Thank you for your review. It's so great all the stuff you do with your dog. We rescued a young bluetick coonhound a year old, and were told she is 3 years old, but friends who are more familiar with her breed think she was closer to a year old. I am thinking of getting this test but will hold off a few years to see if they improve the accuracy. We have used the Embark DNA breed kit on all three of our dogs, and believe they are accurate. We found one of the puppies of our one dog (she had a litter of puppies at the rescue), and the brother of our other dog.

What a sweet boy. Just looking up at you ❤️

Hi Laura: Wow, that's quite a story about your boy. Sometimes the first dog is one that just isn't for the faint of heart and yet with the right and committed person, that dog can not only end up having an incredible life but also teach the human/s some incredible lessons. My first dog, though a guide dog, definitely wasn't a dog for the faint of heart--probably not as energetic as your boy but definitely not the docile and pliable dog I'd come to associate a guide dog as being. This dog could easily work eight plus miles, then come home and play ball for thirty minutes, snooze for an hour, and then be off again. She pulled like a train and bless her, did the best she could for me given my lack of experience. I haven't yet rescued a dog, but between dog number two and three, I spent a number of years involved in several rescue organizations training dogs and doing other things including interviewing and screening potential homes. Part of this was not only because I was interested in dog training but because I'd already made up my mind that dog number three was going to be owner trained. I took ten years to prepare for that project and felt that having experience in some form of dog training would aid me in eventually teaching my own dog from the ground up. I've never met or worked with a cattle dog. But my work in rescue did involve working with a bunch of Goldens, Shepherds, Labs, hounds, and mutts. And it paid off, too. My Shepherd was amazing, and when she retired earlier than expected, it had nothing to do with her guidework. I chose not to owner train again because I didn't have all the financial resources for another prospect--I refuse to take shortcuts--and also, I like SE. I'd like to train another dog someday but in something like IPO or canine nosework. I do miss a lot of things about owner training a guide--definitely not for everyone, but I loved it. I could easily see me being someone who wants at least five dogs and several of them being rescues. I don't think that'll ever happen--two or three at most. Maybe one or two will be a rescue, preferably a senior. There are apparently a bunch of those DNA tests around. Just for chuckles, I've thought about testing Moo dog even though I know his heritage. I'm mildly curious to see how they work.

Very informative video about the dog age test

Loved hearing more about Jake. What a good boy he is. ❤️❤️❤️ for Jake. I'm currently having my heart stolen by my 4th and 5th rescue dogs. But my first one was probably a Cattle Dog / Kelpie mix, a Christmas gift and no DNA tests back then, and boy was I not ready for that! She taught me a lot, and I was there with her for 14 years (she was two when I got her... Probably 🤣). I wish I knew what I know now, and I love learning more things from you, Laura, and other R+ trainers to help more rescue dogs. Take care, and thanks for sharing Jake's story with us!

My 3 ACD rescues were mostly or part cattle dogs based on DNA testing. I got Toohey and Quill as youngsters so I know how old they are. And I *know* for sure Toohey is 18+ years old! When I got Dazzle she was supposedly around 1 year old. She's the one I might have done an age test on. Sadly I lost her almost 2 years ago so that won't happen. I guess it might be interesting to test Quill and Toohey to judge how accurate their tests are. Not sure I understand the basis of how they are determining the age. Also, I wonder if over time their answers will get more accurate. When I first tested Terra with Embark, she came back 75% Kelpie and 25% BC. Which she was not as I got her from a Kelpie breeder. And I knew the background of her lines. About 1.5 years after the initial test, Embark informed me they reevaluated her results and now they determined she is 100% Kelpie. I believe they had gotten tons more samples to add to their breed database over the time between my first test and the 2nd results. All very interesting. Bottom line is only you know how old he acts. I hope Jake is around for a long time and stays healthy.

