Embark Dog DNA Test (Breed + Health Kit) Review – PCMag

Gives results so detailed they may be beyond average owner's understanding
I’ve been writing about computers, the internet, and technology professionally for 30 years, more than half of that time with PCMag. I run several special projects including the Readers’ Choice and Business Choice surveys, and yearly coverage of the Fastest ISPs and Best Gaming ISPs. I work from my home, and did it long before pandemics made it cool.
Embark is the most accurate and comprehensive canine DNA test. Although the kit provides more data than even the most dedicated dog owners may want, its medical tests alone make it worthwhile.
Founded by scientist brothers after years of studying dog genetics, Embark ($199 for Breed + Health Kit) features a large breed database. It checks against more than 350 pup types, as well as wolves, coyotes, dingos, and the so-called free-ranging “village dogs.” This analysis breadth is key when it come to the accuracy of breed determination. Embark also checks your pet’s DNA for signs of over 190 genetic medical conditions, and can determine whether your pupper is a carrier of (or at risk for getting) a full-blown disease. It’s slightly behind Wisdom Panel Premium, our Editors’ Choice for dog DNA testing kits, in terms of genetic mutations tests, and has a relatively high price tag. Still, Embark is a wonderful tool for learning about your dog’s genetic makeup.
Priced at $199, Breed + Health is the most expensive pet DNA kit we’ve tested, but Embark now offers a standalone Breed ID kit for $129. Shelters, breeders, and vets receive discounts. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. The statement on Embark’s site claims its breed identification process “tests over 200,000 genetic markers and builds your dog’s breed mix chromosome by chromosome.”
During the sign-up process, which you must perform before you send in the sample, Embark asks you for permission to use your sample for research. Embark partners with the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine—co-founder Adam Boyko is a professor there(Opens in a new window)—so researchers are privy to Embark’s data. The company also works with other researchers who the DNA test info, such as current partners VetGenomics and Doberman Diversity Project.
Embark’s packaging stands out against the competition. For example, I like the kit’s clear and concise illustrated instructions. A card inside depicts all the instructions, and it lists the URLs you visit to activate the kit, offers breed lists, teaches you how to swab a dog’s cheek to obtain a sample, and more.
There’s also a “missile-grade” steel dog tag in the package, which has a URL on the back. If your dog gets lost, anyone finds it can use the URL to access shared data about the canine. If said person calls the phone number on the tag, Embark acts as a third party to pair up the finder and the owner. In other words, Embark won’t just hand out your personal contact info.
The first thing you do, of course, is activate the kit—just like with human DNA kits. You have the option to use Facebook or Google sign-ins, or you can create an account with your email address. If you have multiple kits for multiple dogs, register all the kits to the same account for easy online access. Once your account is live, create a dog profile for every kit you want to activate and register each with the numbers from an Embark kit.
You can also decide if you want your dog’s data to contribute to medical and scientific research (more on that below.) Embark also informs you that it will send updates by email and, if you desire and are in the US, SMS text message.
The warnings on top of the package instruct you not to crush the box, as it doubles as return shipping container for the DNA sample. This is the only dog DNA test that requires a single swab; DNA My Dog Breed, DNAffirm DNA Dog Breed, and other kits require two samples. Embark’s collection sponge comes on the end of a plastic container filled with a stabilizing fluid. Swab the pocket of a dog’s lower cheek pouch (between gum and cheek, preferably without them chewing it) for 30 seconds—that’s 10 seconds longer than the competition. Unscrew the unit, reverse it, and place the sponge in the fluid. Shake it gently for 10 seconds and the sample is ready to go in the mail. Embark apparently uses a sampler from a company called DNAGenotek; below is the video of instructions used on Embark’s site:
The DNA swab tests from the competition involve simply throwing some long cotton swabs in an envelope. Embark’s test feels more high-tech and trustworthy, even if there’s no way to be sure. This is the same method used by human DNA tester MyHeritage DNA. After all, you can’t really get dogs to spit into a tube, like humans do with 23andMe.
Follow the instructions to put the sample in the included plastic envelope, slap it all into that same box it came in, and close the flap. Pop it into the mail. Mine went to Embark’s lab at its headquarters in Boston. All the postage is prepaid.
The estimate to get the response from Embark is two to four weeks. I received a response on one kit in 19 days; the second sample showed up with breed results in 21 days (with an extra day for the rest of the info to appear). This is an excellent turn-around time.
Embark keeps a sample report online(Opens in a new window), featuring the CEO’s “ridiculously photogenic” dog, Harley. Once your sample is received, Embark keeps you informed via email throughout the process. I received an email stating the kit was en route less than three hours after I dropped it at the post office. I was notified of the sample’s lab arrival, the start of genotyping, when genomicists (scientist who specialize in genomes) would examine the sample, and, finally, an email saying the results were in. Health results sometimes take longer to show up than breed results.
Unlike the other DNA tests we’ve done, Embark puts a lot of the results in that final email, including a small doughnut chart with initial breed results, and even a little hint of how much wolf DNA is in your purely domesticated doggy. For the full results, you log in via the My Embark site. There, you can print PDF reports, though not all the data online shows up in the PDF.
