Why does my registered purebred dog have mixed-breed ancestry? Are they not a purebred dog?

Determining Purebred Status

While Embark is pleased to offer the most accurate and comprehensive dog DNA test available, a DNA ancestry test cannot determine purity. 

This is because purebred status is not itself a scientific designation. It includes human-defined registration status and pedigree records indicating all of a dog’s ancestors were of the same breed but does not require an examination of their genetic material.

Consequently, individual dogs registered as purebreds can display ancestry from a few different breeds. 

Importantly, these genetic results do not affect registration status in any way. Surprising as it may be, genetic ancestry and purebred status are 2 separate considerations. 

You can read more in our blog post below:

Can a Registered Purebred Dog Appear as Mixed Breed on a DNA Test?

Will you change my dog's results based on of my pedigree information?

We are unable to change or modify any dog's Embark breed results based on pedigrees, but rest assured that our results do not invalidate your pedigree either.