions printed on the box would be much clearer and leave less room for confusion,” said Aviva Johnson, a Wirecutter software engineer and Swanson’s owner. (Since writing time, Embark has updated its packaging, and we’ll review it when we next update this guide.)
To see if we could trip up Embark’s breed services, we selected dogs born across the United States, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Embark provided precise predictions of any breed that makes up 5% or more of your dog’s genetic code, which our experts cited as the threshold for dependable home results. Plus, Embark uses twice as many genetic markers as Wisdom Panel, which we think is better for most people since it provides a more accurate identification of your pup’s mix. Wisdom Panel, alternatively, uses fewer genetic markers, so it is probably less accurate, but it’s able to identify rarer dog breeds. If you’re going to spend money on a dog DNA test, it’s best to get one that the genetics experts are more likely to trust. But if you suspect that a dog has a rare breed in its genetic makeup, Hekman recommends Wisdom Panel, which tests for more AKC-recognized breeds than Embark.
Embark was also the second-slowest service we tested. The process took two to six weeks, more than any other kit we reviewed. On average, it took Embark 21 days to deliver the results, compared with 18 days for both Find My Pet DNA and Wisdom Panel.
Don’t be surprised if you’re drowning in emails after registering the kit online. Embark sent 19 promotional and update emails over three months, more than any service we reviewed. By comparison, Wisdom Panel sent five, DNA My Dog sent four, and Find My Pet DNA sent one email.
Finally, Embark is still an investment of $199, at the time of writing. To test an entire dog pack, Embark offers tiered discounts on multiple kits, starting at 10% off—but the information is hidden within its FAQ.
Wisdom Panel Premium identifies more AKC-registered breeds than any kit we tested. Also, it’s cheaper, and the turnaround time is quicker than with other kits. But Wisdom Panel uses fewer genetic markers in its tests than the competition, so we don’t think the results are as accurate.
If you’re positive that your mixed mutt is made up of an unusual breed or two, Wisdom Panel Premium is the kit to get. It tested for more breeds than any service we reviewed, the collection process was easy to follow, results arrived quickly, and it was cheaper. But since it uses fewer DNA markers than Embark, its results are less precise.
Wisdom Panel tests for over 350 different breeds, including 97% of all breeds recognized by the AKC. (That covers more AKC breeds than any dog DNA kit we researched.) Comparatively, Embark includes 90%, and DNA My Dog tests for 49% of the breed list. Thus, this is the best service for dogs adopted from abroad or suspected of having a highly unique breed in their genetic code. Wisdom Panel’s database covers a variety of breeds found around the world, including the Brazilian terrier, the coyote, the Jindo, the Lacy, the Mexican street dog, and the wolf.
Hughes, Wisdom Panel’s veterinary geneticist, said that its international purebred DNA collection efforts were widespread so the product could be both accurate and accessible to most dog owners. A robust breed database, she said, is a side effect of that commitment. “It’s very important to find a database that has those weird and wonderful breeds,” she said.
When results are ready, owners see the dog’s breed breakdown by percentages, including any breed that’s more than 1% of your pet’s ancestry. Anything below the 1% threshold is removed, and all the other numbers are nudged slightly so they add up to 100%. These very specific small percentages may give the illusion of a more accurate result, but according to our experts, anything below 5% is difficult to know for sure. (Our main pick Embark lumps results that are less than 5% into a “supermutt” category, which we prefer since it avoids giving a false impression of how accurate the test is.)
The Wisdom Panel report also shows information beyond just the breed breakdown. They provide a family tree going back to the dog’s “great grandparents,” as well as a series of trait markers that will tell you things such as your pet’s coat color and type—or at least what the company guesses it is from the DNA. The report also includes health information, like your pet’s ideal weight range (which was accurate for our testers), and a number of genetic health markers that will show if your pet is “at risk,” “notable,” and “clear” for various diseases and conditions. Overall, as of 2019, said Hughes, Wisdom Panel’s breed results are 93% accurate, slightly lower than Embark’s reported 95% to 99% accuracy rate. (However, during our 2021 tests, Wisdom Panel no longer disclosed its accuracy rates.) And even though it’s nice to see as many mixes in your mutt as possible, our experts said such refined details aren’t the most accurate.
Dog owners can share their pet’s findings by downloading a technical report, but the company no longer offers the option to generate a summary certificate or a shareable link. This can be a pain for any pet owner who wants to gloat to their friends and followers about how special their pup is, inside and out, by quickly sharing the information online.
