About Early Dog Domestication

Why do dogs eat their feces? Why do dogs scratch the ground before laying down? Why do dogs howl when they hear a siren or other piercing sounds? Why do dogs bury bones and other “treasures”? Animal behaviorists can explain many of these types of habits and instincts that dogs have by describing the process of early dog domestication.

  1. Ancestors

    • Academics who study fossil remains, comparative anatomy, animal distribution, biology and the natural environment, believe that today’s dogs descended from wolves. These academics think that early man domesticated wolf puppies and these tame wolves then bred more tame wolf puppies. The process caused these new tame animals to evolve into a new species, which we now refer to as the domestic dog. Researchers have found evidence to support this theory in archaeological excavations in Russia, China and Europe. They believe that the actual domestication process began between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago, though wolves may have lived in proximity to humans as far back as 400,000 years ago.

    New Behaviors

    • As time passed, domesticated dogs developed new behaviors that distinguished them from wolves. Dogs related to and could live within proximity to humans. Dogs could bark to sound an alarm and notify a human of danger. Dogs demonstrated a willingness to accept strangers. Dogs showed a desire to form social contact and to please humans.

    Early Relationships

    • Researchers have found evidence to indicate that early domesticated dogs helped humans hunt. They also believe that the dogs protected humans from predators. In addition, indications exist that among early populations, humans with the most prestige and power were able to own dogs.

    Breeds

    • Dog breeds seem to have developed according to the climate in which they've lived in and accordingly for tasks their masters trained them. Dogs who lived in the coldest climates grew longer coats while dogs who lived in warmer climates often lost their fur. Breeders who wanted good hunting dogs bred dogs with a strong senses of smell, tracking skills and coats of fur that could withstand cold temperatures, especially cold water. Breeders who wanted good guard dogs, bred dogs with shorter coats, were alert, intelligent and not skittish.

    Evolution of Behavior

    • Many of the behaviors we see in dogs today are rooted in their distant past. Animal behaviorists believe that dogs scratch the ground before laying down because of an innate instinct their ancestors developed to "check" the ground for snakes or other dangerous creatures before going to sleep. Male dogs are also known to urinate frequently in an effort to mark their territory; however, is a behavior that seems to have developed after they became domesticated. Dogs will often eat their feces because, in the wild, they needed to destroy any evidence of their whereabouts to confuse predators. Howling is a dog's way of communicating, as their ancestor wolves do, and can carry a sound over longer distances than any other sound. Dogs are also known to bury bones in an effort to save food for a time when they might not have enough to eat, an instinct that can be traced back to wolves.