A method for identifying one or more MHC alleles present in a dog, the method comprising: (a) determining the nucleotide present at the or each polymorphic position specified for the one or more MHC alleles in any one of Tables 4 to 6 or determining the nucleotide(s) present at a polymorphic position(s) in linkage disequilibrium with one or more polymorphic positions specified in Tables 4 to 6; and (b) identifying therefrom the presence or absence of one or more MHC alleles in the dog.