My methodology was to test a pure-bred dog (Griffin) once and see if the test company would get the breed right, then test my mixed-breed companion (Madison) twice—once under a false name (“Daisy”) and a new account—to see if the results were the same both times. Considering the tests were provided by Embark for our uses, it’s possible it could just track the sample numbers it sent to PCMag and keep an eye out for such trickery, but that seems like a lot of work.
The first stop you’ll probably want to make in the full results is the Breed button. I’m happy to report that Embark thought Griffin was a golden retriever at 100.0 percent, which agrees with a few other DNA tests, plus Griffin’s owner and breeder.
Madison, of course, came back with an all-over-the-place mix of breeds: 34.2 percent American pit bull terrier, 17.5 percent Shetland sheepdog, 13 percent labrador, 12.4 percent English springer spaniel, 9.1 percent bull terrier, 7.1 percent German shepherd dog (GSD), and 6.7 percent rottweiler. No other DNA test pegged her as having springer or GSD in her genes.
What happened with the second test of Madison (aka “Daisy”)? All the same breeds were there, just slightly different percentages on those in the middle.
It’s interesting that Embark’s top breed for Madison is pit bull terrier and not American staffordshire terrier. Both typically get lumped together under the “pit bull” moniker, but there is a difference(Opens in a new window), at least in size and appearance. American Staffordshire terrier was a top pick for Madison by other DNA tests, like Wisdom Panel.
The Breed section also provides some info on the breed families in the dog’s makeup, plus it gives a look at the haplotype (DNA sequence) for the dog’s mother and father, even showing maps of where the dog’s ancient ancestors may have originated. This is trivial stuff, and some of it (like the maps) feels like filler.
The family trees for Madison and “Daisy” were identical. Tests from DNAffirm and DNA My Dog failed to be consistent even with themselves, throwing any faith in them into doubt. Not so with Embark. The family tree view breaks out the breed parentage. Note that Griffin didn’t even earn a tree, which is fine, as it would be all goldens.
Perusing the Breed section is just the beginning. The Research section requires work from you, the dog owner. It’s for people who plan to contribute their dog’s DNA to science. Embark hopes you’ll fill out a few short surveys to make that contribution worthwhile, on topics like your dog’s dental health, behavior problems, allergies. There’s a full medical survey, too. It’s exactly as much fun as you’d expect: none. However, do it if you want to earn the full experience of making the world better via your dog’s genome.
The Health section is arguably the most important, as it has the results for all the tests performed for genetic mutations your dog could have, or at least carry. Griffin’s results were perfectly in the clear, which agreed with the findings from Wisdom Panel. Madison’s results also agreed—she’s a carrier for degenerative myelopathy, but won’t pass it on since she’s spayed. Even while in the clear, this section goes on to show common conditions for the breed(s) of the dog. Most of that information is only going to be of interest to people who have a dog at risk, but the option is there to read about all 190.
Note that Madison’s report only shows results some tests, not all. The company rep said, “if our algorithms are not 100 percent confident of a health call it will not call it.” If there’s a specific test a customer wants results on and they don’t see it, don’t assume it’s a negative. Embark will review a result manually at the dog owner’s request.
There are links in the Health section for creating an easy-to-share or -print report for veterinarians. If the dog’s a purebred, there’s also a link for sending a report on the genetic findings to the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals(Opens in a new window) (OFA), an organization that wants to reduce genetic disease in companion animals. The Inbreeding Coefficient section shows how much a purebred dog’s mom and dad share the same genes. Griffin’s parents had a result of 23 percent (Madison the mutt’s folks: 0 percent). It was interesting to see “Daisy” show up as having the same genotype as Madison, as well.
There’s also now a Mix Matches section under health to show you other dogs tested by Embark that might have the same exact breed mix: it was good to see the top pup in there was “Daisy” at 97 percent match. Though it really should be 100 percent.
New in Embark is the Relatives tab, which shows you “DNA relatives” of your dog, which is different from a breed mix match. The latter may be similar but aren’t necessarily related. Where as a DNA relative should be a dog that shares much of the same DNA, an actual cousin or even sibling perhaps. Daisy did not appear in these results as a match for Madison,, however despite them being the same dog.
If you’re a whiz at reading genomes, Embark lets you download ZIP files with about 7 megabytes of uninterpreted data of the 200,000 markers in the samples. What you would do with that is anyone’s guess.
The Traits report is somewhat interesting, showing the genetic loci that impact colors and coats. It’s again burdened with talk about chromosomes. In the long run, Wisdom Panel’s dumbed-down traits section is better for the average user than Embark’s more complicated data.
Embark is the real deal. If you’re concerned mainly with your dog’s potential genetic health issues, this kit should be your first choice; it simply tests for more problems. For that alone, it’s worth that extra $50 over Wisdom Panel’s price. In our results, the breed determination is mostly consistent. Considering the company’s scientific background, there’s little reason to feel less than confident in its tests’ outcomes. That said, much of the presented data is unnecessary and complicated for the average dog owner, and for most people the Editors’ Choice award-winning Wisdom Panel is more than enough.
Embark is the most accurate and comprehensive canine DNA test. Although the kit provides more data than even the most dedicated dog owners may want, its medical tests alone make it worthwhile.
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I’ve been writing about computers, the internet, and technology professionally for 30 years, more than half of that time with PCMag. I run several special projects including the Readers’ Choice and Business Choice surveys, and yearly coverage of the Fastest ISPs and Best Gaming ISPs. I work from my home, and did it long before pandemics made it cool.
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