This is your ultimate resource for addressing puppy swabbing questions and ensuring accurate results in multiple-dog households and breeder businesses. See below for our comprehensive swabbing and sample collection guide! 

How old does my dog need to be before I can test her? How soon can I test my puppies?

You can swab your puppy at any age since DNA does not change with age. Breeders can purchase Embark's Litter Packs today and test your whole litter!

We recommend doing cheek swabs around 4 weeks of age or when the pups can safely be isolated from mom and littermates for at least an hour. It is possible to swab a puppy as early as 2 weeks of age, however, you must ensure that he or she can safely be separated from their mother for at least an hour with no nursing or food before swabbing.

You can find a Litter Testing Worksheet at the bottom of this article. This contains tips for sample collection and resources for swab organization to help breeders easily test their whole litter. 
Make sure you enter the correct sex for each puppy at activation. Entering the wrong sex at activation, or changing the sex of the puppy after activation, will cause a delay in the swab processing. This will likely result in a new swab shipped to you which will significantly delay your results, most likely after the puppies have gone to their new homes.

How to swab a puppy

When you do the cheek swab, please have someone help you hold them and give them plenty of water during the one-hour wait. Insert the swab between the cheek and gum and press gently towards the outside, against the cheek. Rub and roll the swab against the cheek for a slow count of 30-45 seconds. This should collect enough cells for DNA extraction. The primary mistake that many people make is not leaving the swab in the mouth long enough to collect sufficient cells.

Note that while genetics will not change as the puppy ages, it can be very difficult to observe physical breed traits in young dogs because they are growing and developing rapidly. Most dogs will not achieve their final mature physical traits until they are at least one to two years of age

Will the swab hurt my dog?

No, it's gentle and soft, easier than brushing their teeth.

The DNA collection is painless—and sometimes humorous while watching your pup trying to eat the swab (make sure that doesn't happen, though!). 

Embark uses a gentle sponge swab, not the bristle brush that many of the other testing companies use. The sterile, sponge-tipped swab minimizes any chance of infection or irritation and has been approved by thousands of dogs before your own. Rest assured, your pup will be comfortable.

What if I have more than one dog at home?

If you have multiple dogs in the household, we strongly recommend taking photos, videos, or notes to help keep your swabs organized and ensure they get properly activated to each dog's profile. A swab mix-up can significantly delay your results. See this article about possible swab mix-ups. 

When collecting each sample, please separate the dogs for at least an hour before swabbing, and during this time, ensure they do not share food or water bowls.

Do NOT use the same swab for multiple dogs as it will prevent obtaining results from any of them.

Why did my swab fail?

Typically, a swab fails because there is not enough DNA for us to analyze. Check out this article for more information on swab failures and replacement swabs. 

Help! My swab was damaged.

If you find your dog got a little peckish during the swabbing process and the swab is now damaged, don't worry. Your dog will be fine—the swab is not toxic.

As for the damaged testing swab, we would be happy to send you a replacement swab free of charge.

In order to send you a replacement, please follow these steps:

1. Activate your kit.
2. Contact us and provide the activation code or the 14-digit swab code on the white label found on the side of the tube (below the barcode).

With this information, we can cancel the damaged swab and authorize a replacement swab on your dog’s profile.

Did I contaminate my swab?

Customers often worry that their swabs may be contaminated. For example, they touched the swab briefly with their fingertip or the swab fell on the ground for a moment.

If this happens to you, we recommend that you proceed with sending the sample in for analysis, unless you're using the age test. Our CLIA-certified lab will detect any issue with your genotyping swab during quality control, such as not having enough DNA from your dog or having DNA from multiple dogs on it. If the swab is determined to be unusable, we will issue a free replacement swab at no charge. You’ll be notified when this happens. Otherwise, we’ll proceed with returning your results. If you are using an Age Test, we can not detect contamination as easily as we can with genotyping samples, so we recommend very careful sample collection. 

If you are certain that any sample is contaminated, please contact us for further instructions. If you have an age test, contamination must be reported before results have been completed to qualify for a free replacement. 

The liquid in the tube spilled out. What can I do?

Not to worry—we understand that accidents happen. We are happy to send you a replacement swab free of charge. To receive a replacement, please follow these steps:

1. Activate your kit.
2. Contact us and provide the activation code or the 14-digit swab code on the white label found on the side of the tube (below the barcode).

With this information, we can cancel the damaged swab and authorize a replacement swab on your dog’s profile.

We hope this article offered solutions to common worries, helped you determine the right age for testing your puppy, and addressed concerns regarding contamination or damaged swabs.

Rest assured, with our expert advice, you can confidently navigate any swabbing mishaps and achieve reliable outcomes. Don't let uncertainties hold you back; let us provide the knowledge you need to keep your swabbing journey worry-free!

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