Embark Breed & Health Kit - Dog DNA Testing Kit - Discover Breed, Ancestry, Relative Finder, Genetic Health, Traits, Allergy Risk Scores

I had such a great experience with the Embark Breed & Health Test Kit! The results were accurate and so much fun to read through. It gives you tons of detailed information. not just about your dog’s breed mix, but also health traits, genetic risks, and even fun personality insights. The breed breakdown was super thorough and easy to understand, and I loved learning more about where my dog’s traits come from. The health section was especially helpful and gave me peace of mind. Overall, it’s informative, easy to use, and really exciting to go through when the results come in. I’d definitely recommend it to any dog owner who’s curious about their pup’s background!

I would definitely say anybody that needs or wonders what their dog is should actually get this test taken It is definitely a trusted brand. I am confident at what I received back from them and they let you know every step of the way what they're doing they notify you when results are in they notify you when they're going through the process. It is definitely a detailed and very informative test. I got the results through the app. I actually was told that my dog was a shepherd and a lab mix and now I find out he is not a lab he is a shepherd but he's literally half shepherd and half American pitbull staffy. So that was definitely a shock to me. That would definitely suggest this test to any dog owner because seriously it was easy to give and take from my dog because of the fact that he's just a good puppy. But the accuracy that they do it at and the things that they find that have to do with their breeds. It is definitely well worth it. I found out more information about my dog's health that now I need to let the vet know so that we are aware of his conditions and that he is a dog that has a sensitive stomach as well as allergies. Which we've already started to see that come out. But now we know why. So if you want peace of mind as well as to know exactly what your breed of dog is and know his medical and even his connection to other dogs they have it so that I can literally connect with his other siblings. So it was worth it to get the test. And once I got all of my results other than being shocked it was helpful for me so that I could better care for my dog. Just make sure that you register your test before you send it. It is very important so that they can keep track of each test. There are different kinds I have done the breed in health kit and the age kit because they didn't know what age my dog was when they gave them to me from the shelter. Thanks for reading my review have a great day! And hug all your fur babies.

We adopted a 2-3 yr old rescue, who was believed to be mostly Yellow Labrador Retriever. As you can see in her photo, she looks like an English Pale Yellow Lab, with the same size (71 lbs), blocky head, otter tail and body. But, her ears are smaller, higher, with spotted vs ombre tips, her eyes are smaller & almond-shaped, her muzzle fur is thin, with freckled skin, and she has no undercoat. She is also very mellow & reserved, low-energy & less playful than a Lab, and has minimal interest in food or treats. She also has behaviors like nocturnal roaming indoors & barking at night, and her bark & whine are very different than any of our past dogs (Labs, German Shepherds, Husky, Hound). As a rescue, her health history & that of her parents is unknown. We've had other dogs that developed life-altering or fatal issues due to genetic issues, that could have been avoided or better & less expensively treated if uncovered earlier via DNA screening. So, we decided to do a DNA test to learn more about this dog's breed mix and heath. We decided on Embark after reading several reviews in Wirecutter and on other sites, which compared results between Embark and other brands. Another factor was that Embark works with Cornell, not just to have the latest, most relevant technology and scientific information, but to contribute results & info from tested dogs to Cornell to help with research on canine health and traits that can help improve and develop care and medical treatments to benefit all dogs. Collecting my dog's DNA sample was extremely easy to do. We created our Embark account to activate the test code when we opened the box, took the sample, and put it in our mailbox. Embark actually sent us an email the next day, shortly after it picked up & brought to our local post office, to let us know that it was enroute and being tracked by them in the postal system. A few days later we received another email, letting us know that they'd received the package and would start processing on the next business day. Then another, telling us when processing began. About 2 weeks later, our first results - breed - were ready, and 2 days after that, we received her health results. Big surprises! First, Embark was very accurate re:her physical traits. I didn't provide any photo or info, other than her estimated age & sex. They got her exact size, coloring - even the faint fawn spots - coat & fur length and texture, dew claws, eye, nail & nose colors, weight, tail, etc. The breed results were very helpful, and surprising to us, the rescue, and our vet. Based on her ears, face, deep "woof" and nocturnal barking, we speculated she might have a trace of Kuvasz, or even, way back, Great Pyrenees. Her muzzle, with with freckled skin & thin fur, and smaller, almond eyes, made us wonder about American Bulldog, Staffordshire, Bull, Jack Russell or Pitbull Terrier, or even Beagle. Embark identified two genetic health issues, one that she only carries, so we don't have to address, since she is neutered. The other, though, affects her, and is important for our vet to know if she develops certain illnesses or injuries, or needs certain medications. Knowing will allow it to be monitored easily at her annual check-ups, and allow us to avoid treatments, diets or medications which could aggravate it and make her seriously ill or damage her liver. The breed results were the biggest surprise. She is only 12.9% Lab! As well as 12.9% each Australian Cattle Dog, Pit Bull, and Hungarian Komondor. But she she is 50% Great Pyrenees. It was really neat to see the breakdown that Embark did of parents/grandparents/great-grandparents. Everything about makes sense now. The area where she was found is rural farm country, where Great Pyrenees, and a few Komondors, are popular on farms as livestock guardians, bred to roam the perimeter of farms & pastures at night, discouraging predators, warning herds/flocks & alerting caretakers by barking, then resting in the daytime. It makes us think she likely resulted from a stray mix + pure bred GP mom, and spent her puppyhood in such an environment, learning to be a guardian/herder. Knowing this helped remendously in understanding and successfully addressing behaviors like herding & nighttime barking that are purposely bred into those breeds. It also helped us adjust how we interact with her, and her training. After years of Labs & other breed mixes, we were used to dogs that easily & quickly trained using food motivation, and who were more excitable, active, affectionate & playful. And now we know where her freckled ears & nose come from! She is a very sweet, wonderful dog, and Embark's health & breed results provided info that let us know what potential health issues we need to work with our vet to watch for, and that we needed to adjust her diet to keep her weight healthy, as well as adapting our routines & training methods to better her suit her dominant Great Pyrenees breed. It's really made a difference. Instead of trying to control & train her behaviour like our other dogs, we worked with her instincts, recognizing her need to do the job she was bred for, that her breed has done for thousands of years. Within 2 weeks, her "new rescue" adjustment period stress was *gone*, her nocturnal barking & whining was 99% ended, and we communicated better, understanding why she needs a "last call" late night walk in the yard & around the house, and that she responds to calm, gentle acknowledgement & ear rubs vs stern correction or training treats.

