Are dogs wolves?

[63dot]

I see and read stuff from vets and other pros who say yes at times, and others who say no but how do you argue with numbers ranging from 99.98% to 99.99% percent the same shared genes. But among breeds, some seem more wolf-like or stubborn in that sense.

When I got a shih tzu, yeah one of those stubborn independent ones*, it made sense when I saw this on Animal Planet:

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/d...-shih-tzu.html

* I remember taking care of a yard where the owner's homeless dad would bring his wolf and I had a bear of a time trying to keep the dog in the yard, away from tools, and capturing the thing when it escaped. I was glad that the dogs weren't as problematic and thought dogs in general were easier to command. That is until I got a shih tzu who is impossible to get a leash on, walk (I have to carry him a lot of the times), and bathe. Thankfully, the tricks I learned in capturing wolves is what I do to catch my shih tzu. ;)

[Racer5]

If you have Netflix I'd recommend watching NOVA: Dogs Decoded, it addresses this with some more details

[Arbiter]

Yes and no. They have all the same genes. But only a fraction of any gene set manifests in any given organism. Dormant genes are key - there are a lot of dormant genes that don't manifest in wolves that crop up in dogs.

[Breen]

My Shiba is a 'ancient' breed, and definitely a stubborn brat who loves you once he knows who's boss.

When I see a wolf, I see a ancient dog, a honed 'wildling' dog. I've seen videos of wolves raised by humans, released into the wild and when their humans came to visit them after a few years, their little puppies all over again.

[SamClemons]

I thing the fact they can intebreed and produce non-sterile offspring evidence they are in the same animal family, whatever you call them.

[greggorypeccary]

They're about as close as two animals can be on the evolutionary tree. Same genus (Canis), and species (lupus), but dogs are a subspecies (familiaris).

They can produce viable offspring because they are the same species.

[colorado]

What greggorypeccary and arbiter said.

(prepare for massive oversimplification) Wolves express traits that dogs do not. We bred those traits out of dogs but the genes are still there. If we weren't around, dogs would revert (more precisely, their offspring over time would revert) back to many wolf like behaviors (since they have the genes) and the expression of those genes would be more advantageous to survival "in the wild".

[boneyguy]

Originally Posted by 63dot

.....how do you argue with numbers ranging from 99.98% to 99.99% percent the same shared genes. [/I] ;)

Studies say that humans and chimpanzes share anywhere from 96% - 98% the same genetic make-up. Are we chimps?

All of animalkind share a majority of genetics. It's our common heritage of being a lifeform on this planet.

So the question, I think, in this context at least, is not how much one 'species' shares in common with another but the importance and the influence of the little bits that aren't shared. That's the difference that makes the difference.

[jazztele]

My dog is a small furry human with cat like tendencies.

[PapaLion]

Same species or not, sitting on a ridge in light snow in Montana scouting Elk, when you hear one let out a howl... you are glad you got your .41 Mag with you and the truck cab is only a few feet away. I trust dogs, I don't trust wolves.

? Can dogs and coyotes interbreed with viable offspring, I dunno?

[SamClemons]

According to the internet, coyotes, dogs, wolfs, have all interbred.

Regarding wolfs vs. dogs. I am a surveyor and we constantly battle dogs both domestic and wild. A wolk may be fearsom, but I am not sure I would not rather run into wild wolves than a "tame" rotweiller. Hardly anything is meaner than a Pekinese, they are just too small to do much damage. Not to mention your various dobermans, boxers, bull dogs, german shepherds etc. which can be nice pets, but also very mean.

[Bernie]

I saw this a couple of months ago while I was waiting for my car to be serviced. It a chart from National Geographic examining the genetic characteristics of dogs and dog breeds. One of the characteristics was how "Wolflike" or how genetically close (or not close, per boneyguy above) to wolves specific breeds are.

Large view here. It zooms to a pretty large, readable page.

[WaylonFan76]

Originally Posted by Racer5

If you have Netflix I'd recommend watching NOVA: Dogs Decoded, it addresses this with some more details

+1

[stevieboy]

I don't know, but men are dogs. Or dawgs.

[Bones]

[bossaholic]

Actually just recently, I read that they reclassified dogs and wolves as the same species with absolutely no differences in genes. Dogs and Wolves are simply variations within the species (breed) just as pitbulls, Irish Setters and chihuahua's are. Dogs are now Canis lupus familiaris, and wolves are Canis lupus.

If I can refind the source, I'll post it.

[bossaholic]

Originally Posted by boneyguy

Studies say that humans and chimpanzes share anywhere from 96% - 98% the same genetic make-up. Are we chimps?

Interestingly we share the same chromosomes with a guppy (46). Gorillas and Chimps have 48 chromosomes which match tobacco.

[oldmark]

They are similar, not the same. Dogs innately have the ability to understand humans and they can communicate with us non verbally...this was proven only a few years ago.
As far as genetics, remember the difference between human and chimp genes is around 2%...The differences between different human "types" is .2%.

It's not a lot, but it doesn't take much to make a real difference.

Many people think we taught dogs a lot over the last 10,000 years...personally, I think it worked both ways, and we might have got the better of the deal.

mark

[bossaholic]

Originally Posted by oldmark

They are similar, not the same. Dogs innately have the ability to understand humans and they can communicate with us non verbally...this was proven only a few years ago.
As far as genetics, remember the difference between human and chimp genes is around 2%...The differences between different human "types" is .2%.

It's not a lot, but it doesn't take much to make a real difference.

Many people think we taught dogs a lot over the last 10,000 years...personally, I think it worked both ways, and we might have got the better of the deal.

mark

I have a friend who has a wolf has a pet (99% pure). He can understand his owner. In fact, wolves have a larger brain than dogs and are very, very smart.

But in the end, they are the same species, otherwise we wouldn't be able to interbreed them with domesticated dogs.

[Bones]

we prepare their food, drive them around to their appointments, clean up after them and pay their bills, you tell me who is teaching whom.