All the best dog DNA tests for discovering your dog’s breed

We’ve highlighted a selection of the best dog DNA kits so that you can have all the facts when people ask what your dog is.

By Team Commerce2021-05-11 10:22:52 UTC

Everyone thinks that their dog is the best dog in the world — and they’re absolutely right. All dogs are the best dog in the world. 

You already know that your dog is unique, but you’re probably wondering what it is about your pet’s genetic makeup that makes them so special. Why are their eyes different colours? Why do they have spotted fur? Why do they insist on barking any time something walks past the window? All important questions.

You could put a picture of your dog on Twitter and have people vote on what he or she is — but Mashable did a What’s your mutt? quiz way back in 2017 that proves we all suck at guessing. Enter dog DNA tests. 

Why should you consider a dog DNA test?

Yes, dog DNA tests are a real thing, and they can tell you an awful lot about your dog’s family history, their genetic makeup, and their risk of disease in the future. For rescue parents, these are pretty much a must-do to finally solve your fur baby’s identity issues. Plus, it’ll be nice to be able to give people a real answer when strangers at the park ask about their breed.

Similar to the way human DNA tests shows a pie chart of percentages from ethnic regions around the world, a dog DNA test shows you what your pooch is really made of — and maybe you’ll finally find out that his grandma was a Great Dane, and that’s why his ears are so pointy when you’ve been thinking he was all Mastiff this whole time. 

How do dog DNA test kits work?

Wondering how TF the science works? Well, the whole thing is actually pretty similar to human DNA kits: Dogs have two copies of every gene, one inherited from the mother and one from the father. DNA genetics labs can hone in on each and trace your dog’s maternal and paternal line all the way back to great grandparents. It’s also important to note that puppies will randomly inherit 50 percent of each of their parents’ breeds, making it very possible for puppies in the same litter to have different breed compositions. So even if you know (or think you know) what your dog’s parents or siblings are, a DNA test is still super worthwhile.

What we were surprised to see is that almost all dog DNA tests offer health screenings. 23andMe is the only human DNA test that offers a health service, and it’s optional. But it’s way better to spend the money to take precautions now rather than wait until a problem actually arises and end up having to break your bank on vet bills. And let’s be real, finding out if there’s a problem early and possibly being able to add years to your dog’s life is worth all of the money in the world. 

Also, we’ll warn you now that most of dog DNA kits are just as expensive (or more expensive) than DNA tests for humans. But then again, most of us care about our dogs as if they were our human children, so hell yeah, we’ll fork over that money.

What is the best dog DNA test kit?

You’ve got plenty of options when it comes to DNA test kits for your dog, which is a good and bad. It’s great to have options, but it does make the decision process a little bit harder when there are so many products to consider. This is where we can help.

We’ve checked out everything on offer and highlighted a selection of the best DNA testing kits for dogs. There should be something for every dog and budget in this list. It’s worth taking some time to properly consider all of these options, and weighing each one up against your own set of preferences. Then you just need to pick a favourite.

These are the best DNA testing kits for dogs in 2021.