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DNA can’t prove it — it only goes back a three years.”

Another argument is that DNA testing is “invalid” because the merle gene in Poodles can only be traced back three years. But this is a false narrative. DNA is not based on how many decades it has been documented — it identifies what is present in the dog today. And by that logic, no breed could ever be verified, since every breed was established at some point in history. If DNA “didn’t count” for merle Poodles, then it wouldn’t count for Aussies, Goldens, or any other breed either.

⭐ Why “Embark only goes back 3 generations” is FALSE — and can’t be used to claim merle Poodles are mutts.

There are two different things inside Embark:

✅ 1. The actual DNA test

❗ 2. The cute little “Family Tree” graphic

People who don’t understand genetics confuse the graphic with the genome.

✔️THE DNA TEST (the science part): Embark analyzes thousands of genetic markers across your dog’s entire genome and compares them to breed clusters.

This means:

● It picks up ANY other breed, even if it’s 5, 10, or 20+ generations back

● It sees ancestry through deep genetic markers

● It flags ANY non-Poodle DNA if it exists

● It does NOT stop at 3 generations

The DNA itself NEVER stops revealing ancestry.  Your dog’s DNA contains ALL their ancestral history — not just 3 generations.

✔️ THE FAMILY TREE GRAPHIC (the visual part)

This is the part that only shows: ●parents ●grandparents ●great-grandparents.

Why? — Because it’s a simple picture, not a limit of the science.

⭐️Further Explanation…

🔍 Their Claim:

“DNA only goes back 3–4 generations so you can’t prove purity.”

💡 The Truth:

DNA doesn’t “go back” like a family tree —
DNA detects what is present in the genome today.

If the DNA test reads 100% poodle,
it’s because the dog is genetically expressing poodle.

DNA CANNOT lie — it reads alleles, markers, haplotypes, ancestry signatures.

If other breed influence existed, it would show:

✔️ spaniel traces
✔️ shepherd-type markers
✔️ Asian toy heritage

— like it frequently does in show lines, doodles, and designer breeds.

So when a dog comes back 100% poodle,
that means the genome has stabilized —
not that Embark “couldn’t see” anything older.