Shiba dog's DNA found to be most similar to the Wolf but....

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the genetic similarities between Shiba Inu dogs and wolves, exploring the implications of DNA analysis on behavior and physical traits. Participants examine the compatibility of genetic data with observed behaviors and characteristics of various dog breeds, particularly focusing on the Shiba Inu in comparison to other breeds like the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that despite Shiba Inus having DNA most similar to wolves, their behavior is not wolf-like, citing differences in cleanliness and vocalizations.
  • Others question the validity of the DNA study, suggesting that small genetic differences can lead to significant behavioral variations, and that the DNA similarity between Shibas and other breeds may be closer than that with wolves.
  • A participant shares personal experience with Alaskan Malamutes, asserting that their behavior is very wolf-like, contrasting this with the Shiba Inu's behavior.
  • Concerns are raised about the interpretation of the DNA graph, with some arguing that it does not accurately reflect the similarities or differences among breeds.
  • Some participants challenge the conclusions drawn from the study, requesting more detailed scientific evidence to support claims about breed similarities to wolves.
  • There is a discussion about the phenotypical characteristics of breeds like the Alaskan Malamute and Siberian Husky, with claims that their physical traits differ significantly from those of wolves.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the implications of DNA similarities for behavior and physical traits. There is no consensus on the conclusions drawn from the study or the validity of the claims regarding the Shiba Inu's wolf-like characteristics.

Contextual Notes

Some participants highlight limitations in the study, such as the sample size and the potential for misinterpretation of the data presented in the DNA graph. There are also concerns about the lack of clarity regarding the specific breeds included in the analysis.

  • #61
Pleonasm said:
Wouldn't you agree that if if a working breed is resurrected with new blood lines, it's rather unlikely so many years after its conception that those blood lines are ancient too?

I suppose it depends on how much new blood was introduced.
 
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  • #62
Drakkith said:
I suppose it depends on how much new blood was introduced.

Enough to propagate morphological variance. Malamutes were originally medium sized dogs resembling Huskies. Nowdays they might as well look like this from certain lines.
 

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  • #63
Hey, my Shiba Inu is like a wolf, ,,,, more like a fox. if there is fox like the wolf. How many different wolves are out there? one must be close to fox. I've got one like a fox.
 
  • #64
Gil Lee said:
Hey, my Shiba Inu is like a wolf, ,,,, more like a fox. if there is fox like the wolf. How many different wolves are out there? one must be close to fox. I've got one like a fox.

That would make sense since it states wolf-like, not wolf. And foxes are wolf-like. :cool:
 
  • #65
Drakkith said:
The graph only shows the estimated proportion of each breeds membership in each cluster. You cannot directly determine how similar any of them are to each other from this graph.

That's a fallacy, and I'll explain why. Even though the Shiba, Akita and Chow Chow had the same amount of gray wolf overlap, the Akita and Chow had more branching of additional breeds mixed in, while the Shiba stays consistent with just one line of similar breed(s) + the grey wolf heritance. This would make the shiba technically more wolf-like on the basis of less divergance = less branching out.
 
  • #66
Pleonasm said:
Even though the Shiba, Akita and Chow Chow had the same amount of gray wolf overlap, the Akita and Chow had more branching of additional breeds mixed in, while the Shiba stays consistent with just one line of similar breed(s) + the grey wolf heritance.

I don't see anything to support this. Figures 2 and 3 of the paper show virtually equal proportions of other clusters in these breeds as far as I can tell. Are we looking at the same figures?
 
  • #67
Drakkith said:
I don't see anything to support this. Figures 2 and 3 of the paper show virtually equal proportions of other clusters in these breeds as far as I can tell. Are we looking at the same figures?

It doesn't specify which all of the families each breeds DNA conformed to, since this would amount to a guessing game. I happen to know historically that the dog breeds in the Akita (yes Japanese Akitas included) is amongst others the German Shepherd. This occurred out of neccesity when Akitas in Japan were threatened with extinction during WW2. The German Shepherd DNA is very distinct from the grey wolfes as this study showed. The Shiba inus family tree is free of western dog crossbreeding, because dogs on the countryside were not subject to this crossbreeding.
 
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  • #68
Put it like this: suppose we want to compare two mixed breed dogs Husky-conformity, and suppose both have 20% Husky in them. If the rest of dog DNA in dog A is still sled dogs, while the rest of the dog DNA in mixed Dog B is german shepherds, then naturally, Dog A is closer to a pure breed Husky because the other dogs are closer to the husky in dog A, than they are in dog B.
 
  • #69
I am guessing this is how the Shiba Inu was deemed more wolf-like even though the Wolf DNA overlap was tied between the three Japanese breeds
 
  • #70
Pleonasm said:
It doesn't specify which all of the families each breeds DNA conformed to, since this would amount to a guessing game. I happen to know historically that the dog breeds in the Akita (yes Japanese Akitas included) is amongst others the German Shepherd. This occurred out of neccesity when Akitas in Japan were threatened with extinction during WW2.

Then one has to ask why the two breeds have virtually no overlap in cluster membership.

