Should We Compare Domestic Dogs to Wild Animals?

A while back a dog trainer reviewed an article I'd written for a pet publication. Their top suggestion was to remove a reference I'd made to our dogs' canine ancestors out of concern it would encourage readers to see their companions more as wolves than dogs (and possibly perpetuate old-school training myths).

The experience got me thinking. Equating our companions with wolves can definitely be harmful — but there are also plenty of times where it's helpful to pull out similarities between Scout and her ancient relatives. When does it work? When does it fall short? What (often unfair) misconceptions do we have about wild animals that fundamentally skew these comparisons in the first place?