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The Best Dog DNA Kits Of 2025
These are the best dog DNA kits of 2025. (Photos by R A Kearton via Getty Images)
Finding out your dog's breed can be a fun experience, but there are also plenty of reasons to get a dog DNA kit that will have an impact on your furry friend's wellbeing. Identifying genetic health markers and having a better understanding of breed characteristics can ensure you're as prepared as possible to care for your dog in the way she needs.
Quick Overview
The best dog DNA kit Embark
Best kit for breed identification Dog DNA Test by Ancestry
Best for dog inherited traits Wisdom Panel Premium Dog DNA Kit
Basepaws Dog DNA Testing Kit
Our pets bring so much joy and goodness into the world, and they deserve the very best from us. Knowledge is power for any pet parent, and a DNA test is the perfect place to start. Not every kit is the same, though. Along with my pup Daisy, I tested four of the most popular dog DNA kits: Embark, Basepaws, Ancestry, and Wisdom Panel. Here's what we discovered.
The best dog DNA kitsEmbark
Whatever it is you want to learn about your dog, Embark has it covered. Yes, it will tell you all you need to know about your pup's breed and origins, but it also will find you dog relatives, help identify allergens to avoid (a $29 upgrade), estimate your pup's age, and even identify physical and psychological traits likely to be present.
The swab itself is much like a large cotton swab, and our test pup handled it as well as we could hope. She didn't like it, but it didn't seem to be uncomfortable. Embark recommends swabbing for 30-60 seconds, but I can say with certainty that our swabbing session was 15 seconds, max. Daisy is 70 pounds, and my husband and I could only get her to cooperate for so long.
Despite the short swab time, we got great information about Daisy. We knew going in that she had one parent who was a full German shepherd and one who was a shepherd/lab mix. Embark's results showed us that the parent that was a mix had more than the two breeds we knew of, because she also has some bulldog in her DNA. Wisdom Panel drilled down even further than these three breeds, and we'll get to that next,
Embark gave me a list of 30 of Daisy's relatives (they shared DNA ranging from 28-34%). I can see information about the relatives' location, place and date of adoption, and I even have the option to contact the owners.
The section on physical traits gave accurate results, and I did not submit a photo or any breed information with her DNA sample, so the trait results are authentic. For each trait, you can see what gene was detected and even read more about it via the citation under each listed trait.
Overall, Embark provides a wealth of helpful information (which Embark can email directly to your vet) in an intuitive format. The site is pleasant to navigate, and all of the results are easy to understand.
ProsAncestryDNA
We all know Ancestry for its expansive database of human DNA, but it's also great for collecting and testing canine DNA. Ancestry can test your pup's saliva — the most of any of the dog DNA kits we tried.
Daisy's results from Ancestry Know Your Pet DNA came back with a mix of the expected German shepherd (66%) and Labrador retriever (26%), but also 8% Native American Indian Dog. I'd never heard of this breed, but it looks like a mix between a husky and a GSD, so it's honestly more believable than the claims of bulldog heritage we got from Embark and Wisdom Panel.
We found the traits section to be pretty accurate, though many of the traits are common in German shepherds. For example, she tested positive for guard dog behavior. But some are certainly specific to her, such as her lack of aggression toward strangers while also having mild social anxiety. The physical traits present were mostly accurate, except she tested to be "mostly white" fur, which is a far cry from her stereotypical black-and-tan German shepherd coloring.
If you think your dog might have some exotic breeds in the mix, go with Ancestry.
ProsWisdom Health
I chose Wisdom Panel when we first adopted Daisy as a puppy. That was back in 2020, so I was interested to see if this second test would yield the same results. I submitted the new DNA sample under the name Pumpkin, and I gave no further information or photo.
We struggled to swab for the recommended amount of time with all of these kits, but the Wisdom Panel swab seemed to be especially unpleasant for her. While the other swabs resembled giant Q-tips, this one was more like a pipe cleaner. Despite another short swabbing session, Wisdom Panel successfully identified "Pumpkin" as being Daisy's twin or the same dog. It identified seven different breeds (German shepherd, Australian cattle dog, white Swiss shepherd, chinook, Labrador retriever, Alaskan malamute, Siberian husky, bulldog, and American pit bull terrier).