You are a great puppy parent by the way! I just ordered this test about 15 minutes before watching your video. After seeing your video I'm now questioning the accuracy of this age DNA test & wondering if I made a mistake in ordering one. We adopted a dog 2 weeks ago from a shelter and were told she is a "senior" about "12 years old". We love her already & of course hope to have her live on for more years to come {she is small breed and small breed dogs can sometimes live past their mid teens, praying for that!} She looks and acts younger than 12 so we are hoping this DNA test will confirm she might be younger than stated.

Thank you so much for sharing this video. Embark just received my dog’s sample so I should have the results by the end of January 2023 or early February 2023. I was curious about the age of my dog because when I adopted him almost 10 months ago, the rescue said he was approximately 1.5 years old and the birth date they’re using is the date he was seized and ended up in the shelter. He seems to have a LOT of puppy energy and has filled out some since I adopted him, so I’m just curious about the results I’ll get from Embark.

I got my second rescue dog - Nickey, guessing at 4 mos, now best estimate that he is 15 mos. old. I just sent his DNA swab in to Embark and can't wait to get the results. I'm convinced from his coloring and shape that he's part Australian cattle dog like your Jake. He is so sweet and affectionate. I need help in teaching him not to jump on people and not to pull on the leash when we walk. He gets so excited when we have company - he wants to love everyone to death - ha. I'm 77 and have friends my age and older that come over frequently and I fear he may knock someone down. Fortunately for Nickey and me, I have a large, fenced yard. He keeps me active. Any suggestions?

Very interesting, I wonder how well it works for younger dogs under a few years old

We had one rescue that looked like a German Shepherd but I've often wondered if she was part coyote from her personality but she looked just an American style overbred banana back GSD by appearance. . Whatever it was, she had definitely been abused. She was terrified of men, especially men with beards. She was just shut down terrified by collars and TV remote controls. After she ate the control to my brand new DVD player and nothing happened, she began to realize that maybe she wouldn't get tortured by shock collars here and began to accept having an ordinary cloth collar. She lived with us for nine years and then dropped dead one morning. Not a bad way to go. Then we got what we were told was a Doberman Pinscher pup. A few months of having her at home and it was REALLY clear that she wasn't a Dobe. I'd guess GSD and rottweiler but I am no pro. This dog was terrified by sticks. Yup, beaten by someone with a stick. Unfortunately, I walk with a cane. My solution has been to clunk in a specific pattern when I feed her so she now connects the stick with food. Since I know her approximate age when we got her by her puppy teeth and other signs, her exact age isn't of exact interest.

I just rescued my lab mix about a month ago. He was a code red and scheduled to be euthanized within days! Which that in itself shocked me, as he has the sweetest disposition. I did the embark DNA test as well... looking at my dog I thought he was mostly lab and possible border collie (he is all black except for a small white spot on his chest and some white on his muzzle). Turns out he is 41% lab, 21.6% Australian cattle dog, 19.4% German Shepard, and the rest supermutt. The intake shelter guessed him at 5 years old, but the rescue and myself are thinking more like 2 years old. I am planning on doing the age test... but will probably wait until a sale. Or do you have a discount code I could use?

Well, I guess 98% means that the results are wrong for 2 of 100 dogs?? I just rescued my 7th dog and first mutt. She is super cute and smart! 🥰 I too dove in at the deep end with my first … the most difficult case I have ever had, an unsocialized and terrified 7.5 year old dog. I do not give up and it was a great experience. 💕

I wonder if the test is less accurate for older/senior dogs?

I just got the results of my dog's Embark DNA Age Test. She's a rescue that we adopted in April 2020. We were told she was probably around 4 years old then. Today, the test results says she is 10 years, 11 months. I'm either baffled or grateful. I wish I knew if this test is really accurate. From the experience shared in this video, I do not feel very trusting.

I recently adopted a small dog. The vet estimated her to be 2years . Embark age test said 6 years 7 months. Bummer. Not sure how accurate this test is. 😒

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