Embark | Dog DNA Test | Breed & Health Kit | Breed Identification & Canine Genetic Health Screening

I decided to get my pup dna tested and I chose embark as they are the most accurate and most reliable canine dna test on the market.I am in the UK, so I expected it to take quite a while to receive the results considering that embark is based in America, but it actually only took just over 3 weeks, which is shorter than what was estimated.First I had to swab my dog, which was pretty easy as my girl just wants to put everything in her mouth lol. Then I had to send it off, which I did using the pre paid envelope included in the kit, as Embark states on their website if purchased from Amazon UK, you can use the envelope supplied and it will be sent to their UK warehouse, and then rerouted to their lab in the USA.After I sent it, it took 2 days to be received in the UK warehouse, and then just under 2 weeks to arrive at the lab. A week after it was received at the lab I was emailed the results.We were told that my girl was a german shepherd x belgian malinois mix, with her mum being a pedigree german shepherd. And her dad being a working Malinois cross. Her results came back 60% german shepherd, 20% Belgian Malinois, and 20% dutch herder, which all make sense. She also came back with completely clear health so it was well worth doing just for that.The only things that I would say don't seem completely accurate are the family tree, the weight estimate, and the relative match.On my dog's family tree, her mother is listed as having a belgian malinois mix grandparent, which I know is incorrect as her mum has a pedigree to prove it. It does have a disclaimer however, that the family tree displayed is just what the algorithm determined was most likely, and that it is not the only possible one. So I would take this with a pinch of salt.The adult weight estimate also seems to be off, my girl is only 10 months old and weighs 92 lbs, yet it predicted that her adult weight would be 63 lbs. After looking other dog's results online, most of the weight estimates seem to be incorrect by quite alot.The relative match is not necessarily incorrect, but is not explained very well. For example my girl matched with alot of purebred German shepherds that embark claims are "close relatives" as they share 35-36% of her dna, even though it says this for every single pure German shepherd I compared her with, and they are definitely not all "close relatives". After speaking with other people online, apparently this is the case with most dogs that are primarily a breed that's known to have low diversity. But it is somewhat misleading to say a dog is another dog's "close relative" when they are actually no more related then any two dogs of that breed. The actual shared dna percentage is seemingly off too.So it definitely has it's flaws, but is still definitely the most reliable compared to the other tests that are available, and the actual parts of the test that matter are reliable. If you want to find out your dog's breed, I would definitely recommend.

Our gorgeous rescue dog was found on the streets in Bulgaria, adopted by a UK family but shortly given up by them as well. The British rescue that took her in told us they thought she was a "staffie cross" - utterly adorable, very gentle and loving with people but a bit anxious. Over time, we realised that she was also not comfortable around other dogs. All totally manageable and she's come on a long way but we wanted to know how much of her behaviour was nature vs nurture. And we could see that she didn't have the big staffie head - but more of a German Shepherd shape - so we were very curious. That said, on reading the reviews about the US focus and mainstream breeds, we were fully prepared to just get a DNA report that said "European Village Dog" or "100% supermutt".As it happens, the report came back saying that she was in fact a majority mix of GSD, but with some Rottweiler, American Pit Bull and American Staffie too. We imagine she was bred to be a fighting dog or a breed bitch for the same but her timid nature and anxiety issues meant she wasn't cut out for the task! Hence being thrown out onto the streets. The genetics explain why she's not 100% happy around other dogs so we can manage our expectations of her accordingly.The health report flagged a genetic predisposition that we'll flag to our vet too - and would only have been diagnosed through expensive blood tests here.Literally, the only thing that wasn't spot on was that she was "likely to have blue eyes" - here's are orange. Otherwise, the age, weight, coat colour etc. was all totally spot on - and we didn't supply ANY information about her before the results came in.So, all in all, it's worked out great for us and I'd highly recommend it.

I was very impressed with the results. I put up no photo and gave no details of my dog. The results were very accurate in the coat colour and body size, breed. The result came up with 2 risks. 1 high risk and one notable. One is high risk for IVDD and as he already is getting nerve pain and needs an MRI then this is a likely diagnosed once he has the scan . I wanted to know of health risks. The only piece that was inaccurate was the weight . It was a bit out of range. I have seen mention of this on other reviews but apart from this the results were very good . The swab is a little big when you have an anxious dog. I just managed with some anxiety meds.

We live in London and got this to test our dog. It's super easy to swab your dog (just a little earbud swab that goes under their mouth flaps to get saliva). Because Embark is based in America you can't use their pre-paid bag to ship the sample back to their lab, but you can use the bag as a bag for shipping. We just went into the Royal Mail post office and paid for it to be shipped over so they slapped a label on the bag for us. I think it was like £10? On the shipping label we just wrote "dog DNA sample". It took a while to get there (maybe 2 weeks?) but eventually we got an email saying they had received it and were shipping it to their processing lab. Then we waited just under a week and got an email saying it was processing. And then around the 4 week mark we got the results. Really pleased with the communication from Embark! We wish the results were a bit more exciting but it was a fun experience!

Having adopted a dog from Cyprus we were curious about her breed mix. The breed we were advised she was came out as dominant, however, the other mix of breeds going back as far as her great grandparents made perfect sense and we can definitely see traits of them all knowing our girl.More impressive was the fact I provided no information to Embark, so I didn't tell them what breed I thought she might be or provide a picture so the results were literally just from the DNA swab. I definitely think it's worth the cost. :)

How exciting and Impatient I was to receive the results of the DNA of my dog took around 3 weeks and definately seems accurate !