Wisdom Panel Premium’s DNA collection method is straightforward. You remove two bristle wands from the sanitary sleeve and swab the inside of the dog’s cheek with each wand. Then you stand each wand upright in the included box, using built-in holes, and let it dry before mailing it back using the prepaid shipping container.
Our five panelists rated Wisdom Panel’s instructions higher than Embark’s method. Our testers agreed that Wisdom Panel’s single set of instructions was easier to follow than the redundant versions Embark provided on its box, cardboard insert, protective sleeve, and website.
In 2019, Wisdom Panel’s results also arrived faster than those of most kits we tested. The Wisdom Panel results averaged 18 days, Embark’s averaged 21 days, and we stopped counting after 60 days for DNA My Dog. Wisdom Panel’s breed and genetic-disease results also arrived simultaneously, while with Embark there was a one- or two-day gap between the health report and breed results. In our 2021 update, Wisdom Panel’s results averaged 25 days, but we believe this to be a temporary issue.
Wisdom Panel Premium costs $160 for both breed and genetic-disease detection, which is $40 less than Embark But if that’s still too pricey, opt for Wisdom Panel Essential, which is just the breed identification kit. At $100, it’s significantly cheaper than the price of Embark (which has its own breed-only option for $129, at the time of writing), and it is a great option for frugal dog owners who are curious about the breed heredity of their pets.
Like Embark, Wisdom Health (Wisdom Panel’s parent company) sponsors the IPFD, the group harmonizing the canine genetic-testing industry. It also conducts canine research based on the DNA samples it receives. For example, an April 2018 study in PLOS Genetics examined 152 diseases in more than 100,000 dogs across 330 breeds. The study reported that mixed-breed dogs are more likely to carry a common recessive disease, and that purebred dogs are more likely to develop a disease from one. Although the findings don’t suggest that a single test is a predictor for disease, Wisdom Panel, in part, believes it can help veterinarians make better treatment decisions.
Wisdom Panel also maintains a strict privacy policy. It doesn't share information with third parties without the account holder’s written consent, similar to HIPAA. And with an account holder’s consent, a veterinarian may consult Wisdom Panel’s in-house vet geneticists about a pet patient’s results.
Wisdom Panel uses half the number of the genetic markers that Embark does to determine breed compositions—100,000, compared with 200,000 markers—so the results may not be as precise. Genetic scientists use these markers to map out a dog’s DNA without examining a dog’s entire 3-billion-base-pair genome. They can save resources by strategically selecting the appropriate markers and comparing them to Wisdom’s dog breed database, using a sophisticated algorithm that will calculate the genetic lineage of a pup that’s the most feasible. Yet a handful of strategically placed markers alone doesn’t guarantee the best results.
Think of DNA markers as random puzzle pieces in an image you haven’t assembled. The few pieces you do possess tell you the photo has shades of blue. But blue can represent anything from the sky or the ocean to tapestry yarns or a funky dinner plate. The more puzzle pieces you’ve joined, the fuller the picture gets. “Sometimes we don’t know what we’re looking for,” said Hekman, who recommended Embark for most dog owners since it uses more genetic markers than the competition.³ “We’re still missing a lot of information when we use just markers; the more markers are better.”
Additionally, Wisdom Panel redistributes any ancestry results below 1% equally into the other breeds on the report.⁴ According to a spokesperson, this “does not significantly alter the overall results,” which mirrors our experts’ findings that anything less than 5% probably isn’t accurate and isn’t worth trusting. Wirecutter prefers Embark’s methodology because it uses twice as many markers, and clumps breed results under 5% into “supermutt” categories. The exception to this is when there’s already a closely related “sibling breed” in the results, in which case Embark adds the sub-5% numbers to that breed since chances are that’s where it belongs.
Wisdom Panel also screens for 211 genetic health conditions, and it lists the status of each disease as “at risk,” “notable” or “clear.” In 2019, our dog panelists had consistent results among the diseases that Wisdom Panel and Embark both tested for, with one exception: Embark reported that Sutton was “at risk” for dilated cardiomyopathy, while Wisdom Panel did not. When asked about the mismatch, Hughes said Wisdom Panel doesn’t report at-risk statuses for dogs with breed makeups that are not at risk for the disease, but she confirmed that Sutton had tested positive for the mutation. She added that they’ve tested over one million dogs, and “the correlation to actual clinical disease is not supported in the vast majority of these breeds.” We appreciate Wisdom Panel’s rationale of limiting stress among dog owners—after all, someone could end up euthanizing a pet because of frightening genetic health results. But when polled, Wirecutter’s pet owners unanimously agreed that they’d prefer to be able to access all of the information they’d paid for, and to be able to discuss their results with a vet.