Wisdom Panel showed what her family tree may have looked like and reported that "Pumpkin's" DNA showed an average level of breed diversity. I found one of her sisters and many extended family members and once again found that she has one copy of the gene variant for exercise-induced collapse syndrome.
Wisdom Panel offered some behavioral traits I didn't see in other dog DNA kits, like pointing instinct, reverse sneezing, motion sickness, and many others.
Pros
Basepaws
Basepaws offers a more basic set of tests, so you're unlikely to get a bunch of results you don't care about. Daisy's breed mix came back as 83.8% German shepherd and 16.2% Labrador retriever. The German shepherd result, however, was further broken down into three distinct shepherd types: German shepherd, white Swiss shepherd dog, and East-European shepherd. For all four breeds found, there was information on health predispositions, personality, fun facts, and breed facts.
Her DNA was scanned for 210 health markers, and as we saw in other tests, she carries one copy of the gene related to exercise-induced collapse syndrome. You need two copies to be at risk, but I learned that from Embark. Basepaws didn't tell me how many copies were present or if it mattered.
The test also scanned for physical traits, like body size and coat color, but not personality traits like the others did.
Where Basepaws shines, though, is its wealth of educational content. Before you view your results, you get access to a page full of links to articles like "Your dog's genes and alleles," "What is a Polydog?", "Understanding genotype and phenotype," and "Mutations and genetic diseases." Reading through these articles can help you understand the implications of the results you get from Basepaws.
However, when it comes to which kit is worth your money, I'd skip Basepaws in favor of one of the other kits that breaks down your dog's ancestry and relatives.
ProsMy unsuspecting German shepherd mix, Daisy, helped me test out four different dog DNA kits to find the best one.
All instructions were followed closely, with the exception of required swabbing times. Daisy was not a fan of the swab, and there's only so much you can force a 70-pound dog to endure. However, there was enough saliva collected to get accurate results.
The samples were mailed off promptly, and within a few weeks the results were in.
Dog DNA kits can unlock lots of interesting information about your dog's breed and health. (AOL / Sarah Kovac)
Different types of DNA kitsThese DNA kits for dogs give you way more information than your dog's breed composition. Many of the kits can be upgraded to include more health and trait testing or allergy and age tests. Some specialized kits focus just on specific pets or tests.
Purebred tests – Some dog DNA kits (like Embark) will present results differently if you buy a purebreed kit as opposed to a mixed breed one
Breed only – Often, you can save money by purchasing a breed-only kit and skip the health and physical traits
Health – Several kits will test only for health issues like age estimation, gut health, and oral health
Dog DNA kits can help you uncover your dog's lost relatives (just like human DNA kits). (AOL / Sarah Kovac)
What to look for in a dog DNA kitBefore purchasing a dog DNA kit, ask yourself what information you're looking for. Are you hoping to track down your dog's litter mates? Do you want verification that your dog is purebred? Do you want health insights you can forward to your vet? Knowing what you want is the only way to make sure you get the best dog DNA kit for your situation. Features that come in some kits but not others are:
Your results will vary by test. Embark and AncestryDNA said Daisy had three breeds, though they couldn't agree on the third. Wisdom Panel identified seven breeds in her DNA, while Basepaws only identified two. (AOL / Sarah Kovac)
FAQs When should you do a DNA test on your dog?If you're unsure of your pup's lineage, it's a good idea to do a DNA test. Certain breeds have higher chances of specific health problems, so it's good to know what to keep an eye out for.
Even if you do know about your dog's parents, there could be genetic variables that put your dog at higher risk for medical issues. Knowing these risks can give you the opportunity to prevent problems before they arise, and it can also help you decide whether or not your dog is fit for breeding.
If your dog is already showing some signs of health problems and you want to provide more information to your vet about their heritage, a kit could be helpful.
How do dog DNA kits work?Logistically, all four of these kits were exactly the same. I received a box in the mail. It contained a swab and clear instructions on how to perform the swab, seal it up, and ship it back in the same box. Then, it was just a few weeks of waiting before the results arrived by email.