Pleonasm said:
I am guessing this is how the Shiba Inu was deemed more wolf-like even though the Wolf DNA overlap was tied between the three Japanese breeds

I'm not sure. I think they just compared allele frequencies and didn't provide the detailed analysis in the article.
 
  • #71
Pleonasm said:
Shiba dog's DNA found to be most similar to the Wolf but...
Usually such genetic relation graphs are made based on selected DNA sequences/genes, and does not represents the whole DNA (which would be the same for all dog- and wolf-types up to 9x%). So the accuracy of the study will depend entirely on the set of genes selected for testing for the actual study.
Without the raw data that graph (study) has very-very limited scientific value now.

With time (and with the amount of relevant studies growing) the information about the relevance of the different genes is growing so the accuracy of such claims will be improved too. But I'm afraid the early DNA based studies might has a decent amount of wishful thinking in them due the lack of information about relevance of specific genes.
 
  • #72
Drakkith said:
Then one has to ask why the two breeds have virtually no overlap in cluster membership.e.

Perhaps because the modern-day German Shepherd is not the same dog as the breed used to cross-breed with Akitas in WW2? Although the difference should''t be that big..
 
  • #73
Rive said:
Usually such genetic relation graphs are made based on selected DNA sequences/genes, and does not represents the whole DNA (which would be the same for all dog- and wolf-types up to 9x%). So the accuracy of the study will depend entirely on the set of genes selected for testing for the actual study.
Without the raw data that graph (study) has very-very limited scientific value now.

With time (and with the amount of relevant studies growing) the information about the relevance of the different genes is growing so the accuracy of such claims will be improved too. But I'm afraid the early DNA based studies might has a decent amount of wishful thinking in them due the lack of information about relevance of specific genes.

It's the same conditions for all dog breeds. Are you saying that that Spitz breeds are unfairly favored in these type of studies?
 
  • #74
What I found most chocking is that the conformity to Wolf DNA in the Japanese spitz breed cluster was reportedly not only higher (expected) but way above the normal range.

Also nothworthy is that that these Japanese spitz breeds were NOT cross-bred with wolfes, unlike the early alaskan malamutes, yet they were still more wolf-like!
 
  • #75
Pleonasm said:
Are you saying that that Spitz breeds are unfairly favored in these type of studies?
I'm saying that you should not stick to older studies and also should not stick to ill-texted graphs.

With the 'blood unit' you (and actually breeders using something like this too -I'm somehow reluctant to use this, but as I see most misunderstandings here originated from your unfamiliarity with the real scientific language) used in the thread about testing the DNA of your dog the shiba is <<<0.1% wolf.
Practically all the other dogs are too <<<0.1% wolf. This comes directly from the distance (in generations) from the common dog ancestors and the distance of those ancestors from the wolves.

There are two different use for the term 'wolfdog'. One is to title specific breeds, like the Czeslovakian wolfdog or some other (german shepherd, for example). You have to know, that in 'blood unit' these breeds are clearly dogs, and genetically they are all far closer to their dog ancestors than to wolves. With all the generations from the start of these breeds it is exactly as expected. They are dogs.

Other use for the term 'wolfdog' is, when one unlucky dog has a wolf ancestor within only a few generations back. Usually this is rare, and mostly misused for dogs which are... well: complete psychos. But a real 'wolfdog' indeed 'speaks' only wolf, and so requires special care and does not fit well into human society.
In your 'blood units' this type of 'wolfdog' is between 5 - 50% (!) wolf.

Well, of course there are exceptions.
 
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  • #76
The point is not how much Wolf there is in the pure dog breeds, but rather which breeds have the dog structures most conforming to Wolf structures.
 
  • #77
Rive said:
I'm saying that you should not stick to older studies and also should not stick to ill-texted graphs.

With the 'blood unit' you (and actually breeders using something like this too -I'm somehow reluctant to use this, but as I see most misunderstandings here originated from your unfamiliarity with the real scientific language) used in the thread about testing the DNA of your dog the shiba is <<<0.1% wolf.
Practically all the other dogs are too <<<0.1% wolf. This comes directly from the distance (in generations) from the common dog ancestors and the distance of those ancestors from the wolves.

There are two different use for the term 'wolfdog'. One is to title specific breeds, like the Czeslovakian wolfdog or some other (german shepherd, for example). You have to know, that in 'blood unit' these breeds are clearly dogs, and genetically they are all far closer to their dog ancestors than to wolves. With all the generations from the start of these breeds it is exactly as expected. They are dogs.

Other use for the term 'wolfdog' is, when one unlucky dog has a wolf ancestor within only a few generations back. Usually this is rare, and mostly misused for dogs which are... well: complete psychos. But a real 'wolfdog' indeed 'speaks' only wolf, and so requires special care and does not fit well into human society.
In your 'blood units' this type of 'wolfdog' is between 5 - 50% (!) wolf.

Well, of course there are exceptions.

Did you somehow misinterpet the study? It was NOT an examination into which dog breed has the most wolf in it. It was which dog breeds have most DNA structures conforming to grey Wolf DNA structures. This is perfectly compatible with all dog breeds having 99.8% Wolf in them.
 

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