Talk:Dog breed

Am I the only one bothered by the use of the word "strain" when referring to breed? Can we not just specify a breed as a "subtype of species classification?" Or at least, something along the lines of "distinct subgroups of the same species which manifest variations in morphology and physiology, such as differences in size, coloration, temperament, and/or predisposition towards the development of particular conditions or illnesses?"

Apparently so. See this article and proper use of the word strain: However, purebred domestic dogs exist in small somewhat homogeneous strains called breeds. These breeds were created through backcrossing and inbreeding, to fix desired traits, resulting in a much-reduced level of heterozygosity within any one breed compared to wild canids or non-breed dogs (Boyko et al. 2009; Boyko et al. 2010; Lindblad-Toh et al. 2005). Atsme 💬 📧 04:21, 15 March 2022 (UTC)

What is the difference between a species or a breed of an animal? How is an African elephant and an Indian elephant different species, but a pomeranian and a bloodhound aren't? I think something like this should be addressed in the article 103.251.15.64 (talk) 02:42, 16 November 2022 (UTC)

Perhaps you might like to read the excellent Wikipedia articles on Species and Breed, then you could answer your own question, rather than suggest that someone else should spoon-feed you. 182.239.159.174 (talk) 10:18, 23 June 2023 (UTC)

Let's keep it nice here! but yeah, read the articles on Species Breed, and maybe you will find more to help you develop a new debate discussing the topic in general! 24.190.200.120 (talk) 13:05, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

The article takes the following from one of its sources:

"The skull, body, and limb proportions vary significantly between breeds, with dogs displaying more phenotypic diversity than can be found within the entire order of carnivores."

The source does state this in similar terms, referring to further other sources... But this does not seem to me like a good or useful comparison. Carnivora contains walruses, bears, and mink, which I would argue show more phenotypic variation than say a mastiff and a chihuahua, although they are clearly very different. It would of course not be easy to find a source specifically refuting this sentence so perhaps this constitutes original research, but still I would argue for not including it in the article. RBBloo (talk) 10:10, 20 June 2024 (UTC)

How do I flag this page for inaccurate data and information, why does it read like Ai garbage? 208.126.112.174 (talk) 12:22, 28 January 2025 (UTC)

If the assertions have no references, you can tag them with {{cn}}. If they have references, you can tag them with {{dubious}} or you can call them out here, but provide a reference that has the information that is correct. - UtherSRG (talk) 12:36, 28 January 2025 (UTC)

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 19 August 2025 and 13 December 2025. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Alulo (article contribs).

— Assignment last updated by Brian120 (talk) 06:38, 20 September 2025 (UTC)