Are Dog DNA Tests Accurate Enough To Be Trusted?

Dog DNA tests are a great way to learn more about your dog. However, a lot of people seem to have a hard time deciding whether to trust these tests or not. This is because you can find loads of stories on the internet telling you how a dog's DNA test gave someone inaccurate results. This combined with the fact that DNA tests aren’t cheap keeps many people from actually trying them out. Today, we’re going to discuss whether dog DNA tests are accurate or not.

According to experts, DNA tests are indeed useful. They can provide you with a great deal of information about your dog — information about their ancestry, their physical traits, health conditions, and even insight on their temperaments. The accuracy of a DNA test depends on a number of factors. Each of these factors has a major impact on the level of accuracy. These factors being:

Let’s discuss each of these factors in greater detail.

Most DNA kits nowadays require you to provide a sample of your dog’s saliva. This makes the process of collecting a DNA sample incredibly easy. You don’t need to involve an expert in the process. In fact, you can collect a sample from the comfort of your home. Any DNA kit that you can buy will provide you a couple of cotton swabs. These swabs are rolled around in your dog’s mouth to gather their saliva. Once they’ve been used, they are then sealed in a container and mailed to the testing lab.

Saliva-based DNA samples are quite stable. They can last for many weeks after they have been dried. However, when they’re still wet, even the slightest contaminant can ruin them. A contaminated DNA sample can make a DNA test incredibly inaccurate. Saliva-based DNA samples can become contaminated with food debris or come into contact with the dog owner’s skin during the collection process.

Every DNA kit provides a set of instructions that are designed to minimize the chances of contamination. As long as you follow these instructions and handle your cotton swabs carefully, you shouldn’t have to worry about anything. To make sure that your DNA samples don’t get ruined, you can do a couple of things. Make sure that your dog hasn’t eaten anything for at least 30 minutes. It is recommended to give your dog a dental chew to play with before sample collection. This ensures that their mouths are free of any food debris. Also, after using a cheek swab, place it directly into a provided container. This minimizes the chances of anything ruining the sample.

The process of DNA testing a dog requires gathering data from a given sample. This data is then compared with a database of dog breeds to identify matches. The larger a breed database is, the more breeds it will cover. Meaning that it will have a much better chance of identifying breeds with better accuracy. A larger ​breed database also means that it can identify more genetic markers. Genetic markers are identified and matched to determine a variety of genetic traits.

Basically, DNA testers with larger breed databases can provide more accurate results. Unfortunately, DNA testers with larger databases tend to charge more for their services. However, not only do they offer more accuracy, but they are also able to conduct refined tests that most small time DNA testers cannot do. The topic of selecting a DNA test kit based on what it has to offer deserves its own article, which you can find here.

Dog breed purity refers to whether your dog’s ancestry consists of the same breed of dogs or not. Dogs descending strictly from one breed are known as purebred dogs. Running a DNA test on a purebred dog is very simple since there are far fewer variables involved. Pretty much any DNA test kit can provide accurate results on purebred dogs.

Dogs that have more than one type of breed in their ancestry are trickier. These dogs are known as mixed breed dogs. Mixed breed dogs have the genetic/inherited traits of multiple dog breeds. These traits can be physical, temperamental, or health-related. Their mixed genetics makes deciphering their DNA more complicated. The more breeds there are in a dog’s family tree, the harder it becomes to identify them all accurately. In fact, many DNA tests end up making mistakes when it comes to mixed breed dogs. Only the best DNA test kits can accurately identify mixed breeds. So if you’re serious about knowing about your mix breed pet, then you should consider investing in a better test kit.

These three factors have a major impact on a DNA test’s results. If you’re someone who has never used a DNA test kit before then, you should keep a few things in mind. Unless you’re well-versed with DNA reports, you shouldn’t expect your dog’s DNA results to tell you much. These reports are technical and can only be fully understood by a professional. This is why it is recommended to take your report to a vet for discussion. Alternatively, you could call your tester’s customer service and ask them to guide you through the report. Many people feel disappointed when they see their dog’s test results simply because the results don’t make sense to them. Consulting a professional can also help you verify the accuracy of your report’s findings.

Now that we’ve talked about the various factors involved in the DNA testing process, let’s come back to our question.

Yes, they are if we keep the low end, gimmicky products aside and make sure that our DNA sample is uncontaminated. Also, as long as our tester has a respectable sized breed database, then there’s a high chance that our results should be accurate. If you own a mix breed dog with a very diverse family tree, then you should do the following. Either go for a DNA test kit that is capable of tackling complex DNA samples or accept the fact that there is going to be a slight amount of inaccuracy in your results.

Overall, dog DNA test kits can be trusted. They’re great products that can provide you with a superb level of information on your pet.