I’m so happy with this purchase. I’ve been wanting to do a DNA test for my dog for a while and after researching, Embark seemed to be the best choice. The test was quick and easy, with simple instructions and return by mail process. I got updates once my sample was received and every step throughout processing. I received the results quick! A little over 2 weeks. It was so cool to learn all about my pups breeds, but also loved that it included health factors as well as some characteristics. I always thought my rescue had her tail cropped. Come to find, she carries a gene that makes it most likely her tail is naturally bobbed. That was a pleasant discovery I wasn’t expecting, but definitely brought me some ease of mind. All in all, it was definitely worth the purchase!

The Embark Breed & Health Kit is one of the most comprehensive DNA tests you can get for your dog, and it lives up to the hype in real use. Setup is easy — swab the cheek, send it back, and within a few weeks you get a detailed online report that goes way beyond basic breed guesses. What you get Breed & ancestry breakdown: A deep dive into your dog’s genetic makeup with precise percentages and lineage insights. It’s far more accurate and detailed than basic breed tests. Health risk screening: Identifies dozens of genetic conditions and predispositions, so you can catch potential issues early or discuss risk management with your vet. Traits & characteristics: Adds fun, scientifically backed insights into things like coat type, size predictions, and even behavioral tendencies. Relative finder: Connects your dog with genetically related pups in the Embark database — a neat feature if you’re curious about lineage or want to connect with other owners. Real-world value Many owners find the health insights alone worth the investment, especially if you have a purebred or mixed dog with unknown background. The online dashboard is user-friendly, with clear explanations and links to research — no guesswork or data-dump overwhelm. Results feel actionable rather than vague, so you can talk specifics with your vet or plan training/health care with solid data. Bottom line: If you want a real genetic portrait of your dog — not just a throwaway breed percentage — this kit delivers. It’s comprehensive, scientifically grounded, and actually helpful for care, curiosity, and long-term wellbeing. Worth it for any devoted pet owner who wants to understand their dog at a deeper level.

