Dobermann Heart Disease: What the DNA Tests Can and Can't Tell You
Two of the four DNA tests sold for Dobermann heart disease didn't hold up in a study of over 5,000 dogs. One did, but it misses many cases.
Written by thecanineledger
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If a Dobermann faints, collapses, struggles to breathe, or breathes fast while resting, call your vet now. These can be signs of heart disease.
Our note: This advice is ours. The paper notes affected dogs may die suddenly or develop heart failure, but gives no owner advice.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a disease of the heart muscle, which weakens and stretches. Dobermanns are especially prone to it. Breeders often use DNA tests to decide which dogs to breed, though the European screening guidelines don’t recommend genetic testing. A 2026 study of more than 5,000 Dobermanns checked four of these tests (Hulsman et al., Animal Genetics 2026).
While one test held up well, two of the others showed no link to DCM in either North American or European dogs. Even the best one misses many affected dogs.
→ Dog DNA Tests: What a Health Result Can and Can’t Tell You
1. The study
The dogs. Researchers combined genetic data from 5,078 Dobermanns in Europe and North America. Of these, 548 met the study’s definitions of an affected dog or a healthy older control.
The tests. Four DNA markers are sold as tests for DCM in Dobermanns. They are usually labelled DCM1 to DCM4. DCM1 and DCM2 were found in North American dogs. DCM3 and DCM4 were found in European dogs.
Conflict of interest. One author works for a company that sells genetic tests for dogs. The paper states this didn’t influence the study. We found no funding statement in the full text.
2. What it found
| Test | Linked to DCM in this study? |
|---|---|
| DCM1 | No |
| DCM2 | No |
| DCM3 | A modest effect |
| DCM4 | Yes, the strongest |
DCM4. Dogs with two copies of the risk variant had about five times the odds of DCM of dogs with none. One copy made little difference. The authors conclude it is “a shared genetic risk factor for DCM in Dobermanns across populations”.
DCM1 and DCM2. “The previously reported associations between PDK4 and TTN variants and DCM were not replicated in the North American Dobermann population, nor in the European Dobermann populations.” The authors say they can’t tell whether this is down to study design or whether the original findings were chance.
Our note: The authors didn’t test the exact DCM1 and DCM2 variants, only nearby markers.
3. What a result means
A clear result isn’t a guarantee. A model combining DCM3, DCM4 and sex picked out 46.4% of affected dogs. The authors describe “relatively low sensitivity”, and explain that “many affected dogs do not carry these variants”.
A risk result isn’t a diagnosis. The authors call DCM3 and DCM4 “supportive risk markers rather than definitive predictors of disease status.”
What the authors recommend. They advise using test results “alongside, rather than in place of, regular clinical screening”. Dogs with risk results should be screened earlier or more often, rather than simply removed from breeding. Screening usually means a heart scan and a 24-hour heart-rhythm recording.
Our note: The paper cites European screening guidelines, which we haven’t read. Ask your vet when and how often to screen.
4. What the study can’t tell you
Owner reports. Many of the dogs were classified from owners’ questionnaire answers, not heart scans.
Late onset. DCM often appears late, so some “healthy” controls may have developed it later.
Males. Males were more often affected than females across all results.
A mismatch. The paper calls DCM3’s effect modest, but its table gives two copies of DCM3 odds similar to two copies of DCM4, with a very wide margin of error.
5. If you have, or want, a Dobermann
- Ask the breeder which DCM tests were done, and whether the parents had heart screening.
- Don’t rely on a clear DNA result as proof of a healthy heart.
- Ask your vet when to start screening.
Our note: These points are ours, not the study’s.
→ Choosing a Breed or a Mix: The Health Data Breeders Don’t Lead With · → Heart Failure at Home: Counting Your Dog’s Sleeping Breaths
6. What we could not verify
| Commonly said | What we found |
|---|---|
| “A clear DCM DNA test means a healthy heart” | No. Many affected dogs carried none of the variants. |
| “All four DCM tests work for every Dobermann” | Not shown. Two showed no link in this study. |
| “Most Dobermanns get DCM” | Not checked. The paper cites a European figure of 58.2%, but we haven’t read that study. |
Sources
- Hulsman AH, Flokstra G, Kijan C, et al. A large-scale cross-population evaluation of genetic risk variants for dilated cardiomyopathy in Dobermanns. Anim Genet 2026: genetic data from 5,078 Dobermanns in Europe and North America. One author employed by a genetic testing company. No funding statement found
Always confirm with your vet before acting on anything on this page.