When questions did arise during testing, Wisdom Panel, like Embark, responded within one business day. But Wisdom Panel is less likely than Embark to rerun breed results at a pet owner’s request. A pet owner may elect to rerun a test if the breed database and algorithm have significantly changed, such as the addition of new breeds. (Embark offers this as a one-time complimentary service, and Facebook users report success using it.) Two of our panelists submitted Wisdom Panel tests in 2016 and 2017, and in May 2019 Wisdom Panel declined to rerun both,⁵ citing different reasons. Wisdom Panel also gave disparate rationales on not retesting dozens of outdated kits from other users, from “not enough genetic data” to “we don’t expect a change in results.” As a compromise, some owners claimed they were offered discount codes for new tests, but others were not.
In 2020, Wisdom Panel upgraded its chip to use more than 100,000 genetic markers to test for dog ancestry and to review more than 200 genetic traits, and it’s now called Wisdom Panel Premium. The company announced plans to let customers who have used the test within the last five years get updated versions of their results for free. But as of writing time, Wisdom Panel couldn’t rerun our tests from 2019 and asked us to submit new DNA kits.
Finally, Wisdom Panel, like most of the kits we tested (but not Embark), uses two collection wands. The heads are bristly, like mascara wands, and are uncomfortable to scrape against the inside of a pup’s cheek. Then you’re supposed to perch the wands upright in the included box to dry them before shipping them back. But the wands wobbled in their stands, and some testers feared they’d fall and get contaminated.
We scouted Darwin’s Ark, a crowdsourcing effort that has pet owners submit short behavioral surveys about their dogs—and in return they receive a free DNA test. Collaborating researchers, like Hekman of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, study the research in the hope of understanding what exactly makes dogs, well, dogs. There’s a waiting list for the free DNA tests, and it can take years to receive the results. (I’ve been on the waitlist since 2019.) Anyone can buy a test starting at $249 (reduced to $149 after submission of 10 surveys). Most results for paid tests are available in 90 to 120 days. Darwin’s Ark has 101 breeds in its database and uses 4 million genetic markers. We look forward to reviewing Darwin’s Ark after it receives additional funding and can streamline its testing process for all participants.
DNA My Dog’s DNA Breed Identification Test Plus Health Plan provides breed analysis and a predictive health plan (not a disease screening) with every purchase. Dog owners who use this receive the breed results via email, typically within two weeks. There’s no certificate sent via postal mail, even though it’s marketed as a perk. (We also inconsistently received duplicate certificates from Orivet, which DNA My Dog may outsource tests to, but neither company confirmed this after repeated inquiries.) There’s also no notification when the health plan is ready, so users must stalk their accounts for updates. They must also create a secondary account to access the health plan, which isn’t explained online. And, at the time of writing, we had not received the health plans for three of the five dogs we tested. The company also tests for 96 different dog breeds (a smaller number than with any kit we tested), and it doesn’t disclose how many DNA markers it uses.
If you research Find My Pet DNA right afterward, you may experience déjà vu. The website text, registration process, and customer service responses are eerily similar to those of DNA My Dog. Neither company admitted they’re related, but we found a reference to “DNA My Dog” on a Find My Pet DNA’s webpage, and we received messages from both companies from the same “do not reply” email address. The breed certificates and results were also nearly identical. All of these factors made this one an easy dismissal. (As of 2021, Find My Pet DNA’s website redirects to DNAMyDog.com.)
This guide is dedicated in loving memory of Sparky.
The Cat Fanciers Association recognizes 45 different cat breeds; its international counterpart, the Fédération Internationale Féline, recognizes 51. Comparatively, the American Kennel Club recognizes 193 dog breeds, and the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (also known as the World Canine Association) recognizes 349 dog breeds.
Dr. Angela Hughes says that Wisdom Panel hides false positives for both dilated cardiomyopathy (the PDK4 mutation) and Type 2 von Willebrand disease.
Dr. Jessica Hekman is a collaborative researcher with Darwin’s Ark and hosted a webinar for Embark’s Doberman Diversity Project, a Doberman-only genetic health research project.
Embark redistributes anything with a sibling breed to the dominant ancestry. For example, if a report says a dog is 50% husky and 2% Alaskan malamute, it will change it to read 52% husky. But if the report says a dog is 50% husky and 2% dalmatian, the dalmatian will remain under the “Supermutt” category.
