Dog Breeds related to wild dogs and new breeds

Answer Fella in this month's Esquire has a question about dog evolution. I tried to get it and post the answer here for you but something is goofy with their subscriber's service today and I can't get in.

Anyway - according to the biologists they talked to there really is no such thing as a "purebred" dog - they are all muts that started from wild dogs and were then bred for certain characteristics.

Interesting question.

I wish I knew more.

I'm going to just hang out and see what anyone else might know.

Thank you. For some reason, it's a lot easier do do research on cat breeds than dog breeds.

Here's a cool site on the New Guinea Singing Dog:

First brought to the attention of the scientific community in the early 1950's, the New Guinea Singing Dog NGSD ) was initially described as a distinct species and named Canis hallstromi after Sir Edward Halistrom, who brought the first pair out of the Southern Highlands District of Papua New Guinea to the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia in 1957. In 1969 the NGSD was reclassified as a subspecies of the dingo group, Canis lupus ( or familiaris) dingo.

The NGSD's precise taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships are matters of current scientific controversy. Studies, especially DNA analysis, are now beginning to suggest that NGSDs almost certainly differ from the modern breeds of dog to a greater degree than those breeds differ from each other. Further studies may eventually justify its separation from the Australian Dingo through the designation Canis lupus (or familiaris) hallstromi.

Read the rest at:
http://www.canineworld.com/ngsdcs/history.html

And here's an interesting article on the Carolina Dogs: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0311_030311_firstdog.html

There looks to be a lot of really good links about dog history at the end of the article.

My vet has a dog that is a mix breed standard poodle and either airedale or irish setter (can't remember for sure, a beautiful thing whatever it is).

He told me that a lot of breeders are trying to mix poodle into other dogs to form new breeds because poodles don't cause as many allergy problems for people.

I'd search that angle for "new breed" information.

What I mean is-what dog breeds were created by crossing domestic dogs with wild ones?
Are pomerainians related to foxes?

Dogs are descended from wolves. Dogs are Canis Familiaris. Wolves are Canis Lupus. Foxes are Vulpus vulpus (red fox), Vulpus lagopus (arctic fox), etc. So you see they are not only different species but they are also different genera, which is one level higher up in taxonomy.

All dogs can interbreed. Poodles, pomeranians and pulis can; so can Newfoundlands and Chihuahuas, despite how difficult that may be to imagine mechanically. But all dogs, from the Great Dane to the Yorkshire Terrier, are all the exact same species and therefore can interbreed successfully and produce fertile offspring of either gender.

Some links: http://www.spokesmanreview.com/allstories-news-story.asp?date=052204&ID=s1521637
http://www.cbc.ca/stories/2004/05/20/sci-tech/dogs_dna040520

Apparently, ther are a number of new dog breeds that are related to wolves.

I found this tidbit about fox-dog hybrids:
An unconfirmed female fox-dog hybrid (terrier/fox) has been reported in the UK, unfortunately it was euthanized when the owner died because no suitable home could be found for it. Although gamekeeper folklore claims that Terrier bitches can produce offspring with dog Foxes, there are no authenticated hybrids between domestic dogs and Red Foxes. Most supposed hybrids turn out to be natural variation in the domestic dog. The "dox" hybrid is no more real than a cabbit. There has been a reported cross between a domestic dog and a South American fox, but the latter was most likely a fox-like wolf and not a true fox.

Does anyone have any further input?