Walking my rescue dog Lyra through my village, the question I get most is: ‘Ooh, nice dog, what is it?’ says Melanie Sherwood.
The answer I want to give: ‘I don’t know, I haven’t done a dog breed identification test – they’re expensive!’ I would scream internally, while politely saying out loud ‘Oh, we’re not sure; her mum is a Malinois – do you know them? They’re like, err, next-level German Shepherds. But we’ve no idea what her dad is. We think there’s some Staffy in her as she’s got that smile, and her colouring is very Rottie or Doberman isn’t it. But who knows?
After the 379th time I heard this question, I caved and started to look into dog DNA kits and was surprised that there were very few reliable reviews to guide my purchase. It is a lot of money to spend (at-home dog DNA tests start at around £60 and go up to £150) and, after hours of research, I still had a lot of questions. How reliable are dog breed identification tests? How easy-to-use are they? There are lots of brands in the US, but which are the top-rated dog DNA kits in the UK?
I decided to find out for myself, and started my own dog breed analysis journey. There are myriad benefits to finding out your dog’s breed mix. You can meet their exercise and training needs better, uncover potential health risks and test for breed-specific health conditions and, of course, you can finally answer all of your neighbours’ questions, as well as satisfying your own curiosity.
What do we know about Lyra?
Of all the different iterations of the original question: ‘what breed is Lyra?’ only one of my fellow villagers ever guessed right: Lyra is half Malinois, half mystery. We adopted her aged 17 weeks from Hope Rescue in Pontyclun, South Wales – she was one of 8 pups, to a litter born of a breeding Malinois Belgian Shepherd, who was removed from her owner as she was severely malnourished.
A few months after we adopted Lyra, we began working with a qualified behaviourist, Clair Hickson of Talk to the Paw, to help us deal with some of her more challenging traits. Can you guess what the first thing she said to Lyra was? Yup: ‘What are you?’
Before I sent any of these tests off, and after Clair had been working with Lyra for a few months, I asked her what she thought might be in our hound’s breeding: ‘her black and tan coat usually indicates some of the German breeds such as Rottweiler or Doberman,’ she told me. ‘Her eyebrows are very Rottweiler-like, so I suspect she is part Rottie. She has Malinois ears and a pointy nose but, she also has large cheeks which are indicative of some kind of bull breed such as Staffordshire bull terrier.’
I also asked Clair whether there would be any breeds we should be concerned about finding as, at this time, Lyra was exhibiting so really very challenging behaviours: ‘The short answer is, no – of course, there are banned breeds in this country,’ she continued. ‘None would worry me though as I would look at the individual dog and her traits – what does she love to do when she is allowed to be herself? For Lyra, this is grab and tug – which is typical for a half Mali. Any breed of dog can become unsafe when conditions allow or when in pain or fear and panic.’
Personally, my bet was on half Mali, quarter Rottie, quarter Staffy. My husband thought there could be some Doberman in the mix too. It’s a good job we didn’t actually put any money on that bet…
The best Dog DNA kits to buy in 2025
Wisdom Panel Premium, £139.99, Wisdom Panel
Best for health screening and genetic detail
This kit was well made and relatively easy to use. It came with detailed instructions and a pre-paid envelope to send the sample off to the lab. The first step (as with all these tests) was to activate my kit using the Sample ID on the box, at wisdompanel.com – this was simple and took maybe a few minutes. This test requires two samples to be taken and, after waiting the required two hours since Lyra had eaten anything, I swabbed each cheek for 15 seconds, before letting the samples air dry for five minutes. Then I put them in the supplied protective sleeve and packaged this up inside the pre-paid return envelope. This did cause some confusion at the Post Office, as the postage itself was in French even though the address was in Scotland. Thankfully I chanced upon a diligent member of staff who was willing to look closely at the details of the postage.
I was kept well informed along the way – I received an update when my sample was received and then an email 10 days later when the results were in.
According to Wisdom Panel, Lyra is 47% American Staffordshire terrier; 35% Belgian Malinois; 14% German shepherd and 4% American pit bull terrier.
I must admit, I raised an eyebrow at these results, as it puts the amount of Malinois at less than the AmStaff – but we have seen Lyra’s mother and she is a breeding Belgian Malinois. Lyra should be 50% Mali, from what we know.
As well as testing her DNA for over 350 breeds, this test also includes a screen of over 250 genetic conditions. Lyra flagged for one of these: she carries the quite terrifying sounding Cardiomyopathy and Juvenile Mortality genetic variant. Thankfully, the fact that this condition is associated with ‘early puppy death’ – meaning that Lyra is now beyond the danger zone – was also included in the information.
This test claims to be the ‘world’s most comprehensive DNA kit’ – and it certainly gave me more information than the others on review, covering ancestry, relatives (optional) health, traits and behaviours – and each of these categories subdivides into many others. If you want the most detailed analysis on the market, this is where to spend your money. Personally, I found the amount of information somewhat overwhelming, and the way it was presented felt hard to penetrate. And, even with all of the detailed information, I can’t shake my concerns about the basics of the results.
