Clear answers to help you care better for your dog

For many pet parents, yes. Beyond breed identification, a DNA test can uncover inherited health risks, explain certain traits, and help you plan proactive care — especially when you share results with your veterinarian.

No — and it’s not meant to. Embark works alongside your vet by giving you more information, so you can have clearer, more informed conversations about your dog’s care.

Results for Breed ID Tests and Breed + Health Tests are typically ready within 2–4 weeks after our lab receives your dog’s sample. Results for Age Tests require 4-6 weeks.

We process your dog’s DNA sample using Illumina’s CanineHD microarray technology, a high-density, research-grade platform that analyzes hundreds of thousands of genetic markers.

Our testing identifies specific genetic markers and compares them to reference dog genomes in our database, the largest canine genetic database in the world. By matching your dog’s DNA to known patterns, Embark identifies breed ancestry, inherited traits, and genetic health indicators, then translates those results into easy-to-understand insights you can use.

Think of a microarray as a high-resolution snapshot of your dog’s DNA. Instead of reading every letter, it focuses on hundreds of thousands of carefully selected genetic markers that are meaningful for health, traits, and ancestry. This is the same technology used by 23andMe, Ancestry, and every other human direct-to-consumer DNA test. They are also the standard for scientists finding new health conditions and are widely used for agricultural purposes.

Embark offers the most accurate dog breed identification test on the market — but accuracy isn’t just a number. It’s about confidence in real-world decisions.

Embark delivers:

• 99% breed identification accuracy
• Testing for 270+ genetic health conditions
• Insights into 55 genetic traits
• 4 Allergy Risk Scores

Our accuracy is powered by scale. Every dog tested strengthens the database, helping our scientists validate discoveries, refine models, and deliver insights you can trust.

Some breeds look alike because they share recent history — which can make breed identification especially tricky for mixed-breed dogs.

To distinguish these breeds, we use our database to identify genetic signatures unique to each breed. Knowing those signatures, we can measure the fraction of the genome that contains markers from, for example, either the American or the English Bulldog.