While dogs have been selectively bred for thousands of years to create the wide variety of breeds we have today, they share a common ancestor with wolves. Scientific evidence shows that dogs diverged from wolves around 15,000 to 40,000 years ago. This divergence likely happened in East Asia, and it's believed that early humans domesticated wolves, eventually leading to the development of the first dogs.
Despite their differences in appearance, behavior, and size, all dogs are closely related to wolves on a genetic level.