The Embark process is all around amazing and fun. Getting emails throughout each step of the process was great and created a buzz of excitment. I received the end results within 2 weeks, which was a great Christmas gift for me 😁. The results are very detailled and clear. My big goofball Denver comes from more than 8+ breeds of dogs, a mix that created a huge sack of love 😍.The facebook page is just amazing too. Putting up the details of our pup and everyone trying to guess what breed, then putting in the results...just great fun!!I highly recommend Embark. Loved every moment of the process and loved the results even if highly surprising!!

I think it is worth it. Everyone has their own budgets so I dont factor in price in my rating. I was able to get this when on mega sale for $139.00 for the DNA & Health option. Fun process, loaded with info. Worth it.We recently adopted what I was expecting to be a Lab & Mountain Curr mix. Her photos appeared that way, and she looked to be a bigger puppy with expected adult weight of 60 lbs. I am used to big dogs(80-110lbs), so when my soul mate beloved girl English lab passed away recently at just 7 years old, I set out to look to adopt a dog for her surviving brother (another English lab). Saw a listing for an 11 weeks old "Lab Mountain Curr mix", her expression and details caught my interest and so I started the adoption process. She was in the south (rescue grabbed her from a kill shelter), I am in the north, they provide transport. Took a chance on sight unseen.5 weeks later, she arrived. Basically we were catfished. She is actually 9-10 months old, and her pics were recent. So what I thought was a 30 lb 11 week old was actually a 28 lb 9 month old. That makes her a small/ish dog, and that makes her nearly full grown! SO, my 110 lb dog has a new 30 lb small dog. Our life and yard is set up for big dogs, not small. Ah well. We are adjusting. My boy is thrilled to have a friend.Which brings us to, well what is she then? Labs tend to be larger to BIG, and Currs are medium to large with similar large weight ranges. What is this weird little dog?I sniffed around various DNA test brands. I ultimately went with Embark (love the name) because of the tie to Cornell University (in my neck of the woods). My vet scoffs at these tests, but for me I figure it is simply information. I learn something or I dont.I was basically curious, and I also wanted an idea what to look for in terms of play style, training, motivation, etc. I KNOW labs (and to lesser but sizable degree, Currs-- hence the perfect match up for me), but I dont know other breeds. I am not set up to have a dog that needs to herd sheep, nor do I have an agility course. I want to know what the propensity is for the breeds she may be, so I can tailor my style to what she may need. I want her to blossom. Her personality description seemed like a good fit, but since we were basically catfished on some info, who knows what else was left to discover? Hence, DNA test.Process was simple. Kit arrived very quickly. Just swab mouth with included tools, stick in tube, put in mailer (postage included), and mail it. They will contact you when kit has been picked up in mail, will contact when arrived. Will likely keep you informed of where they are at in the process and how long it will take. It feels more personal and professional. I got an early email saying they found a health red flag (potential back/neck disc issue). Then shortly after I got the full DNA & health results.There is a TON of information, down to nitty gritty details for the science nerds. Also super easy graphics for those less inclined for data. This info can also be shared easily, including info can be sent to your vet if you want.Nothing labrador related came up in results. She is basically a Super Mutt, not surprising. I was hoping for a little more standout on one breed, but the breeds that were sussed out are still small fractions. So 51% mega mutt (at least Mountain Curr is part of that), but for the 49%, that broke down into Beagle (12%), Great Pyrenese (10%---hilarious at her small size, but remember genotype differs from phenotype, AND her expect 40 lb weight means that she has big dog lineage). Then smaller % of boxer, golden retriever, german shepard, eskimo & collie. Oddly, I can kind of see it. Disappointed not to have lab in her. I know rescues always put "lab mix", but I really did expect it given her "angle wing" at her "shoulders".There are link to each breed so you can quicky and easily learn about each listed as part of genetic profile.Her expected adult weight is 40 lbs, which I concur with. I hope she gets bigger anyway.Main thing is that she is sweet. Doesn't have that deep intelligence that my English Labs have nor the deep soulful eyes, but I knew I was getting a mixed bag. It is an adjustment. Still learning about her, but now I have a little more framework to operate within.What I like is that this Embark info doesnt stop here. They have a robust website loaded with info, and you can share pics and videos, take quizzes, dive into resources specific to your doggo and dogs in general. If there are any dogs that are close in relationship to yours then you can make contact as they are likely related. Neat stuff. I hope to find some relatives.So please be sure to fill out as much info as you can, add some pics, and maybe you too will be able to connect with family members. Even if later down the line someone decided to do DNA kit with their dog, it they are a genetic match you will be able to find out.If you are skeptical and have the extra money, you could wait to shop a sale to get another one, or from another brand to compare. Though if I did that, Id probably get this brand again for true fidelity of results.

Very good customer service. Quick reply to queries. Timelines were exceeded. The test results are easy to understand and very comprehensive

Very happy with the product and the handling. Fast delivery (US to AU in 1 week), fast processing (3 weeks). Useful and cheery email updates along the way. The results are presented in a very accessible prose. Although we managed to contaminate the swab with a few bits of beef liver treats, the analysis seemed to have worked (otherwise our dog would have come out as like 20% cow).This test achieved three goals:* Screen for hereditary diseases, estimate treatment cost, compare to pet insurance premiums/cover and estimate whether pet insurance will be worth the investment (in our case for a completely healthy puppy - likely not).* As a bday present for my wife, she was super happy to learn more about our rescue puppy. The photos and character descriptions of our puppy's relatives on the embark website are a delight!* The daily, hour-long discussions about which dog breeds look similar to our puppy and what breeds she might be a mix of now have found a satisfying resolution.This test is definitely good value for very young dogs to evaluate pet insurance ROI. If hereditary conditions are found, early treatment can give your pup a longer, healthier life.

It was easy and results came fairly quickly. Very detailed as far as what we should be concerned about and what we didn't need to worry about!