Pros & Cons
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- Inexpensive for the basic test.
- Postage included.
- Includes extra Life Plan service for managing canine wellness.
- Frame-worthy certificate.
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- Has smallest breed database.
- No "family-tree" view of breed results or testing for genetic problems.
- Cheap packaging.
DNA My Dog Specs
| Breed Tests | |
| Postage Included | |
| Wait Time | 2 to 3 weeks |
DNA My Dog Breed Identification Test ($68.99) is a basic dog DNA kit that uses its database of 95 different dog breeds to pinpoint your pooch's genetic makeup. That may sound like a lot of breeds to compare against, but other tests, including the Editors' Choice Wisdom Panel, can identify up to 250. And DNA My Dog's results, while consistent and able to accurately identify our purebred test subject, seemed a bit wacky for the mutt that we used as our other test subject. While on the less expensive side of the kits we tested, the results should be used more as a fun conversation piece than an accurate representation of your dog's DNA.
DNA Breed Analysis and More
Make sure you use a working email address with DNA My Dog, since the company makes it clear from the start that the process is entirely digital; you won't get any results via snail mail. As with DNAffirm, you have to register your test online before you send it in. This matches up the code on your test with your email, which then allows you to check the status of your kit while you wait. This means that, unlike with the competition at Embark and Wisdom Panel, you can only associate one test sample with your email. With the other kits, you can register as many samples as you like to your name, rather than to your email.
Note that you can save $5 per kit if you order them in bulk. The company also offers a canid/hybrid test to see how much wolf you have in your pupper (something that's automatic with Embark), test for deceased dogs (it requires something the late pet put their mouth on), and health-plan screenings. The full cost of the DNA breed identification plus full genetic screening from DNA My Dog is $188.99. The company also runs atmypet.com for allergy testing canine companions in two weeks for $89.99.
DNA Collection
The packaging for DNA My Dog changed during my testing. The initial test kit came in a box made for a store shelf. It arrived crushed, but that didn't hurt the contents. A third test I performed came in a slick little envelope. Inside are a return envelope, two long cotton swabs in a sterile package, and a single double-sided 8-by-10-inch piece of paper with instructions. One side is on how to register a test at www.dnamydog.com; do that first. The other side covers how to perform the swab.
The process with DNA My Dog is almost exactly like that of Accu-Metrics DNAffirm. Put the sterile buccal swab in the dog's cheek pouch, beside the gum, and rub and swirl it around for 20 seconds. Perform two swabs, put them both in the donor specimen envelope, and let it sit unsealed for 25 minutes to air dry. Then close it, put it in the return envelope, and send it off. According to the directions, "cheek cell samples are stable for several months without refrigeration." DNA My Dog can also do a DNA test of blood, which costs $20 extra.
It's good that the cost of shipping samples is included; it has to be sent to Toronto, so it's not as simple as buying a single stamp. The turnaround time for DNA My Dog is estimated at two weeks after the sample is received. I had mine in 16 days from the day I mailed it.
DNA Reports
Like DNAffirm, you don't get a website to log in to where the data is stored. DNA My Dog emails the results when ready, with not a bit of communication before. Other tests, such as Embark, send you email updates as the sample is received or the analysis starts, for example.
The email consists of three attached PDFs. One is a suitable-for-framing certificate signed by a laboratory director with the date of analysis of your dog's DNA, and a listing of breed types he or she tested positive for in levels based on percentages. It features the pooch's picture if you provided one during registration.
The second PDF is the one you care about: Canine Breed Determination. Unfortunately, DNA My Dog doesn't include any kind of family-tree look at the DNA in your dog. The doc describes the breed backgrounds and major health concerns per breed, like Goldens being prone to hip dysplasia and Von Willebrand's Disease, with links for more info. There are also interesting facts: Golden Retrievers can have a recessive gene that gives them a black coat. The final page of that document is all caveats and reasons why you can't expect 100 percent accuracy.
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The third PDF offers "access to our exclusive Life Plan service which will give you enhanced tools and information." I did that with one of my test dogs and it asked me to set up a regular account under my name. This provides immediate access to the DNA My Dog Life Plan wellness service, for which the company usually charges $50, but it's free if you purchase this basic breed test. This service doesn't have anything to do with the genetic testing, however. In a 14-question quiz, you enter lots of data about your pet's lifestyle and diet, then Life Plan provides some advice. This is primarily a method to get you to sign up for more services, specifically the genetic health testing.
DNA Results
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.
If you have a purebred like my test dog, Griffin, the Breed Determination will probably just show you Level 1—since the dog is supposed to be all just one breed. Indeed, DNA My Dog pegged Griffin as a Golden Retriever at a level of "75% - 100%."
Madison, my mutt and second test subject, is so mixed that she doesn't rate a Level 1. (You only get a Level 1 if a dog has 75 percent or more of a specific breed's DNA.) Her Level 2 is 37 percent to 74 percent Miniature Pinscher, then at level 4 she's 10 percent to 20 percent Lab and 10 percent to 20 percent Rottweiler, and finally at Level 5, 1 percent to 9 percent Boxer. That was a set of wacky responses to get for a 35-pound dog that for years we joked was a Kai Ken cur.
Then the second set of results for Madison--under her incognito name, "Daisy"—arrived and I was pleasantly surprised to see almost the same results as the first test. The only difference was an extra breed listed at Level 5: 1 percent to 9 percent Catahoula Leopard Dog.
That just made the results seem wackier, but at least there was some consistency between the tests. That said, no other dog DNA test saw Catahoula nor Rottweiler nor Min-Pin amid the Madison/Daisy results.
I also didn't care for the "levels" aspect of the results. When other tests like Embark and Wisdom Panel will at least try to give you full percentages of just what breeds are in your hound's genes, why can't they all?
DNA My Dog also doesn't offer any kind of free genetic mutation health check. Even the less expensive DNAffim throws in tests for MDR1 and EIC genetic problems. If you need help understanding the info you get, customer support is offered via a contact form or email at [email protected].
Genetic Conclusions
DNA My Dog nailed it on our pure breed test pupper, but that's not hard to peg. The more purebreds in a company database, the easier it should be, and getting a Golden Retriever right should be like throwing rocks at the side of a barn from 10 paces. It's the third most popular breed in the US behind Labrador Retrievers and German Shepherds.
It's putting a mixed breed dog's genetics to the test where DNA My Dog has to sink or swim, but it only doggy paddles, at best. Getting "levels" of dogs rather than knowing real percentages feels like more hedging your bets than should be necessary in genomic sciences. As such, you should only try DNA My Dog if you want to save some money and have a conversation starter about breeds. Don't go into it expecting feelings of confidence.
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