Know your Pet DNA by Ancestry, £79
Best for easy-to-understand information
This felt like the best designed kit on test. The box had some satisfying engineering to it akin to a pop-up book, and it was filled with only the essentials – which I found helpful, as it meant there wasn’t any room for confusion. The swab itself is attached to the collection tube, and the box becomes your pre-paid return box, so they have minimised any need for excess elements to the kit. The instructions were minimal but informative, and if you do need more guidance there are video tutorials to watch online. Once I had registered my kit, I waited the required 30 minutes since Lyra had eaten or drunk anything, then swabbed her cheek before unscrewing the swab, turning it around and popping it into the collection tube. As instructed, I shook the sample 10 times before placing inside the collection bag, and then I placed this back inside the box, sealed it and sent it off to the lab.
It took just over a month from the day I sent the parcel off to get the results from Ancestry – in this time I received plenty of email communication from them. One email, three days after registering my kit and two days after I had sent it, was politely chasing me for my sample; one was confirmation that my kit had been received, and two further emails were sent to effectively say ‘we’re working on it’, but with lots of jolly dog puns. There were also a lot of marketing emails too (sometimes, more than one per day). Make sure you check the small print and opt out of communications when you register your kit, if marketing emails bother you.
According to Know your Pet DNA by Ancestry, Lyra is: Lyra is 43% American pit bull terrier; 22% Belgian Malinois; 21% American Staffordshire terrier and 14% German shepherd.
These are all the same breeds as in the Wisdom Panel results, but at different percentages. Here we have an even lower amount of Malinois, and they find that Lyra is more American pit bull terrier than anything else. Again, I find I do not know what to believe.
Ancestry handily divides all the information up into very easy to digest sections, in your own dashboard on the website. Clicking into Traits, I find plenty of things that sound like Lyra, along with a good few that don’t: not fearful of grooming, correct; non-guard dog behaviour, incorrect; possessive, correct; separation anxiety minimal, incorrect. The physical traits were much more accurate though, and they correctly asserted that Lyra has upright ears and a short straight coat, among others. While I appreciate that genetics do not always dictate all of these things, the amount of misinformation here did undermine my trust in the lab’s findings – especially as the fundamental results seem off.
Premium Breed ID Test, £59.99, DNA My Dog
Best for breed ID basics
By now, the process of register the kit, swab the dog, send off in the post was familiar to me, but this test had a couple of subtle differences. The box contains simple instructions, a sterile testing swab, a handy swab ‘drying zone’, a sleeve to pop the sample in and a pre-paid return envelope. After registering the kit online with its unique test ID code – this step was easy and took less than 5 minutes – came the first difference in the process. I had to wait one hour after Lyra had eaten, drunk or even played with toys – so I basically had to wake her up from a nap for this one! She’s always got a toy in her mouth! After swabbing came the second variation, I then had to leave the sample to dry, using the included ‘drying zone’, for 20 minutes – then it went into the sample sleeve, into the envelope and then off to the lab in the mail.
After I received email confirmation that my sample was received, I only had to wait 11 days for the results – the brand promises results in two weeks, so I was pleased to get them even more quickly than that.
According to DNA My Dog, Lyra is 50% Belgian Malinois; 21% American Staffordshire terrier; 15% American pit bull terrier and 14% ‘ulitmutt’ – the term used when a dog has small amounts of many different breeds in their background. That’s more like what I was expecting!
This website tells me a little about each breed in her make up, and they are still analysing the sample for detail about Lyra’s genetic age. While the information on this website is the least in depth of all of them, it is well presented and easy to understand – if you just want to know what breed your dog is, and you don’t need a full genetic breakdown, this is the test for you.
Which dog DNA test is the most accurate?
Having completed three tests at a range of price points, what I now know for certain is that Lyra is part Mali, part bully. Perhaps she also has German shepherd in her too. While I cannot know which, if any, of these tests is the most accurate, I do know that the DNA My Dog results align best with what we know of Lyra’s family history, so I am inclined to believe that is the most accurate. It is also the only one that specified an amount of mixed breeds – which might provide a potential origin for her black and tan coat, the distinctive pattern of which is not well explained by any of the other results.
While it is the cheapest on test, the DNA My Dog kit was also the one that had, in some ways, the most rigorous sampling requirements, so perhaps that explains the different outcome.
It was also the second quickest to provide the results, however if you are after a detailed genetic report with a health screening, then this may not be the best test for you and your dog.
What do these results mean for Lyra?
The American Staffordshire terrier and the American pit bull terrier are both banned breeds in the UK, however as Lyra is a heavily diluted mix of these, plus others, there is no concern for her future. Our behaviourist, Clair Hickson, has given us slightly different guidance, now that we know there are bully breeds in her mix, as it means Lyra is unlikely to back down from a fight, and is more prone to resource guarding.
Thankfully, though, Lyra has never showed any aggression towards other dogs or people – if anything, it’s her enthusiasm that’s the problem. She’s as strong as a tank and can easily knock people over in excitement. Now, when people ask, ‘What is she?’ I reply, usually as they steady themselves from the subsequent lick attack and wipe their face (Lyra is an excellent jumper, and can effortlessly boing up to head height to slather an unsuspecting stranger), ‘She’s a Mali-bully mix… we think