This DNA test turned out to be pretty cool. It didn't take too long and the results were both surprising but also made a lot of sense. We adopted a puppy from a local rescue and they said he was a Chi mix, but everyone that met him said that he looked like a German Shepherd. He turned out to be a mix of Chihuahua, Siberian Husky, Australian Cattle Dog, German Shepherd, and small poodle. I'm glad that we did the DNA test because the rescue said the pup would be a good couch buddy, but after seeing his genetic mix is mostly working breeds, that helped us realize that he needs more exercise and stimulation than we originally expected. The combo test also provides lots of additional features like the pup's 'wolfiness' level, genetic diseases etc and if your pup carries the gene, it even shows other dogs near you that have similar DNA and could be potential relatives. The test gave so much more information than I expected, and you can download the entire packet like a little book. You also receive email updates and app notifications along the way as your test progresses through the process. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get a good enough sample because you need to swab the cheek for 30-60 seconds and my pup is still super young and not very cooperative with things like that. But he actually did really well! Then I thought I had ruined the sample because when I pulled it out it had grass on it LOL but it was still usable. So it's nice to know that a little contamination here and there doesn't throw a wrench in things :)

We adopted a dog from the Caribbean, and hoped the embark test would give us some detail as to what mixed breed she is as "potcake" is not a breed, just the name of the local dogs. She looks like a lab, shepard, whippet mix- Our test came back as 100% American Village Dog which we'd never heard of. Yes, I know she is a mutt and an island dog, but I didn't really understand what village dog breed is. I reached out to embark to see if they had additional breed details for us. They responded right away which was impressive, with an explanation as to what a village dog is. They said "The reason a dog like yours has a village dog result isn't that we're not able to identify the breeds in her, but rather because the majority of her DNA doesn't come from any purebred dog breeds. Village dogs were around long before modern purebred breeds (which, remember, really only started having closed populations in the past century or so), and there are still a lot of dogs in the world today who have little to no ancestry from breeds. We're always excited to see village dogs, as they're very neat genetically and can teach us a lot about dog history. Your dog really does have interesting ancestry-- only about 1% of the dogs tested with us are village dogs." "We pride ourselves on being the only dog DNA test not only able to identify village dogs but also having a diverse village dog reference panel of many dogs from many locations." I was a little disappointed to not have any identifiable breeds but it was fun to learn something new. The test was easy enough to use and the turn around time was faster than expected.

Test was fairly easy to do with our dog. Results were great. Notifications from shipping all the way through when the results were in were great too. Would highly recommend using this test.

This is the second time I’ve purchased this DNA kit. Once for my previous dog and again for my current puppy. It is well worth it. The kit is very easy to use, and the results are both thorough and accurate. While I would love my dog regardless of breed, it was fun and informative to see which breeds contributed to his personality and physical traits. The health component also provided valuable peace of mind by identifying potential health conditions. I can confidently say the results are accurate, as my first dog was diagnosed with Intervertebral Disc Disease, which the test correctly identified. One of my coworkers, who is a breeder, also uses this test to assess which traits her dogs may potentially pass on to their puppies. I appreciated learning that my dog is 0% inbred, has close relatives who have also completed the DNA test, and seeing his allergy risk, among many other detailed insights. My only suggestion for improvement would be to include an additional $5 toward postage for Canadian customers, as the provided stamps did not fully cover the mailing fee.

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.

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.

Fantastic product with fantastic information provided about your dog. If buying in Australia - be aware you'll have to ship it back to the USA at your own cost (approx $25). Worth every cent to see valuable information about your pet dog.

I was originally hesitant after reading several reviews regarding packages getting lost, after all, 200 bucks per test is no small amount. Here's what I'm going to say to make it easy for anyone in Canada (West Coast). I ordered 2 kits end of March for my 2 dogs, and it took about 3 weeks in total to get the result. I also had the incident where the swab results was accidentally swapped between my 2 dogs. I contacted their support and was able to resolve it within 2 business days. Now, regarding the package delivery. 1) The staff that helps you at Canada Post is highly important. Luckily, I had a staff who was quite knowledgeable. The original USPS (that came with the package) does not scan into their system. If you want it to be tracked, it is better for them to create a new sticker with new USPS and stick in on the back of the package. That way, you can track it on the Canadian Border side. They did deduct the number of postage stamp from this service, and it ended up costing me $5 more. 2) You do have to submit declaration and download Zenos pay app (US duty). Took me about 30 mins to fill in on site. The app does require you to upload photos, so make sure you take a photo of the swab tube ahead of time. What you fill in as description is highly important (Dog DNA identification Swab). No additional cost here. 3) Took about 1.5 week to get to the lab, and another 2 weeks to get the result. Overall, pretty accurate. They correctly identified both my dog breeds, including hair colours, patterns. Very happy customer!