Purebred dog breeds provide a powerful resource for the discovery of genetic variants affecting skeletal morphology. Domesticated and subsequently purebred dogs have undergone strong artificial selection for a broad range of skeletal variation, which include both the size and shapes of their bones. While the phenotypic variation between breeds is high, within-breed morphological variation is typically low. Approaches for defining genetic variants associated with canine morphology include quantitative within-breed analyses, as well as across-breed analyses, using breed standards as proxies for individual measurements. The ability to identify variants across the genomes of individual dogs can now be paired with precise measures of morphological variation to define the genetic interactions and the phenotypic effect of variants on skeletal morphology.

纯种犬种为发现影响骨骼形态的遗传变异提供了强大的资源。驯养的犬和随后的纯种犬经过了广泛的骨骼变异（包括骨骼的大小和形状）的强烈人工选择。虽然品种之间的表型变异较高，但品种内的形态变异通常较低。定义与犬形态相关的遗传变异的方法包括使用品种标准作为个体测量的代理进行定量的内部分析以及跨品种分析。现在，可以将识别单个犬基因组中变体的能力与形态学变异的精确测量值配对，以定义变异对骨骼形态的遗传相互作用和表型效应。