The 7 best dog DNA test kits in the UK for checking your pup’s health and heritage at home

Developed by geneticists and veterinarians, the Wisdom Panel Premium Advanced Dog DNA Test is the most comprehensive on the market, screening for over 260 genetic conditions. Get ready to know more than ever about your pup’s ancestry, traits, and health. Wisdom has a large database of doggie DNA and 20 years of research under its belt. You'll get detailed genetic explanations about your pooch, including coat type, body shape, eye colour and more, and discover whether any of their unique qualities mean they may need specialist care in the long run.

Our Senior Writer, Rosie Floyd tested this kit with her Labrador, Barney, and found the section on her pup's unique genetic code particularly interesting, which is a feature only available on the premium test. However, she wished the information about each chromosome pair was better explained.

Reviewers are impressed with the overall picture they received about their dog's genetic make-up with this test, saying it's hugely comprehensive in not only supplying a breed breakdown but a full health profile too. Opinions are mixed online about how long the results took to come in, with some saying it only took a couple of weeks and others mentioning it was more like a month or two. In our experience, it took 14 days.

Retailing at under £100, if you're after a cheap dog DNA test, this is one of the best in that price range. This Wisdom Panel Essential Dog DNA Test is perfect for uncovering your dog's breed down to one per cent. For this, Wisdom Panel dog DNA tests for over 350 breeds and varieties. Having tested over three million pooches, they have the largest doggie database. Swab your pup's cheek and send the kit off to their lab in a pre-paid envelope. With this test, they will test for medication and drug sensitivity and 30 genetic health conditions you need to know as their lucky parent, as well as their ancestry and traits, like body shape and fur colour.

When testing this kit with Cockapoo, Bella, our Senior Writer, Rosie Floyd, found that Bella had two copies of a gene for being at risk of CDDY and IVDD. It's important to remember with kits that test for medical conditions is that it's just showing your pooch is at increased risk of certain conditions and that doesn't mean that they are definitely going to get ill. Rosie appreciates that this test has made her more aware of potential problems for Bella in the future. Unlike the premium test, you don't get the option of a call with a vet to discuss the condition in more detail.

Customers online found the instructions were clear and the kit was simple to use. When we compared it to other dog DNA tests on the market, this one doesn't go as in-depth with the health information but to get a basic overview of your hound's health, it's a good value option.

If you want to know every detail of your dog’s breed mix, why not grab this Wisdom Panel Breed Discovery Dog DNA Collection Kit? With breed reporting down to one per cent and results that are over 98 per cent accurate, you can personalise your pup’s care to suit their unique needs. Find your dog's relatives and trace the family tree back three generations with this kit that screens for more than 365 breeds.

Rosie Floyd, our Senior Writer, tested this kit with her mixed-breed pooch, Gina. She liked that this test detected 11 different breeds in Gina's genetic makeup and that the website has full breed profiles for every breed detected in your pooch so you can immediately read up about them all. This test does screen for MDR1 medication sensitivities but doesn't have full health screening compared to the Premium and Essential Wisdom Panel DNA kits.

With over 3,000 reviews and an average star rating of 4.5, this Wisdom Panel dog DNA test is a popular choice, rating highly for the instruction quality and how easy it is to use. Some reviews have said that the tests can fail to get a result but the customer services were quick to send out another one. When we were testing this kit, however, we didn't have any problems at all and got the results within 16 days.

Ancestry has always been one of the 'top dogs' when it comes to tracking human ancestry, and as of 2023, they've entered the doggy DNA market too! The Know Your Pet DNA by Ancestry comes with a step-by-step guide, and after mailing it back in a prepaid return box, you'll receive the results a few weeks after in the form of an easy-to-read dashboard on their website. They'll test your dog's DNA against over 400 breeds, and identify genetic traits, and thanks to their extensive database, they'll be able to find close genetic matches so you can explore your dog's extended family!

Some customers reported that test results took longer to come back than expected so this is something to bear in mind if you're after quick results. Other than delays with the results, online reviewers have mostly had positive experiences with this pet DNA kit, stating the test was simple to do and they liked they could review the results online via the Ancestry website.

Although this is a US company, the Embark Dog DNA Test Breed Identification Kit is one of the best on the market as it comes highly rated by customers on Amazon. With excellent reviews across the globe, Embark's test allows you to trace your dog’s family tree all the way back to their great-grandparents and can even identify the breed mixes in their great-grandparents so you can see exactly what makes up your mutt. This is more than any other pet DNA test on our list, putting Embark at the top price-wise.

As the test company is based in America, you will need to pay for shipping to get the swap over to them and can’t use the pre-paid bag included to ship the sample over to them. Having to ship to America will also mean the results will be a lot longer compared to other tests with UK-based labs. Customers found the results very interesting to know their pup’s breed and the make-up of potential family relations. You can also upgrade this test to include health testing, so customers were glad to have the option to be able to add it on after taking the test.

If you have a poorly pooch and are not sure what the problem is, you could test their allergies with this AffinityDNA Dog Allergy Test. Easy and affordable, this kit is designed to help you get to the bottom of your dog's food and environmental sensitivities. Luckily, the test will offer you a complete report on everything your dog may be reactive to, so you can alter their food or environmental exposure accordingly. It tests 125 food and environmental items. Unlike other pet DNA tests on our list, this one doesn't offer information about genetic makeup and breed analysis.

Reviews state it took longer than anticipated to receive the results, which many pet owners found hard because they wanted to get to the bottom of their pup's allergy issues sooner rather than later. Once results arrived, customers found the report easy to read and felt the information meant they could make more informed choices for food and treats knowing what ingredients trigger their allergies.

We rate the Orivet Dog Breed DNA + Health Test not just for its testing but also for its post-test support for your doggo. Testing for breed and health, the swab is screened for over 350 breeds and over 250 health risks and traits so you get thorough results for your pup. But once you receive your results, Orivet has a 'LifePlan' that provides a personalised wellness plan for your pooch based on the results.

How long the test results take to get back to them is something mentioned frequently in the customer reviews, with customers saying it took a few weeks longer than advertised so be prepared to wait a little to get the results back. That being said, the reviews from customers who had got their results back mention how pleased they were with the results and felt it was worth the wait to get a clearer picture of their pup’s health and breed.