A step back in time - Canine Evolution

Wolf or Dog?

We can find out when canine evolution was and the stages of this evolutionary events occurred throughout history using sources of archaeology to evolutionary biology. Domesticed dogs have 35 other close relatives including wolves in the Canidae group which have developed over 10 million years (Graphodasky et al, 2008). Dogs in fact diversified genetically over millennia since the split from their wolf ancestors (Hughes and Yeager, 1998). Canis Familiaris, by definition is a domestic dog. The domestic dog refers to the many dog breeds we see today. The origins of the domestic dogs’ dates back many thousands of years as dogs were the first domesticated animals (Larson et al, 2012).

Dog's are wolves

Nope, this is to simplified. It would be no different from saying humans are apes. Yes, we have 98.8% similar genetic code (American Museum of Natural History, no date) but we are not the same. You would not study Apes to know how humans behave. This is similar to Dogs and Wolves, yes, they show some genetic similarities, but we should not be looking to wolves to understand how Dogs behave.

Will you be my friend?

The Domestic dog started when humans and dogs began their relationship. A relationship that has developed over many hundreds of thousands of years. According to Stephen Budiansky (2015) and Juliet Clutton-Brock (1995) a likely hypothesis is that there were scavenger proto-dogs, who would follow human settlements and eat scraps leftover. Subsequently, Darcy Morey (1994) suggested some proto dogs with submissive tendencies were accepted and allowed in human company. Others claim the most likely hypothesis for the origins of the domestic dog were that a medium sized wild dog began to adopt ‘the pariah niche’ (Koler-Matznick, 2002, p.10) and over time began to form into a domesticated dog. Furthermore, Lahtinen et al, (2021, p.4) offer a new revelation on dogs’ domestication, stating it could have been during the ‘Late Pleistocene’ period, as human and dogs had less need to compete for resources.

'Domestication Hypothesis’ (Udell et al, 2010) theory focuses on the genetic abilities of the proto dogs, who were able to accept humans as social companions and these dogs are more likely to follow human interaction (Range et al, 2019).

A matter of fact

It was debated exactly when the domestication process of dogs happened via a separation from their wolf-like ancestors. Some estimate that the first signs of domestication were in ‘14,000 BC’ (Galibert et al, 2011, p.190). Whereas some geneticists argue there was evidence of the domestication process happening at ‘least 27,000 years ago’ (Skoglund et al, 2015). An Anthropologist argued that domestication of dogs occurred ‘23,000 years ago’ (Perri et al, 2021, p.1).

This supports Wayne and Ostrander (1999, p.248) claim that domestication was so long ago that ‘no records were kept’ to pinpoint a moment in time. Confirming, a specific domestication date has never been agreed amongst scholars and remains a contested discussion. Domestication though had occurred at least 17,000 years ago as evidence was found by Hervella et al (2022) which would indicate there were domestic dogs living amongst people.

Cave man's pals

Dogs have been domesticated creatures that work alongside people for thousands of years. The first people to keep domesticated dogs were the Magdalenian people (Baumann et all, 2021) who lived around 23,000 to 14,000 years ago. Dogs were used ‘as faithful companions, hunters, guardians, spirit-guides, and as a treasured part of the family’ (Mark, 2019). In the pre-Neolithic period, there was evidence that dogs would assist people with hunts in Arabia (Guagnin et al, 2018) and in indigenous populations of the late Holocene period had dogs who ate a similar diet to them such as fish (Hillis et al, 2020). These companion dogs were part of people’s everyday lives.

Throughout history there are depictions of dogs in our lives, from cave drawings to burials (Gibbens, 2017). Rock art or cave drawings of people and their dogs have been found in the East, Asia and Eastern Europe. In the Epipalaeolithic period, Francis Galibert et al (2011) explained a discovery in Germany of a woman's skeleton with a small young dog in a tomb. The closeness and sensitive nature to this burial indicates an ancestral bond and relationship between human and dogs. The significance of these animals in peoples lives found in fragments of history. In this period humans hunting style changed to include arrows made with tiny stone blades. Galibert et al, (2011, p.191) also discussed the idea that hunter-gathers used 'predomesticated dogs' to help bring back their kills.

