Evolution Of Dogs Research Paper

Did you know that "dogs" haven't always been by our side? You wouldn't believe that the cute, fuzzy, sweet, loving dogs we have as pets today, came from wolves. The relationship between wolves and humans has changed over time because the wolves came close to humans. A very long time ago the dogs we know today haven't always been "dogs", they were all once wolves years ago. Wolves are much different today than the wolves back then.

Have you ever played outside with your dog for a while and lay back to consider about how your dog evolved into whom he is today and how he turned into "family?" Well, over the centuries, dogs have evolved a lot! In between that time, they turned into what we call pets. Because of this, the relationship between dogs and humans has changed over thousands of years, wolves evolved to dogs and the wolves soon became pets.

    Dogs have been domesticated for over 10,000 years. Food from the humans would bring the dogs to them, and the dogs would bark at predators when they came so the people started to feed the dogs to keep them around. In the 1’st century AD in China Roman mosaics show evidence of the present day Pekingese and Roman ladies also had lap dogs. They believe the dogs warmth cures stomach aches. The earliest evidence of any domesticated dog is a jawbone found in Iraq in a cave about 12,000 years ago. We know it is a jawbone of a dog because a jawbone of a wolf is smaller and the teeth is smaller.

Humans and dogs have long shared a bond that was based on function. Early dogs that were the least valuable and useful did not make it into today’s time. On the other hand, the most valuable and helpful of dogs remained and created others like them. Ultimately, breed predecessors were produced by breeding the best hunters to the best hunters and the best guards to the best

For millions of years dogs have remained a constant companion of man. Bred from the aggressive and formidable Gray Wolf tens of thousands of years ago the domestic dog now lives in many homes across the world. Where in the far distant past the domestic dog was bred as a guard animal, a beast of burden, and even a food source the dogs of today are bred for a far more endearing purpose-companionship and love. Finding a pet dog that is more of a joy than a chore is necessary when asking: How much is that puppy in the window?

Many scientists over the years have tested and retested the theory that dogs are a modern branch off wolves. One theory states that dogs and wolves are evolved from an ancient European wolf that is now extinct. Another says that over the years wolves became so domesticated, they became today’s cute and loveable pet. Another theory says that dogs and wolves mated over the years to create modern day friendly pets we welcome in our homes. Could our adorable, sweet puppies really have originated from those savage beasts?

Through Europe during early 1900s, dogs were being bred to sustain characteristics that allowed reinforced their jobs of herding animals.

Dogs were the first animal, and the only large carnivore, to be domesticated. in both appearance and in both Dogs are not tame wolves, but how they became these unique companions to people is still being debated.

The first domestication of dogs is known to be about 20,000 years ago. Dogs were the first real animal to be domesticated. The first name of the modern dog was known as a jackal. Soon after the animal was domesticated it became known as the dog. The way the dog was domesticated happened when children would bring the creature home with them and then they would play with the jackal. Also, the adults found that the jackal protected their houses from other creatures and other people. The people also learned that the jackal or dog could track animals and food with their great sense of smell (You and your Pet

Dogs are believed to originate from wolves, but theories investigate and lead to the cross breed of a wolf and a coyote. "Scientists have used DNA evidence to show that, more than likely, the dog did indeed descend from the gray wolf". (HowStuffWorks) Other research such as the mitochondrial DNA of a dog suggests that dogs and wolves were a completely different species about 100,000 years ago. In DNA scientists have found more dogs have a higher percentage of wolf genes from wolves native to the middle east. With these studies scientists believe that the middle east was the original location where domestication occurred. Historians believe that dogs were first domesticated by humans before any other animal. Much scientific evidence was based on the behavior and appearance of dogs. Canines were specifically said to be just tamed wolves but in other cases researchers believe wolves were attracted by humans waist. (Beam) This means these wolves were attracted to human settlements. These canines first were socialized because they were brave enough to approach humans, yet not so aggressively because they were getting fed. After a period of time passed dogs features adapted to being fed and not having to hunt anymore so their features changed overtime. As more time passed and these dogs became more appreciate to humans, humans started to breed the dogs to help with hunting, herding, taking guard, and carrying heavy stuff. The earliest finding of dog bones that were discovered were in Belgium in 2008 and they are believed to be from 31,700 years

Every wonder how “Man’s best friend” evolved? With over 350 different breeds, from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane, all dogs have descended from the Grey Wolf. The domestication of dogs by man dates back at least twelve thousand years. Domestication of the wolf may have begun with orphaned wolf cubs brought into villages and raised by children. Ancient man may have also started the domestication process by befriending wolves which helped them hunt and drive herds. (Kodat, 2002)

Walking into a home, your own or someone elses, and having a dog run to you is completely normal. People are so used to having these furry canines around, that no one every questions it. These animal serve such amazing purposes nowadays, such as service dogs or just having them around to keep you company. But there was a point in time when these animals were wild, and having one around was not normal, maybe even a threat. Sometime, somewhere these animals had to be domesticated for a purpose. There are many different theories as to how the dog was domesticated those thousand of years ago. The most common theory is that dogs were domesticated in Western Europe. Other theories believe they were domesticated in China or Israel. Overall, Most theories have the same idea as to how and why dogs were domesticated.

1. The origins of dogs. Dogs are in essence descended from modern day wolves. While domestication has dampened or eliminated many traits, some key natural instincts still remain. Like wolves, dogs are pack animals. What does this mean?

Another theory is that pack behaviour in dogs is similar enough to human social behaviour that dogs developed independently from humans, then became domesticated because their behavior already aligned with that of with early humans. Some evidence of that is the fact that humans and canines have occupied the same geographical regions for hundreds of thousands of years. Our best estimate of dogs became domesticated is somewhere between 14,700 and 36,000 years ago (Liane, Interdisciplinary investigations of the late glacial double burial from Bonn-Oberkassel).

Did you know that humans in the past thought of dogs as predators? Humans did not even think about having a wolf as a pet. Our relationships with wolves have changed over time. They have changed and we have changed. Humans used to think of wolves as animals to stay away from. They never thought that the wolves could become their pet or even their best friend. Wolves eventually changed over time, but they had to be trained from a wild beast to a highly trained animal. Humans have been killed trying to tame the wild beast! The wolves have gradually changed into what we know as a dog. Of course, they all come from the species of dogs, but the dogs in modern time are mostly tamed. Some dogs are born vicious and malicious, but they can be tamed over time just like the wolves were. They have to learn to behave just like humans. Dogs and humans have become where they love each other so much just like human love each other. Their relationship has changed because of that. The relationship between dogs and humans has changed over time because the wolf evolved into the dog. The dogs have become man's best friend instead of an enemy.