When we submitted new Wisdom Panel kits for these dogs, one test revealed two additional breeds in one dog’s makeup, and the other saw shifts in breed dominance.
Discerning accuracy among DNA tests isn’t cut-and-dried because the companies are only as reliable as the science behind them. In 2019, Embark said its breed results were 95% to 99% accurate. At the time, Embark analyzed 110 times more genetic markers than Wisdom Panel, so its results were more granular (200,000 versus 1,800, respectively). Since Wisdom Panel used fewer data points, its results weren’t as precise, and it claimed a 93% accuracy rate. (Because DNA companies use proprietary technology, we couldn’t independently verify the accuracy of their breed and health reports.)
Wisdom Panel revamped its testing protocol in 2020 and now uses 100,000 genetic markers. The company claims the test’s reports are more precise but has declined to share an accuracy rate for its updated product.
Both companies claim to use the latest human genetics science to test each dog’s DNA, but as we discovered while covering human ancestry tests, big companies rely on algorithms, or guesses, to estimate ancestry percentages—so there’s no way to know their accuracy for sure. And a Genetics in Medicine report found that results from human genetic-testing companies were inaccurate 40% of the time.
A dog DNA test reveals the likely breed composition of your mutt, with some companies reporting results that go down to 1% of your dog’s genetic code. They can also discern between lineages and provide a DNA tree from both the sire (father) and dame (mother). For an additional fee, you can learn about any hereditary conditions that may be worth bringing up to your vet so you can be better prepared for potential ailments as your pet ages. But don’t rely on these at-home tests to make life-altering decisions for your pet, as they merely provide a potential statistical likelihood—not an actual diagnosis. Discuss any concerns with your veterinarian.
All of the dog DNA tests we reviewed needed a sample of a dog’s saliva and cheek cells in order to identify its genetic makeup, which typically required swabbing the dog’s cheek for around 20 seconds. You simply put the swab into the provided container or clean envelope, mail it to the manufacturer, and wait the requisite two to six weeks for your results to arrive in an online dashboard.
Brenda Bonnett, DVM, PhD, CEO, International Partnership for Dogs, phone interview, May 16, 2019
Adam Boyko, PhD, co-founder and chief science officer of Embark Veterinary, and associate professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, email interview, May 24, 2019
Angela Hughes, DVM, PhD, veterinary geneticist, Wisdom Health, phone interview, May 20, 2019
Leslie A. Lyons, PhD, the Feline Genetics and Comparative Medicine Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, phone interview, May 7, 2019
Katie Burns, Unlocking the genetic secrets of your dog, Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, May 15, 2017
Jessica Hekman, DVM, PhD, postdoctoral associate, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Karlsson Lab, Fenzi Dog Sports Academy webinar, Genetic Testing: How It Works and When to Trust It, March 14, 2019
Lisa Moses, Steve Niemi, and Elinor Karlsson, Pet genomics medicine runs wild, Nature, July 25, 2018
Improving Canine Genetic Testing, International Partnership for Dogs, July 30, 2018
Standards and guidelines for canine clinical genetic testing laboratories, Human Genetics, November 13, 2018
James Gorman, Why Scientists Love to Study Dogs (and Often Ignore Cats), The New York Times, February 26, 2018
Kaitlyn Wells
Kaitlyn Wells is a staff writer covering all things pets and style. She has never met a pet she didn’t like, although she can’t say the same thing about shoes. Her first picture book, A Family Looks Like Love, follows a pup who learns that love, rather than how you look, is what makes a family.
Further reading
by Wirecutter Staff
These useful pet products were the most-purchased Wirecutter picks in 2021.
by Eve Batey
After taking 5 dogs on 40 walks, we found the Max and Neo Double Handle Heavy Duty Reflective Leash is the best everyday leash for most pups and their people.
by Rebekah Valentine
We took 10 dog jackets on dozens of walks. The WeatherBeeta 300D Deluxe Reflective Parka is the best for keeping your dog warm and dry this winter.
by Tim Heffernan and Liam McCabe
Pets shed constantly, and the only vacuum that can keep up with all that hair is a robot vacuum, but a good all-around traditional vacuum can also help.
Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing to save people time, energy and money when making buying decisions. Whether it's finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we'll help you get it right (the first time). Subscribe now for unlimited access.
© 2022 Wirecutter, Inc., A New York Times Company

source