In the Neolithic Period (6000 years ago) there was evidence that dogs had integrated with people as they ate similar foods (Albizuri et al, 2019). These dogs who took the path of domestication were smaller as they needed less food to survive;

they had smaller heads, crowded teeth (Ameen et al, 2017) and smaller ‘brain size’ (Bjornerfeldt, 2007, p.19). Over time contact between humans grew. Later in the agricultural period, humans began to increase their diet with grains from crops. The dogs who digest starch would have thrived (Axelsson et al, 2013). Today's dogs can only digest around 10% of starch in their diets (Habib and Shaw Becker, 2021).

Top Dog

Domesticated dogs have been around for many centuries. There is evidence that dogs have come in all shapes and sizes for many years as ‘5,500 years ago’ in ‘ancient Egypt’ there are drawings of ‘two types of sight-hounds’ with distinct features (Bjornerfeldt, 2007, p.24). Genetic evidence pinpoints these dogs to have the same genetic diversity to 'to mastiffs and greyhounds existed… 4000 years ago’ (Vila and Leonard, 2007 p.51). In Ancient Egypt there were many gods, one of which was depicted with a dog like head, called ‘Anubis’ (Carpenter, 2021). Anubis was thought to have judge souls (Mark, 2016) and it is not so dissimilar to the modern common view, that dogs are good judges of character. In Ancient Egypt dogs were used for various purposes such ‘as police guards, in military action or simply as household pets’ (Galibert et al, 2011, p.192). Across the world in Mexico, another God ‘Xolotl’ (Carpenter, 2021) was shaped like a dog. In Mesopotamia the goddess Gula kept dogs on collars and leashes dating back to ‘third millennium’ (Tsouparopoulou, 2020, p.20). Dale Osborn and Jana Osbornova (1998) explored evidence of mastiff looking dogs from Mesopotamia around 5000 years ago.

Many classifications of dogs have been used over time, for different reasons. During the Mesopotamian era, there have been identified depictions ‘of Saluki dog[s] working alongside humans’ (Galibert et al, 2011, p.192) who were adapted to the desert environment. The oldest breed known to still exist to this day are the Saluki, originating around ‘329 BC’ (AKC, 2022). The Persian Gazelle Hound could also be one of the oldest site hound breeds to exist (Hole and Wyllie, 2007, p.183).

Another, ancient dog could be the Mexican hairless dog as there are artefacts dated to ‘250 BC’ arguably illustrating these dogs (Cordy-Collins, 1994). The ‘Karakachan Dog is one of Europe’s oldest dog breeds’ (Topashka-Ancheva, 2009, p.136). In recent history, according to Galibert et al, (2011, p.192) the diversifying of breeds started to take off ‘during the Medieval and Renaissance periods’.

During the medieval period ‘social elites’ (Hurn, 2012, p.101) were described as having companion dogs, who were ‘small size… snub-nosed [and] long haired’ (Walker-Meikle, 2012, p.5). From the eighteenth century, people in the UK became wealthier and had ‘disposable income’ (Tague, 2015, p.3). This led to people keeping dogs for companionship based on aesthetics and showing their pets. However, Pedigree dogs have diversified in looks rapidly in recent times, ‘explained by the occurrence of new mutations’ (Bjornerfeldt, 2007, p.17). Another reason for the variation of breeds in the last 150 years was due to the emergence of dog shows, breed standards and ‘stud books’ (Bjornerfeldt, 2007, p.25) becoming available. Dog shows started in the 19th Century and have remained popular today (Ritvo, 1987).

The domestication process shows how dogs have been performing a particular role in the human-dog relationship for many thousands of years. This role has not altered much in such a vast expansion of time. For instance, dogs are still used for protection, hunting, herding or as family companions. Therefore, knowing the ingrained genetic behaviours and characteristic traits of domestic dogs was vitally important. These ‘needs’ for company, food, shelter, medical attention, and care can be identified in archaeological and anthropological records.

From researching the origin of the domesticated dog that it is heavily entwined in the ability for humans and dogs to accept each other and coexist with a means to better each other’s lives. Dogs have been present before records began, showing the first remnants of this relationship in cave drawings and tomb burials.

