Where Does My Dog Come From?

 

Where Does My Dog Come From?

Are dogs wolves? Where did they come from? How did they integrate themselves into our society? No other animal has co-existed with us so effectively as our dogs!

The scientific name for the domesticated dog is “Canis lupus familiaris”. Wolves are known as “Canis lupus”. Both are within the family “Canidae”, the dog family. There are more than 36 different types of canids thriving today, including foxes, wolves, coyotes, and jackals.

Genetically speaking, there is much resemblance between the wolf and the dog. But behaviorally, they differ substantially!

How domestication began is a mystery, but we have evidence of their evolutionary journey! Researchers have concluded the divergence between the wolf and domesticated dog occurred anywhere from 14,000 to 32,000 years ago. This is based on archaeological and genetic analysis.

There are two common theories that we will discuss.

A theory from Korand Lorenz, states that jackals may have benefited from close proximity to humans due to the increase in food resources. Humans at this time also noticed that the increased noise caused by the jackals indicated nearby prey. This prey (food resources) was beneficial for both the jackals and humans alike. This eventually led to more cooperative behavior between both species. Another known theory comes from Zeuner in 1963, which was popularized by Ray and Lorna Coppinger in 2001. This is the story of scavengers.

In this theory, it was not the humans who approached wolves, but the extra food resources left by humans which allowed wolves to breed more freely. Over generations, the more timid (and less aggressive) wolves would spend time closer to humans. The more aggressive wolves would increase their distance, going back into “the wild”. This caused a separation of the species. Aggressive behavior may be beneficial for an animal in the wild, but not so much for life around humans.

If these early human settlers would have shunned these wolves away, it would only be a matter of time before new wolves showed up. It may have been more beneficial to “get used” to the pack of wolves outside your community than to have new, less predictable, wolves showing up daily!

Domesticated animals tend to be more comfortable around humans, reach sexual maturity quicker, develop the tendency to mate in any given season, and are generally less fearful or reactive than their wild counterparts.

The process of domestication has also shown observable changes, such as areas of white coat (usually the chest), floppy ears, and curly tails! This could also relate to our own innate parental dispositions. I don’t have to explain the success rate of your dog using their “dog eyes” to get what they want!

How Did We End Up Where We Are?

In natural selection, nature “selects” for certain traits within animals. “Selects” is a tricky word…

Evolution doesn’t have a “goal” or “purpose”. It “selects” what is most adaptive given that organism's specific environment. By “selecting” a coat color that matches their environment, these animals not only hide more effectively from predators but also allow them to get closer to their prey! This increases survivability, therefore the potential to pass on genes to future generations through reproduction.

While some of the traits produced by the mixing of genetic information can be beneficial, they can also be neutral, or detrimental!

Artificial selection is what is referred to as human-directed selection. Breeders choose which dogs are allowed to breed and when, they also control their environment, pre-and-post natal care, stimulation, and more.

When breeders choose to breed based on behavioral tendencies, it will result in dogs who show more of those given traits. This is how, for example, labs and retrievers are so cooperative with humans. Their evolutionary path has been artificially selected for their compatibility with humans. German shepherds have been artificially selected for herding or protection work. Alaskan Huskies and Malamutes have been selected by humans to pull sleds and cargo.

But what happens if breeders “select” for appearance over behavior? Sure, you’ll get a litter of adorable pups… But is that what truly matters? Breeding should focus on the overall well-being and welfare of the animal. Breeders should look at variables such as any health dispositions, genetics (pros/cons), behavioral and communication ability, parental skills, and more. Breeding based on looks instead of practical traits leads us to poor destinations. An example of this can be seen in Bulldogs, Pugs, and other brachycephalic (short-muzzled) dogs who have a host of medical problems, including breathing problems, even from birth.

Throughout our history of careless breeding, we have introduced dogs to a myriad of medical problems, shortened lifespans, and limited natural abilities. By breeding in these ways, we are also reducing the genetic variation (healthy genes available) within the dog’s gene pool.

As always, if you are looking to acquire a furry friend, do your research! If you are going to purchase from a breeder, ask questions! How is the parent's behavior? What is the breeder's investment in their pups? Are they being well stimulated, socialized, and imprinted properly? Are they breeding to produce well-mannered, well-socialized dogs? Or are they breeding for the money?

What are their options if something doesn’t work out?

If you are adopting, what information is available? Is there any prior paperwork? What has the shelter/foster experience? Have they had experiences with other dogs? Cats? Children? How are they on a lead? Do they travel well? Ask questions that are important to your lifestyle to find the best match you can!

Don’t take the first dog you see!

Did you know, there are approximately 900 MILLION dogs worldwide?! What’s more fascinating is that approximately 80% of these dogs are free roaming! (That’s around 720 million dogs!)

A great video illustrating Natural Selection: https://youtu.be/0ZGbIKd0XrM