Dogbreeds usually mention extinct "subspecies" as
the source of modern breeds:
Canis lupus familiaris "intermedius" ou "palustris"
- ancestor of coil-tailed spitz-like dogs. THese dogs seem to be very old and
worldwide.
Canis lupus familiaris "leinieri" - ancestor of
hunting dogs, like greyhounds and bloodhounds. Origin in North Africa, Arabia or
Western Asia.
Canis lupus familiaris "inostranzevi" - ancestor of
mastiffs and bulldogs. Origin in Tibet and India. Sometimes considered as
derived from Tibetan wolf (Canis lupus chanco).
Canis lupus familiaris "matris-optimae" - ancestor
of lupoid sheepdogs. Origin in India, usually related to pariah dog and Indian
wolf (Canis lupus pallidus).
I don't know if these extinct "subspecies" were
valid now. I think the panoram is more complex than this. For example, there was
a kind of short-nosed, coil-tailed gods in China: Chow, Shar-Pei, Pekinese, Pug,
Tibetan Terrier, Shih-Tzu. They have similarities to both mastiffs and spitz.
There was a kind of small, short-legged dogs: Egyptian Tekel, Dachshund,
bassets, Welsh Corgis, Terriers, Maltese, bichons. It would be a kind of
Mediterranean "proto-dachshund". And there a great group of "black &tan"
dogs that may sugest a common ancestor: Rottweiler, Dobermann, Pinscher,
Manchester Terrier, Hovawart, Swiss Mountain dogs, Beauceron.
Joao SL