How are human and dog DNA tests different?The process is actually remarkably similar. With a human DNA kit, like those from Ancestry, you receive a box, spit into the collection tube, and then return the tube in the postage-paid box. Since we can't ask a dog to spit into a tube, we swab the inside of their cheek to collect the saliva instead.
How do you read dog DNA results?All of the kits we tested provided easy-to-read results. There will be a results dashboard, and from there you can click links to breed results, health findings, and relatives (if available).
Some services can send these results to your vet for you, and others make it easy to share the findings on social media.
What are the flaws of dog DNA kits?Some dogs are more tolerant than others, and some tests require more swabbing than others. Our test dog is very good-natured and puts up with a lot, but she would not allow for the full swabbing time with any of the kits. This is a common experience, so doing some prep work before the kit arrives can be helpful. For example, some gentle tooth brushing can get your dog used to the sensation of having something rubbed against their gums. There's also generally an amount of time you have to wait since your dog's last bite of food – up to two hours.
Article edited by Kate Ellsworth
Yes, Study Reportedly Found Human DNA In Hot Dogs — But There's More To The Story
For nearly a decade, social media users have claimed that traces of human DNA exist in hot dogs. A study cited by many people was first published in 2015 and resurfaced in 2024. One recent example on X (archived) had been viewed more than 1.9 million times:
The post above included a 2015 CBS News segment titled "Report has stunning revelations for contents of hot dogs." It covered an analysis published by Clear Labs, a private genomics testing company headquartered in California. News outlets including The Independent, USA Today and ABC News also covered the report at the time.
Clear Labs wrote in a single document released on Oct. 17, 2015, that 2% of 345 hot dogs it tested contained traces of human DNA.
However, it was unclear whether this report was peer-reviewed or published in a reputable journal—Snopes found no record of either. The report also did not provide details about how the authors came to their conclusions, such as how they tested the hot dogs, what kind of hot dogs they tested, and whether they considered the possibility of cross-contamination affecting results.
"It's pretty unlikely that the human DNA piece is actually harmful to consumer health," Mahni Ghorashi, a Clear Labs founder, told The New York Times in 2015. "We consider it more of a hygienic issue that degrades the quality of the food."
Snopes contacted Clear Labs and the report's author to learn more about how they conducted the research. We will update this article if we receive a response.
What We Know About the StudyClear Labs published the analysis in a PowerPoint slide titled "Next Generation Sequencing as a Novel Tool for Quality Control of Food Products: Hotdog Study." Authors used gene sequencing technology, which was pioneered by the Human Genome Project, to look at "bar code" regions of the genome to "give an accurate report of species present in food products."
DNA samples were extracted from 345 purchased hot dog products, of which 2% were reportedly found to have contained human DNA.
(Clear Labs)
But unlike most peer-reviewed research, this document was not transparent in how project leaders conducted the testing and reporting.
The report did not list what type of hot dogs were tested, their labeled ingredients or the processing facilities where they were manufactured.
Without further information, it's impossible to independently determine the potential origins of the alleged human DNA, such as whether it could have come from the researchers themselves.
No other study has corroborated the 2015 report's findings, based on our research.
Snopes reported in 2015 when the study first appeared:
Missing from the bevy of articles about human DNA in hot dogs (and meat in veggie dogs) was any explanation about how Clear Food determined those percentages, under which conditions testing occurred, whether any independent entities confirmed or duplicated the claims, and the methodology by which Clear Food arrived at their overall conclusions. Information on the site and Clear Food's Kickstarter provided no information about their testing methods, the credibility of their research, or (most important) what the company's specific objective might be. The flurry of interest bore many similarities to an earlier report claiming California wine was contaminated with arsenic, peddled by a company that tested alcoholic beverages for "purity." Clear Food similarly touted its "Clear Score," aimed "to reward the brands with the highest average scores" based on criteria known only by Clear Food.
[…]
Clear Food didn't define the terms that they used to describe their findings, such as "genomic analysis technology" (unspecified) or "proprietary next-generation genomic sequencing workflow." Certain brands were deemed "problematic" at a rate of 14.4 percent, but again, no evidence was presented to substantiate that claim or establish the methodology as worthy of consideration. In short, while the results could bear out to some degree should testing be conducted in a scientific setting, Clear Food didn't appear to be an established laboratory presenting vetted data.
