This is a Youtube lecture by Dr. Mark Siegal from the New York University course Indian pariah dog. Might the ancient foundation stock of modern dog breeds be some similar wolf variety now extinct in the wild instead of what’s in Europe today?

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Mark Siegal
Nov 18 2014

Re: Dog evolution and atavistic reversion

The origin of modern dogs is still an area of active investigation. It used to be thought that dogs originated in east Asia, but then evidence suggested it was perhaps the Middle East. The latest, best data suggest Europe: http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/38279/title/Origin-of-Domestic-Dogs/

The most reliable indicator of ancestry will continue to be DNA (in combination with archaeology/fossil evidence). Visible traits are not as reliable because they are under selection and therefore do not necessarily align with ancestry.