Citations

AKC. 2022. Saluki. American Kennel Club. Viewed 21/04/2023. Available at: https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/saluki

Albizuri, S., Nadal, J., Martín, P., Gibaja, J.F., Cólliga, A.M., Esteve, X., Oms, X., Martí, M., Pou, R., López-Onaindia, D. and Subirà, M.E., 2019. Dogs in funerary contexts during the Middle Neolithic in the northeastern Iberian Peninsula (5th–early 4th millennium BCE). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 24, pp.198-207.

Ameen, C., Hulme-Beaman, A., Evin, A., Germonpré, M., Britton, K., Cucchi, T., Larson, G. and Dobney, K., 2017. A landmark-based approach for assessing the reliability of mandibular tooth crowding as a marker of dog domestication. Journal of Archaeological Science, 85, pp.41-50.

American Museum of Natural History (no date) available at: https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/permanent/human-origins/understanding-our-past/dna-comparing-humans-and-chimps#:~:text=But%20for%20a%20clear%20understanding,98.8%20percent%20of%20their%20DNA

Axelsson, E., Ratnakumar, A., Arendt, M.L., Maqbool, K., Webster, M.T., Perloski, M., Liberg, O., Arnemo, J.M., Hedhammar, Å. and Lindblad-Toh, K., 2013. The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet. Nature, 495(7441), pp.360-364.

Baumann, C., Pfrengle, S., Münzel, S.C., Molak, M., Feuerborn, T.R., Breidenstein, A., Reiter, E., Albrecht, G., Kind, C.J., Verjux, C. and Leduc, C., 2021. A refined proposal for the origin of dogs: the case study of Gnirshöhle, a Magdalenian cave site. Scientific Reports, 11(1), pp.1-14.

Björnerfeldt, S., 2007. Consequences of the domestication of man’s best friend, the dog (Doctoral dissertation, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis).

Budiansky, S., 2015. The character of cats. Hachette UK.

Carpenter, M.A., 2021. Anubis and Xolotl: The Remarkable Resemblance of the Death Dog Gods. Ancient Origins. Viewed: 10/04/2023. Accessed: https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-americas/dog-gods-anubis-and-xolotl-0015394

Clutton-Brock, J., 1995. Origins of the dog: domestication and early history. The domestic, its evolution, behavior and interactions with people, pp.7-20.

Cordy-Collins, A., 1994. An unshaggy dog story. Natural History, 103(2), pp.34-41.

Galibert, F., Quignon, P., Hitte, C. and André, C., 2011. Toward understanding dog evolutionary and domestication history. Comptes rendus biologies, 334(3), pp.190-196.

Gibbens, S. 2017. Are These the Oldest Images of Dogs?. National Geographic. Viewed 01/04/2023. Available at: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/ancient-dog-rock-art-arabian-desert-cliff-images-spd

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Hervella, M., San-Juan-Nó, A., Aldasoro-Zabala, A., Mariezkurrena, K., Altuna, J. and de-la-Rua, C., 2022. The domestic dog that lived∼ 17,000 years ago in the Lower Magdalenian of Erralla site (Basque Country): A radiometric and genetic analysis. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, p.103706

Hillis, D., McKechnie, I., Guiry, E., St Claire, D.E. and Darimont, C.T., 2020. Ancient dog diets on the Pacific Northwest Coast: zooarchaeological and stable isotope modelling evidence from Tseshaht territory and beyond. Scientific Reports, 10(1), pp.1-12.

Hole, F. and Wyllie, C., 2007. The oldest depictions of canines and a possible early breed of dog in Iran. Paléorient, pp.175-185.

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Hurn, S., 2012. Humans and Other Animals: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Human-Animal Interactions. London, UK: Pluto Press.

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Osborn, D.J. and Osbornová, J., 1998. The mammals of ancient Egypt (pp. 121-123). Warminster: Aris & Phillips.

Perri, A.R., Feuerborn, T.R., Frantz, L.A., Larson, G., Malhi, R.S., Meltzer, D.J. and Witt, K.E., 2021. Dog domestication and the dual dispersal of people and dogs into the Americas. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(6), p.e2010083118.

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