How Accurate are Dog DNA Testing Kits?

How accurate are dog DNA testing kits? CBC News Marketplace decided to investigate and recruited several dogs and then sent their DNA to four companies to see what dog breed information they would get back. The results they got back were interesting!

Dog DNA testing kits are increasingly popular among dog lovers trying to determine their dog’s breed, especially for people who own mixed breed dogs. Knowing a dog’s breed does help dog owners outside simply a “nice to know.” Knowing a dog’s breed can help dog owners rent a home, get home insurance, and access to emergency shelters.

What is interesting in the results CBC got back is just how mixed the results were. What they learned is that the tests are only as good as their company’s database and their procedures. CBC consulted a geneticist studying dog DNA and she cautioned dog owners that these businesses are for profit and there isn’t a lot of transparency into their DNA testing methodology. So, if you have a breed of dog outside North America and the recognized breeds, the accuracy will likely go down because the company’s database won’t have a lot of dogs from that region/part of the world to reference. That’s why Molly, the rescue dog from Kuwait, got four different results from four different tests.

That’s not to say tests will necessarily bring back confusing or inaccurate results. Several tests did come back with the correct breed information. Also, as the science behind DNA testing improves and more and more people submit their dogs’ DNA, the databases will grow and test results will become more precise, which can only result in more positive results.

So the conclusion from this experiment in dog DNA testing? Take results with a grain of salt. And, as one dog owner participating in CBC News Marketplace concluded, she loves her dog no matter what breed she is.