Learning about the Domestication of Dogs

Many people do not think back to a time before dogs became man's best friend.  Before dogs became the lovable creatures they are today, they were wolves that would hunt in packs and take on animals that were much bigger than they were.  Scientists have traced the dog species back to China, which means that canines developed in Asia and eventually roamed throughout the world.  There are many theories about how the wolf became domesticated in the first place.  This process does not happen overnight.  This can be seen in the Silver fox experiment done by Dmitri Belyaev.

Many scientists believe that the earliest domesticated dog could have appeared around 30,000 B.C.  The four main theories scientists use to explain where domesticated dogs came from are the Orphaned Wolf Cubs Theory, The Promise of Food (Self-Domestication Theory), Beast of Burden Theory, and the Dogs as a Source of Food and Fur Theory.  The Orphaned Wolf Cubs Theory states that early nomadic tribes, would pick up orphaned wolf cubs and would hand raise them.  The theory was developed because hand-reared wolf cubs of today can become tame and socialized.  The theory also states that over generations of time, the the wolves that were part of the nomadic tribes bred and became domesticated over time.  The Promise of Food (Self- Domestication Theory) states that wolves are scavengers.  A wolf will take advantage of any easy meal.  Nomadic tribes would leave scraps behind and the wolves would eat the scraps.  Wolves would follow the tribes.  The wolves began to decrease their flight distance (represents how close an animal will get to another animal or object before it feels threatened).  Eventually, the wolves came to except humans and the humans came to except the wolves.  The cubs of the wolves would learn from their parents that humans were a source of food and every new generation began to trust humans more and more.  This led to humans and wolves coming in contact with each other.  The Beast of Burden Theory states that dogs were originally used as beasts of burden which means they were used to help nomadic tribes pulling things from one place to the next.  This theory was developed because the Alaskan Malamute is one of the oldest sled pulling dogs.  They would have been extremely important for pulling heavy loads across the frozen Berring Strait.  The Dogs as a Source of Food and Fur Theory simply states that wolves were originally a source of meat and fur but humans stopped using them for that and took them in as companions.

Dogs are an amazing piece of history.  They show us how a wild animal can develop into a variety of different characteristics.  They have become a part of life for many people around the world.  Dogs can function as service dogs, rescue dogs, or just as companions.  A dog's ability to bond with humans is one of the most fascinating things in history.  It is possible that domestication can happen with any animal under the right circumstances.  To see future work, click here.