With the popularity of human DNA testing, it was only a matter of time before that curiosity extended to our four-legged friends. The goal of testing dog DNA, though, is a little different from human testing, which is mainly performed to find out about your ancestry and family heritage. The typical desire with dog DNA kits is to pinpoint the breeds that reside within your mutt's genetics. There's another goal, though. DNA tests also check your companion animal for various gene-specific diseases or disorders. DNA tests can rule them out—or expose a disease before it's a problem. But which should you pick? The PCMag staff has reviewed DNA kits since 2018, so you can trust our recommended picks, including our Editors' Choice winner Wisdom Panel.

Why Test Your Dog's DNA?

For most people, the main reason to test is to be able to point at their dog and say, "Oh, she's a mix of this breed and that breed." It can confirm that their expensive dog is indeed the purebred (or designer hybrid) they paid for.

We can't stress enough that this is mostly meaningless. You're not going to find your dog's long-lost relatives. Well, except for users of Embark, a service that's added a "Relatives" tab to its results that shows other dogs in the database with shared DNA. You can't suddenly prove your dog is purebred and petition the American Kennel Club (AKC) to let you register. Instead, you can opt for AKC Purebred Alternative Listing registration to get your hound into AKC run events, but that doesn't require a DNA test.

(Credit: Wisdom Panel/PCMag)

You could, however, use a DNA test to prove your dog's makeup does, or doesn't, include a breed. One company (that no longer sells a dog DNA test) claimed that its dog DNA results were used in a court case to show that a dog that was going to be euthanized for the "crime" of being a pit bull didn't, in fact, have any pittie in him.

As mentioned earlier, the most important aspect of dog DNA testing is the genetic mutation/health checks that ensure your dog doesn't have potential issues. We discussed DNA tests with a veterinarian, Dr. Jenneka McCarty, V.M.D. She said that what she likes about the tests is that "there are things you can rule out, like dogs with neurological issues, say if they have a negative [test] for degenerative myelopathy, that gives you very specific info. You can say, 'It's not this.'"

That said, she questions how prevalent the genetic problems tested by these kits are in the real world. "They're genetic diseases. Not, for instance, diabetes, which is acquired," she said, listing other maladies. "Probably a lot of what they screen for is very rare."

Still, we argue it's the strongest reason to use a dog DNA test. The expensive ones test for around 210 genetic issues.

How Dog DNA Kits Work

All the kits we tried have the same basics. After you register the kit, take a swab or two of the inside of the cheek pouch of your doggie. Do this a couple of hours after they eat; the goal is to swab up as much DNA-laden saliva as possible for the labs to work with. It's preferable to do it without much kibble residue, or dogs biting the swab. The process doesn't differ much from service to service, though Embark seems a little more high-tech, with its cotton sponge inserted into a stabilizing fluid for transport. The rest are cotton swabs that you let dry out and then send back.

Two of the services, Embark and Wisdom Panel, have you set up accounts on their websites, which can be used to register as many DNA kits as you like. On the site, you can access all the final data, which you can print and save. This can come in handy for trips to the vet. You don't create an account with DNA My Dog, Instead, you simply register a kit to your name and email, and the company sends you a message with the results attached. If you send in a kit without registering it, you'll probably not get the data. All testing companies include return shipping in their kits' pricing.

The response times vary, with some claims of seven days, and others up to eight weeks. None of the tests we performed—a total of 12, three with each service—took more than 21 days. The labs for two kits are in separate parts of the US—and one (DNA My Dog) is in Canada.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn't regulate dog DNA tests in the US, but Wisdom Panel advertises that its lab is USDA-accredited to maintain quality control.

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DNA Results

You'll get an email from the service stating that the results are either attached or accessible online. The companies that charge the most—Embark and Wisdom Panel—have online services where you can access the results and easily set up new DNA test kits for more pets.

DNA My Dog's results show various breed levels. At level one, it shows a breed listing if their algorithm finds 75% or more of a breed's DNA in your dog. Yes, an algorithm is involved. This DNA process involves more software and math than it does gazing through microscopes. The results then go down to levels two through five, each requiring less and less of a percentage. For example, level five might show multiple breeds, and indicate the mix of the dog's great-grandparents. It's an approach that comes off as less trustworthy than the more expensive tests that list distinct percentages per breed and a family tree.

If you sense that you get what you pay for with doggie DNA tests, you're on the money. That's because the more expensive brands, such as Embark and Wisdom Panel, have a list of far more dog breed genotypes to test against. That's important. Dr. McCarty clarified that the more breeds a company has in its database, the more specific the info. That jibes with my findings, as Embark and Wisdom Panel claim to test for more than 350 breeds. Embark also checks how much dingo, coyote, and wolf are in your pet. DNA My Dog is at the low end with 95.

The companies can all add more breeds in the future. With the popularity of designer dogs—a hybrid between two purebreds—Dr. McCarty says there may never be a cap on breeds. Eventually, what used to be a mixed breed could be considered a purebred.

(Credit: Eric Griffith)

How We Test Dog DNA Kits

We tested each kit three times: once on a purebred Golden Retriever (named Griffin) and twice more on the same mixed-breed dog, Madison. We also tested a pit bull pup named Clark so I could check out data format changes on Wisdom Panel.

The first time, we used Madison's real name, and the second time, we used the name she had when she was adopted: Daisy. We set up the second test with new accounts, all in another name. The goal was to see if the companies would correctly ID Griffin as a purebred and if the services could match their own results when looking at the DNA of an old-timer mutt like Madison/Daisy.

Spoiler: The less-expensive DNA My Dog did not fare well. Embark and Wisdom Panel managed to more-or-less match when it came to looking at Madison's genetic makeup, with only one of them (Wisdom Panel) managing an exact percentage-of-breeds replication on two tests. Both expensive tests pegged Madison as a carrier for a neurological disorder. As a spayed female, it's no big deal, but the health results could be important for you and your dog.

This space has few choices, so look closely at each review before purchasing.

Once you have Fido tested, if you'd like to examine your own genetic background, check out our roundup of the best DNA testing kits for humans and the best genealogy software and services.