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The best dog DNA testing kits for learning all about your pooch

Break down the breed mix and possible health issues.
By Leah Stodart , Joseph Green , and Matt Ford  on 
All products featured here are independently selected by our editors and writers. If you buy something through links on our site, Mashable may earn an affiliate commission.

Overview

Best For Fast Results

DNA My Dog

Jump to Details
Best For Tight Budgets

EasyDNA

Jump to Details
Best For Detail

Embark

Jump to Details

This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.

Your dog is the best dog in the world. That's what everyone thinks about their pooch. In a way, we’re all absolutely right. All dogs are the best dog in the world.

You already know that your dog is unique, but you're probably wondering: What it is that makes them so special? Why are their eyes different colours? Why do they have spotted fur? Why do they insist on barking any time something walks past the window? All important questions in the dog-owner world. It comes down to this: genetic make-up.

You could put a picture of your dog on Twitter and have people vote on what mix of breeds that he or she is. But it would be pure guesswork. Enter dog DNA tests.

What is a dog DNA test?

Yes, dog DNA tests are a real thing, and it’s pretty much as it sounds. DNA can tell you lots about your dog's family history, their genetic makeup, and their risk of disease in the future.

For rescue dog owners, these are pretty much a must-do to finally solve your pooch's identity issues. Plus, it'll be nice to be able to give people a real answer when other dog-walkers at the park ask about their breed.

Similarly to the way human DNA tests show a pie chart of percentages from ethnic regions around the world, a dog DNA test shows you what your pooch is really made of — and maybe you'll even find out that his grandmother was a Great Dane, and that's why his ears are so pointy when you've been thinking he was all Mastiff this whole time. 

How do dog DNA test kits work?

Wondering how the science works? Well, the whole thing is actually pretty similar to human DNA kits. Dogs have two copies of every gene, one inherited from the mother and one from the father. DNA genetics labs can hone in on each and trace your dog's maternal and paternal line all the way back to great grandparents. It's also important to note that puppies will randomly inherit 50 percent of each of their parents' breeds, making it very possible for puppies in the same litter to have different breed compositions. So even if you know (or think you know) what your dog's parents or siblings are, a DNA test is still super worthwhile.

What we were surprised to see is that almost all dog DNA tests offer health screenings. 23andMe is the only human DNA test that offers a health service, and it's optional. It's way better to spend the money to take precautions now instead of waiting until a problem actually arises and you end up having to break the bank on vet bills. And let's be real: Finding out if there's a problem early and possibly being able to add years to your dog's life is worth all of the money in the world. 

How much does a dog DNA test kit cost?

We'll warn you now that most dog DNA kits are just as expensive (or more expensive) than DNA tests for humans. Owning a dog is never cheap, but these will set you back. Then again, most owners care about their dogs as if they were their actual children, so hell yeah, we'll fork out that money.

What is the best dog DNA test kit?

You've got plenty of options when it comes to DNA test kits for your dog, which is good and bad. It's great to have options, but it does make the decision process a little bit harder when there are so many products to consider. This is where we can help.

Time to let us take the lead, you could say. Ahem.

We've checked out everything on offer and highlighted a selection of the best DNA testing kits for dogs. There should be something for every dog and budget in this list. You just need to pick a favourite.

These are the best DNA testing kits for dogs in 2024.

If you're really trying to kick the family finder up a notch — or just can't figure out what random mix of breeds your dog could possibly be — Wisdom Panel is a pedigree-like choice of DNA kit. Wisdom Panel claims to have the largest breed database in the dog DNA market, testing for over 350 canine breeds.

Remember, if your dog is a mutt and both parents were mutts, the chance of finding the exact percentages of each breed will be tricky, and you may get results that read something like "51 percent mixed breed" if the genes of a doggy grandparent can't be untangled.

Just swab the inside of your dog's cheek with the provided tool, send it back, and you'll get your results in a few weeks' time.

Buying Options

The Good

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DNA My Dog testing kit

DNA My Dog

Best For Fast Results

DNA My Dog might not be the cheapest option available, but you do get a lot for your money. You can discover your dog’s breed composition, its unique personality traits, genetic health concerns, predisposition to disease, and more.

When you receive your results, you get a custom photo certificate of the breed’s found in your dog’s genetic breed composition, a percentage breakdown of the levels found in your dog’s unique DNA, and a report containing all the essential information you need.

Even better than that, you should get your results inside of just two weeks. So if you need results super fast, DNA My Dog is very much a frontrunner.

Buying Options

The Good

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Details

The AffinityDNA Breed Identification Kit is a low-cost doggy DNA kit that covers the basics. It has a database of just 99 breeds — a fairly shallow pool to draw from — but offers information of personality traits and genetic health concerns.

It’s not the comprehensive all-in-one DNA kit on its own, but what we like is the fact that AffinityDNA offers different kit options to cover different aspects of genetic testing. Also available are kits for testing dog allergies, dog paternity, degenerative disease, and other specifics.

The AffinityDNA are especially good for breeders who want to test for very specific genetic and physical traits.

Buying Options

The Good

The Bad

Details

A group of dogs

EasyDNA

Best For Tight Budgets

EasyDNA's dog DNA test can not only give you details on breed, but is designed to help you provide your dog with a healthier and happier life. 

This test analyses the genetic makeup of your dog in order to establish its full breed composition. EasyDNA can then highlight which diseases your beloved doggo is most likely to suffer from. You can also learn about unique personality traits and the kind of exercise routine they need.

EasyDNA's dog DNA database is composed of over 100 breeds of dogs, which isn't as much as some of the others in this list, but it is considerably cheaper than some competitors.

Buying Options

The Good

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Embark dog DNA kit

Embark

Best For Detail

You trust only the best for your fur baby, and Embark is nothing but praised by customers on its website. The people at Embark care about your dog just as much as you do — it tests both the maternal and paternal line of your dog, going all the way back to great grandparents. They'll test for a crazy 256 quadrillion genes and over 350 dog breeds

Embark also screens for over 160 diseases and known medical issues, which is the highest number we've seen. Just swab the inside of your dog's cheek, send the tool back, and get your results in three to seven weeks.

The customer service is stellar, too. If something worrying shows up in the health screening, they'll call you and break the news gently, and talk you through the options. It's US-based, however, hence the long wait times.

Buying Options

The Good

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Details

Topics Animals Pets

Leah Stodart
Leah Stodart
Senior Shopping Reporter

Leah Stodart is a Philadelphia-based Senior Shopping Reporter at Mashable where she covers essential home tech like vacuums and TVs as well as sustainable swaps and travel. Her ever-growing experience in these categories comes in clutch when making recommendations on how to spend your money during shopping holidays like Black Friday, which Leah has been covering for Mashable since 2017.

Leah graduated from Penn State University in 2016 with dual degrees in Sociology and Media Studies. When she's not writing about shopping (or shopping online for herself), she's almost definitely watching a horror movie, "RuPaul's Drag Race," or "The Office." You can follow her on X at @notleah or email her at [email protected].

Photo of Joseph Green
Joseph Green
Shopping Editor

Joseph joined Mashable as the UK Shopping Editor in 2018. He worked for a number of print publications before making the switch to the glittery world of digital media, and now writes about everything from coffee machines to VPNs.

Mashable Image
Matt Ford

Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.


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