DNA testing for dogs?
When I recently had the chance to find out Weston and Fira’s DNA, I jumped at it! Embark is a kit that tests for over 160 genetic health conditions and over 250 breeds, even wolf.
Being a french bulldog owner, I thought how perfect this is especially if you’re curious what kind of genetic future your dog could have. If your dog is predisposed to a health risk, you and your vet could tackle it sooner than later. The custom test results can also be sent to your vet.
What breed is my dog?
Although we already know what breed Weston + Fira are since they were from a breeder, this is such a cool feature for all the mixed mutts out there. How cool to know what characteristics your pup could have because of their breed etc. It’s always tricky finding the right breeder, so I could see this helping considerably for future dog owners.
With the growing popularity of french bulldogs, this would be great for breeders or even pup parents to know if their dog is mixed with anything else.
The kits we tried included health reports but the new Breed Identification Kit is only for finding out your dog’s breed mix. You can always upgrade later to get their health and traits reports ($99).
We swabbed the inside of their cheeks and inserted the special Q-tips back into their tube and popped ’em in the mail! Less than 4 weeks later, we got the results.
What are Weston + Fira?
100% French Bulldog!
Not that we were surprised, but the especially fun part was seeing how much “wolf” is in their DNA. Tiny Fira’s percentage is higher than Weston’s!!! Weston is so ashamed (lol).
It also shows predicted adult weight, although Weston + Fira’s actual weight is lower than the number they predicted. I guess because they were the runts of the litter! Genetic Age results are their current ages.
We also found out they did not test positive for any genetic diseases Embark scans for or common diseases in the breed including hereditary cataracts, kidney + bladder stones, degenerative disorder of the spinal cord and more. Yay!
French Bulldog Ancestry
Another cool feature is seeing where their mom and dad came from in the world. You can see the type of haplogroups and haplotypes your dog has which can explain how your dog’s ancestors migrated across the globe. You could also use this information to confirm their origins or verify their pedigree. You’ll also see a section that shows other dogs’ profiles who have done the test who share certain DNA (relatives?!).
Interesting stuff! We were so giddy opening their test results—it’s like finding out who their birth parents are or something, haha. Overall, I think this test is totally worth it to find out what breed(s) your furry loves are and more importantly, what potential diseases they could carry.
GIVEAWAY CLOSED
Congrats Laura Nelson!
Order your own kit now!
[ Disclaimer: Where's The Frenchie is not affiliated with Embark. We were sent these DNA kits for our honest review and experience. However, if you order through the button above, we will receive an affiliate comission which helps keep this blog running smoothly. We only recommend products we fully believe in! ]
This is such a great idea!! I did DNA testing through my vet when I first got Watson (everyone thought he was a havanese but he’s actually maltese bichon!) but it didn’t test for a lot of these other traits. I’ll definitely have to check this out!
Woof Xo,
Michelle & Watson
https://www.watsonandwalls.com/
Hi, does this work with identifying color breed of frenchies?
I read this blog post about french bulldog colors : https://www.frenchienpug.com/blogs/news/french-bulldog-colors
And I know that breeders use various techniques to breed special colors. Is this product going to be useful to identify that?
Thanks in advance,
Tiffany
entered
Love your info. I’ve learned so much about traveling with my two Maltese. To find out now about their DNA is so exciting! They are my first ever pets and I adore my babies!
Such an awesome test. I assumed it just told you what breed your dog was. Nice to see that it does more than that!
Thanks for always sharing valuable information. Look forward to trying embark!!
This is awesome! We would love to know what Willie is!! Is he a Tibbie? A Peke? Or a mix of everything?
This test looks awesome! I need to try it out on my Frenchie who everyone seems to think is mixed with something.
This is so cool! We know Noah is obviously a Boston terrier but it would be so neat to do this with him!
Entered! Love your content and seeing cute dog pics while I’m away at work from my little Rudy girl.
These dna tests are so interesting. I did the ancestry one on myself, I had no idea they make one for dogs. My Bostie is supposedly 3/4 Boston terrier and 1/4 frenchie so it’d be cool to find out if that is in fact true.
Entered in the giveaway! I would love to win this kit as i just got a frenchie myself a week ago!! Also it was my birthday yesterday 🙂 love little weston and fira!
I would love to see results for our Max! Entered ?
Love your insta!! It adds so much fun and delight to the day. For a frenchie lover it has provided lots of info and consideration before getting our next dog. We currently have a rescue and would love to know breed and age.
Pick me please!
Hmmmm…. I wonder what percentage of “wolfiness” Meaty is.. ❤️❤️
Would love to know what my rescue mix is and how I can make sure she has the best quality of life based on her breed(s)!
I would love to know what my rescue mix really is! Would also be great to be able to help her live her best quality of life knowing any predispositions to diseases. Entered!
This is great! I would love to find out more about it! follow on IG: @misti9111
Thanks for always keeping us pupdated with useful information! Love your blog❤️ Would love to know if my fur baby is full pit or not!
hey there,
I’ve been wanting to DNA test my dog, Moules Frites aka Mouly, since I took home from the shelter in April. He’s 1 year old and everybody at the dog park always asks me: Is he a papillon? Chihuahua? Mini Australian Shepard? He’s the cutest mix and it would be great to finally have a definite answer as to what he is! Hope we’re the lucky winners <3
I hope we win! ?
That is so awesome!
Thanks WTF for being my source of reference for pretty much everything when it comes to my frenchie. I would love to know more about my baby. He is supposedly full bred frenchie, so I would love a confirmation there. More importantly, I would love to have answers as to what genetic diseases he is predisposed to so a mama can do her best job to prevent!
Who won???
Winner was Laura Nelson!