What older designation sometimes treats the domestic dog as its own distinct species, separate from the gray wolf?

Answer

Canis familiaris

Taxonomic classification for domestic dogs involves a recognized duality depending on the scientific viewpoint utilized. One specific designation treats the domestic dog as a completely separate species, distinct from *Canis lupus*. This older perspective assigns the nomenclature *Canis familiaris*. This contrasts sharply with the modern, widely accepted view that classifies the dog as a subspecies of the gray wolf, emphasizing their direct evolutionary descent from common ancestral wolf populations.

What older designation sometimes treats the domestic dog as its own distinct species, separate from the gray wolf?
classificationDogLaikaCanine