I realize I could have been a bit clearer. Dogs are speies in the Canidae family. Not all organisms in Canidae are dogs, though there is some relation between foxes and dogs.
If it's of interest to you, I highly suggest reading about the Silver Fox domestication experiment. As a dog lover, I find it very fascinating stuff:
Man, judging by the responses I'm getting, it seems nobody got the point I was trying to make. So I think I should just spell it out.
Being able to tell a dog when you see one, is not the same as being able to define what a dog is. For example I'm pretty sure I can tell what is or isn't a dog when I see an animal. But if you ask me to define what a dog is, I don't think I'll do a very good job. Mainly, I don't know exactly what distinguishes a dog from a wolf. Maybe one good way to define a dog that distinguishes them from wolves is to say they are domesticated animals. But then, there are feral dogs too, so it's not quite right. There's probably a physical trait that sets dogs and wolves apart, but I don't know it.
The point is, just because I know a dog when I see one, doesn't mean I can give you a good definition of dog. And I think there are probably a lot of people like me.
Yes.
They are species in the Canidae family.
Not to be confused with dog faced pony soldiers.
Are you saying all species under Canidae are dogs, or only some species are?
Did you know the red fox, Vulpes vulpes, is a member of the Canidae family? Are foxes dogs?
Yes, some breeds like Chihuahuas come from this branch.
I realize I could have been a bit clearer. Dogs are speies in the Canidae family. Not all organisms in Canidae are dogs, though there is some relation between foxes and dogs.
If it's of interest to you, I highly suggest reading about the Silver Fox domestication experiment. As a dog lover, I find it very fascinating stuff:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domesticated_silver_fox
So if somebody asks you to "define what is a dog", they are playing a semantic game?
Man, judging by the responses I'm getting, it seems nobody got the point I was trying to make. So I think I should just spell it out.
Being able to tell a dog when you see one, is not the same as being able to define what a dog is. For example I'm pretty sure I can tell what is or isn't a dog when I see an animal. But if you ask me to define what a dog is, I don't think I'll do a very good job. Mainly, I don't know exactly what distinguishes a dog from a wolf. Maybe one good way to define a dog that distinguishes them from wolves is to say they are domesticated animals. But then, there are feral dogs too, so it's not quite right. There's probably a physical trait that sets dogs and wolves apart, but I don't know it.
The point is, just because I know a dog when I see one, doesn't mean I can give you a good definition of dog. And I think there are probably a lot of people like me.
:)