Embark is a dog DNA test that analyzes more than 230,000 genetic markers from a simple cheek swab to identify your dog’s breed mix, screen for health risks, and predict physical traits. The process takes two to four weeks from the time the lab receives your sample, and results are delivered digitally.
The Swab and Sample Process
When you order an Embark kit, you receive a cheek swab and a prepaid return envelope. You rub the swab along the inside of your dog’s cheek for about 30 seconds to collect cells containing DNA. Those cells are enough to extract a full genetic profile. You register the kit online with a unique activation code, drop the sample in the mail, and Embark emails you when the lab scans it in. From that point, most results are ready within two to four weeks.
How the DNA Analysis Works
Once the lab extracts DNA from your dog’s cheek cells, it’s placed on a microarray chip, a small device studded with probes designed to read specific locations across the genome. Embark’s chip reads more than 230,000 of these locations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Each SNP is a single-letter variation in the genetic code that can differ between breeds, between individuals, or between dogs that carry a disease gene and those that don’t.
The chip doesn’t sequence the entire genome. Instead, it checks each of those 230,000+ positions and records which genetic variant your dog carries at each one. That pattern of variants becomes your dog’s genetic fingerprint, which software then compares against reference databases to determine breed composition, health risks, and traits.
Breed Identification
Embark compares your dog’s genetic profile against a reference panel of 350 breeds. The algorithm looks at which combinations of genetic variants are characteristic of each breed and calculates the statistical likelihood that segments of your dog’s DNA came from specific breed populations. The result is a percentage breakdown. A dog might come back as 45% Labrador Retriever, 30% German Shepherd, and 25% Supermutt (Embark’s term for small, hard-to-pinpoint contributions from multiple breeds).
The system can also detect ancestry from wild canid populations like wolves and coyotes, which is useful for dogs with unusual backgrounds. Breed results include a family tree estimate showing where different breeds likely entered your dog’s lineage, whether at the parent, grandparent, or great-grandparent level.
Health Risk Screening
The same genetic data used for breed identification also reveals whether your dog carries variants associated with over 270 genetic health conditions. These include risks for progressive eye diseases, heart conditions, drug sensitivities, blood clotting disorders, and degenerative neurological conditions, among others.
For each condition, your dog’s result falls into one of three categories: clear (no copies of the risk variant), carrier (one copy, unlikely to develop symptoms but can pass the gene to offspring), or at risk (two copies, higher chance of developing the condition). This distinction matters especially for breeders, who use the results to avoid pairing two carriers and producing affected puppies. For pet owners, knowing your dog carries a drug sensitivity gene, for example, can help your vet choose safer medications.
Trait Predictions
Embark tests for around 55 traits tied to your dog’s appearance and physical characteristics. These include coat type (curly, long, or furnished with eyebrows and a beard), shedding tendency, potential for hairlessness, muzzle length, natural tail length, the presence of hind dewclaws, and eye color. Body size prediction draws on a set of genes that together explain over 85% of the variation in how large dogs grow. If you have a puppy, this can give you a reasonable estimate of adult weight.
Coat color genetics are particularly detailed. The results explain not just what color your dog is, but why, identifying which pigment genes are active and which are masked. A black dog might carry hidden genes for brown or yellow that could appear in its puppies.
The Relative Finder
Because Embark stores genetic profiles in a shared database (with owner consent), the system can identify biological relatives among other tested dogs. It works the same way human DNA relative-finding services do: the algorithm measures how much DNA two dogs share and uses that percentage to estimate the relationship. Dogs sharing large stretches of identical DNA are flagged as siblings or parent-offspring pairs, while smaller amounts of shared DNA suggest cousins or more distant connections.
This feature is primarily a novelty for pet owners, but it has practical value for breeders and rescue organizations trying to trace a dog’s lineage or identify littermates that were adopted separately.
Age Estimation Through Epigenetics
Embark also offers an age test, which uses a different technique than the standard breed and health panel. Instead of reading DNA variants, it measures DNA methylation, a chemical process where small molecules called methyl groups attach to DNA and change how genes behave. Over a dog’s lifetime, methylation patterns shift in predictable ways, like accumulated wear on a machine.
By examining hundreds or thousands of these methylation sites and comparing the pattern to dogs of known ages, the algorithm estimates how long your dog has been alive. The concept, known as an epigenetic clock, was first developed for humans in 2011 and has since been adapted for dogs and other animals. The test provides a biological age estimate rather than just a calendar age, meaning it reflects how much aging has actually occurred at the cellular level. This is particularly useful for rescue dogs with no known birth date.
What Happens With the Data
Embark was founded in partnership with researchers at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, and the company uses aggregated, anonymized genetic data to advance canine genetics research. Every sample contributes to a growing dataset that helps scientists identify new gene-disease associations, refine breed detection, and study the genetics of aging and behavior in dogs. Owners can choose whether to participate in research surveys that pair their dog’s genetic data with real-world health and behavior observations, making it one of the largest citizen science efforts in veterinary genetics.