In 2021, Snopes reported regulations established by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration set a maximum level of "natural or unavoidable defects that present no health hazards for humans" in food. According to the FDA:
Under federal law, the FDA is given the power to establish maximum levels of natural substances that unintentionally contaminate food for human consumption because the agency concluded that it is impractical to "grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects." This does not mean that the FDA approves of such additions or that it even finds levels acceptable as long the food manufacturer stays just below the level.
Snopes' archives contributed to this report.
SourcesDapcevich, Madison. "Does Ground Coffee Contain Cockroaches?" Snopes, 9 Mar. 2021, https://www.Snopes.Com//fact-check/cockroaches-in-ground-coffee/.
---. "Snopes Tips: Why Care If Research Is 'Peer-Reviewed'?" Snopes, 30 Mar. 2022, https://www.Snopes.Com//news/2022/03/30/snopes-tips-why-care-if-research-is-peer-reviewed/.
DNA Sequencing Fact Sheet. Https://www.Genome.Gov/about-genomics/fact-sheets/DNA-Sequencing-Fact-Sheet. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
Durando, Jessica. "Report: Human DNA Found in Hot Dogs." USA TODAY, https://www.Usatoday.Com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/26/report-human-dna-found-hot-dogs/74617102/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
"Homepage." Clear Labs, https://www.Clearlabs.Com/. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
LaCapria, Kim. "Franks and Genes." Snopes, 26 Oct. 2015, https://www.Snopes.Com//fact-check/clear-foods-hot-dog-dna-study/.
News, A. B. C. "Some Hot Dogs, Sausages Studied Contain Human DNA, Says New Report." ABC News, https://abcnews.Go.Com/Health/hot-dogs-sausages-studied-human-dna-report/story?Id=34739080. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
Report Has Stunning Revelations for Contents of Hot Dogs - CBS News. 25 Oct. 2015, https://www.Cbsnews.Com/news/report-2-percent-of-hot-dogs-have-human-dna/.
"Study Finds Pork and Human DNA in Vegetarian Hotdogs." The Independent, 27 Oct. 2015, https://www.The-independent.Com/news/science/hot-dog-sausages-contain-human-dna-study-says-and-many-vegetarian-ones-contain-meat-a6710341.Html.
The Human Genome Project. Https://www.Genome.Gov/human-genome-project. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
How A Warming Climate Is Part Of A Shift In Sled Dog Genetics
In an archival video of the 1988 Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race or K300, the start line of the race looks distinctly of its time: spectators wear aviator glasses, turtlenecks and a lot of teal. But it's not just the people that look different from today, it's also the dogs.
Broad-chested sled dogs bark at the start line, black and white fuzzy arctic coats alive with energy. Decades later, the dogs at the 2025 start of the K300 Race Committee's Season Opener look different. They sport slender builds and thinner fur of brown and black.
The tradition of dog mushing has changed a lot throughout its rich history in Alaska. While some changes come from development in the sport, others have been forced by a changing climate. One part of the story is told in the DNA of the dogs themselves.
It's a shift Carl Erhart has noticed. His personal history with mushing goes back to his grandmother, a Koyukon Athabaskan Alaska Native from Tanana.
"She was the one who originally had dogs back then for transportation," remembered Erhart. "Everybody had dogs."
Erhart, a third-generation musher, lives in Fairbanks with his team of 35 dogs. He and his wife, Jennifer Probert Erhart, train and compete in global competitions. They've raised their kids on the sport and Erhart said that he cooks for his dogs daily. To say it's a huge part of their lives would be an understatement. Dog sled racing is their life, as is true for mushers across Alaska.
But growing up in Tanana, Erhart heard stories about a different time. His dad remembers days when dogs pulled sleds to haul wood and water, protect from predators, and travel between villages. Back then, most families had a small team of three to five Alaskan malamutes, and later Siberian huskies, built for the Alaskan cold with thick fur coats and strong builds.
