Two DNA Tests. One big problem.

Imagine this:

You adopt a puppy.

You love him.

You trust your breeder.

You raise him with care.

Then you send off a DNA test just to “learn more.”

A few weeks later, an email lands in your inbox with a colorful pie chart and a list of “behavioral traits” predicted for your dog’s future.

You scroll down and see:

• Generalized Fear/Anxiety: 8/10 – Likely
• Separation Anxiety: 5/5 – Highly Likely

Your heart skips.

“Oh no,” you think. “I didn’t realize my puppy was going to be anxious. Am I doing something wrong? Am I making him worse? What if he never grows out of it?”

And just like that, a well-meaning owner spirals into doubt, treating their confident, curious pup like fragile glass because a DNA report told them to expect the worst.

This isn’t hypothetical.

It’s exactly what happened when one of our Inner Circle members sent off her American Dirus™ dog Kyro’s DNA to Wisdom Panel, alongside the full Embark test we already run on every puppy born here at the Dire Wolf Project™.

The results?

Two different tests.

Two completely different pictures of the same dog.

Side-by-Side: Wisdom Panel vs. Embark

Feature

Wisdom Panel

Embark

Breed Ancestry

10 breeds listed. Includes 1% Great Pyrenees, 1% Central Asian Ovcharka, 1% Anatolian Shepherd Dog, etc.

5 breeds. German Shepherd 44.9%, Alaskan Malamute 32%, Labrador 15.9%, remaining unresolved (likely Akita and Irish Wolfhound).

Genetic Diversity

38% heterozygosity (unclear terminology—what is the other 62%?).

17% Coefficient of Inbreeding (industry-standard, widely understood and tracked).

Health Risks

0 at risk, 0 carriers, 267 clear.

1 copy of copper toxicosis (only relevant health concern in our breed), 2 copies of low ALT, 274 clear out of 276 tested.

Weight Prediction

60-95 lbs (range).

66 lbs predicted (Kyro weighed 81 lbs at 6 months!) Neither test predicts giant size well).

Behavioral Traits

Multiple temperament predictions, including “highly likely” generalized fear/anxiety and separation anxiety.

No behavioral predictions.

Coat Color Traits

Simplified: lists “likely” traits without allele detail.

Lists dominant and recessive copies of each trait.

Haplotype / Haplogroup

Not included.

Included (Kyro: A1b, A253).

Unique Trait

Floppy ears (we wish Embark included this).

N/A.

I have no polite way to put this.

Wisdom Panel’s temperament trait feature

is irresponsible and scientifically flimsy.

Temperament is not a single-gene switch you can turn on or off.

It’s influenced by dozens (possibly hundreds) of interconnected genes, plus prenatal conditions, early environment, and the way each dog is raised.

Claiming to predict “highly likely generalized anxiety” from a cheek swab is like claiming to predict which child in a kindergarten class will grow up to be shy, loud, confident, or hesitant without ever stepping foot in the classroom.

Let’s talk about Kyro.

Wisdom Panel predicted he’d be anxious, hesitant toward strangers, and prone to separation anxiety.

In reality?

He was the boldest puppy in his litter.

He approached every new situation with curiosity.

He didn’t hesitate to meet new people.

Now imagine if his owner had believed that report.

Every time Kyro barked, he’d worry.

Every time he left the house, she’d think, “Is he going to panic while I’m gone?”

He’d start coddling him, hovering, maybe even restricting his independence to “protect” him.

And what happens when a confident dog is treated like he’s fragile?

He begins to behave like he’s fragile.

That’s how a self-fulfilling prophecy is born.

So here’s why I trust Embark…

They don’t list a trait unless their own scientists have replicated it in their own labs with proven accuracy.

No speculative guessing or relying on other’s say-so.

No pretty graphs designed to impress pet owners with information that sounds authoritative but lacks scientific backing.

When Embark says a dog carries one copy of copper toxicosis, that’s something I can track, breed away from, and protect future generations with.

When Wisdom Panel says a dog will likely show fear, anxiety, and separation anxiety, that’s dangerous.

Every American Dirus™ puppy we send home comes with full Embark testing because our commitment to health transparency is absolute.

• You see the health risks we monitor.
• You see the Coefficient of Inbreeding, so you know how genetically diverse your pup is.
• You get data that matters—not fear-inducing guesswork.

We do not, and will not, hand over a list of “likely” behavior problems that can warp an owner’s relationship with their dog before it even begins.

You train the dog you see, not a computer’s prediction.

Want to see Kyro’s full side-by-side test reports for yourself?

Here are the public results:

Embark

http://embk.me/vallecitospollinate

Wisdom Panel

https://www.wisdompanel.com/app/s/dltkjs4/highlights

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P.S. Little Heather is hanging in there. Her fever has subsided for the most part, but it still spikes midday. We continue to give her subcutaneous fluids twice a day for fluid maintenance. She eats sparingly, so I’m giving her bone broth by syringe every hour. She continues to drink electrolyte water on her own, but not as much as I’d like. She is not out of the woods yet. We appreciate your continues thoughts, prayers, and healing energy for her full recovery.

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Jennifer Stoeckl is the co-founder and CEO of the Dire Wolf Project™, founder of the DireWolf Guardians™ American Dirus Dog Training Program, and owner/operator of DireWolf Dogs™ of Vallecito and the DireWolf Express™. She lives in the beautiful inland northwest among the Ponderosa pine forests with her pack of American Dirus™ dogs with her husband, Jay.