Dog FAQ - Questions and Answers About Dogs. Evolution of the domestic dog

Below is a list of Dog Questions with the relation Answer. We have 100s of them. When was the first dog tamed? Archaeological findings suggest the evolution of the domestic dog goes back to the year 10,000 B.C. there were already tamed dogs; and in Denmark and Germany some primitive remainders have been found recently. One of the most emotional discoveries took place in Israel, where a young dog was found in a grave alongside his owner. In fact, the use of dogs as guards spread out quickly all over the world. Somewhere around the year 5000 B.C., dogs remains brought by ancient colonists were found in North America. At the beginning domestic dogs had a very uniform aspect, but then they started to perform specific tasks in their communities. Some were used to work with flocks, while others were used as guardians. Now, and for the last 150 years, there is a tendency to produce dogs with a determined physical appearance to match the ideals of a particular breed. There are now, at least, 300 different breeds around the world. Due to this evolution some breeds have faded away, while some new ones have come to the fore.

Evolution of the Domesticated Dog

What kind of wild dog developed into the present domestic dog? Almost without any doubt, the wolf is the origin of all the present dog breeds. Some studies show the close resemblance between the skeletons of little wolves and the first tamed dogs. On the other hand, studies about their conduct evidence strong similarities between both groups of canines. There is only one notable difference, and it is in hunting, as domestic dogs are not used to it. Some suggest that dogs came from the golden jackal (Canis Aureus), and at first sight, this theory looks interesting. These animals live close to where man is, and are smaller in size. But this possibility is rejected due to their different conduct and shape. Another theory points out that a wild canine, now extinct, could have been the direct ancestor of the domestic dog. There is no strong evidence for this theory, though it looks certain that the smaller wolves breeds, are the origin of our dogs. In fact, the conduct and instinctive behavior, typical of our domestic dogs, can be traced back to the hierarchy of the wolves herd.