"But these weren't race dogs by any means," Earhart distinguished. "These were your companions, your work dogs, you know. A lot different, a different breed than we have now."
Today, Erhart's dog team and the life he leads as an Alaskan musher is a game of telephone away from what it was mere generations ago. A series of, in some cases, literal mutations have re-molded the mushing his dad remembers.
"How dog mushing and racing kind of came about in the villages a long time ago was exactly that. In the springtime, they would have carnivals and festivals where everybody gathered," Erhart said. "And then it would just be human nature to say, 'Hey, I bet my team is faster than yours.' 'Well, oh no, I bet my team is faster than yours.'"
As snowmachines were introduced and commercial goods became a more reliable supplement to subsistence, the tradition survived primarily as a competitive sport. And that posed a problem for work dogs.
"Those dogs could survive the elements really well, not burn a lot of food to stay warm," said Erhart. "And they were really strong, but something they lacked was those big Siberian huskies don't have good stamina, so they can't go on long, long runs like we do nowadays."
Suddenly, new traits emerged as favorable in the sled dog gene pool. A dog that was lean and fast and could muster a lot of energy was the kind of dog you needed to win a race. Around the early 1900s, the breeding game began.
The Alaskan husky, with ancestral roots in the native village dogs of Alaska's interior and coast, began being bred selectively to yield a faster race dog. But Erhart said that at the same time, a shifting set of climate conditions played a role in what traits could make for the most competitive canine athlete.
"And then global warming kind of comes around, right? And we get less favorable snow conditions in the winter, and then we're a little bit warmer in the spring. So now, when we're having these races, these old Alaska(n) huskies, we're having to perform in this hotter climate," Erhart said.
Genes from dogs in climates around the world entered the mix to match the Arctic's shifting conditions. The Alaskan huskies have been mixed and matched with Irish setters, greyhounds, German shorthaired pointers, and Saluki hounds.
"And the result of that is you have dogs that can perform well in hot, humid weather," Erhart said.
On the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, musher Myron Angstman was a long-time competitor in the K300 and now chairs the race's committee.
"The basic dog in Bethel in the 1970s was bigger, thicker. Heavier dogs with way more hair, and those kinds of dogs had existed in the villages for a long time," Angstman recalled.
Angstman said that in the K300 race specifically, you can still find some dogs that have lineage from breeds along the Yukon River. Less stocky than the Bethel village dog, he said that they were some of the earliest successful dogs in long distance racing, and had the kind of sleekness usually attributed to sprint dogs.
But Angstman remembers when a wave of sleeker breeds hit races in the '70s, '80s, and '90s. Often, the faster breeds of dogs would come in with teams from Anchorage or Fairbanks. They quickly changed the game.
"And they'd look at the dog and they say, 'Boy, that's a fast dog,'" Angstman remembered. "And so rather than breed those, interbreed those with the slow dogs from the villages, they would often just breed the ones from Anchorage and Fairbanks with another Anchorage, Fairbanks dog. So they did a whole team full of faster dogs. And so the changeover was quick and dramatic."
But breeding for a warmer climate has had a ripple effect. The modern breeds can't all be kenneled outside like the Alaskan malamute or the Siberian husky can. Some of the fastest dogs need to live in the house, which Erhart said isn't feasible for someone like him with kids and grandkids. He said that it has caused a shift in the sport and who can do it.
"I'm like, 'Yeah? At what cost to the Alaska(n) Husky are you the best right now?'" Erhart said. "Your dog literally cannot live outside. So in definition, it's not an Alaska(n) husky sled dog. It's a pet dog that's fast."
What was meant to keep a tie to the old ways has in some ways caused a divide. The tradition looks different than it once did, but there are also other domino effects at play when it comes to mushing and climate change.
The process of fueling dogs has changed as salmon crises build along the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. And shifts in the training of the sport are a new piece of the champion's puzzle as snow has become more of a question than an Alaska staple. We'll dive into those developments in stories to come.
This story is part of a series looking at the development of sled dog racing and the impact of climate change on mushing in the lead-up to the 2025 K300 race on Feb. 7. Stay tuned for the next parts of the series on KYUK 640AM and online at KYUK.Org.Copyright 2025 KYUK
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