The History of Dogs

Ancestors of the dog evolved because of changes in climate and habitat. As time went on they developed the social relationships needed to hunt successfully in packs, enabling them to bring down and kill animals larger in size and body-weight.

There are ten genera of Canidae, among which the dog belongs to the genus canis which also incorporates jackals, coyotes and wolves; these are the dog's closest relations. All share the same number of chromosomes and are capable of breeding with each other.

Other relations
More distantly related are the animals in the other nine generations, of which the fox is one, and of which there are 21 different species. Others include the African Wild Dog, also called the Cape Hunting Dog and African Hunting I )og, which lives in packs ranging between six and 25; India's Dhole, which has the widest range of habitat amongst all wild canids, and the Manned Wolf which differs from true wolves and lives in some South American countries. The Raccoon dog reputedly has no bark but has other behavioral characteristics in common with members of the dog family, while South America's Bush Dog communicates by whining and is notably different from the dog's other distant relations.

Although it is likely that the coyote and jackal j have contributed in a small way to the genes of the domestic dog, they do not share the social behavior of the wolf which is now known to be dog's closest ancestor. The wolf is a social predator which, until the human hand intervened, was found I throughout Europe, Asia and North America. As a scavenger, the wolf has long been associated with human settlements and has followed in man's footsteps at least since the! beginning of Homo sapiens, a recent theory being that the connection goes back still further, around 100,000 years. There have been many different sub-species of wolf, ranging from the Kenai Wolf, which finally became extinct in 1915, and the North American Wolf, which is the largest member of the family still existing today, to the Japanese Wolf, which is possibly the smallest member of the family that survived into the twentieth century; the last one was killed in 1905.

As a wolf cub grows up it develops attachment behavior, as do puppies, and like the dog the wolf adopts dominant and submissive postures. The Asiatic or Arab Wolf, a particularly adaptable and sociable animal, inhabited areas from which dogs are known to have emerged and is likely to have its blood running through the veins of many of the European and Asian domestic dogs today.

Evolution of the domestic dog
The way in which the dog developed from the wolf in the early stages probably occurred through natural selection. Wolves were attracted to human settlements because of their nature as scavengers and it is likely that some wolf cubs were brought up by humans, taken into the settlements to be raised and cared for. From these semi-domesticated animals, dogs would have evolved; these acted as guards and assisted in hunting, cleaned up campsites by way of scavenging and indeed may well themselves have provided food when meat was scarce.

Dog and man
As the years wore on, dogs developed to suit their association with man, yet still retaining behavioral stages of the wolf's development and many physical attributes of this ancestor. One has only to look at the Aboriginal Australians' associations with the dingo to realize how easily the dog could be accepted into the lives of such communities, each benefiting ' from the other.

The Aboriginals have reared young dingoes, caring for them like children and when fully grown they have been used successfully to flush game, reward enough for the kindness shown to them.

Eventually man played his part in adapting the dog to best suit his own environment and needs, selectively breeding for certain traits, both temperamental and physical. Sizes increased and decreased according to requirement and taste. A loud bark was required for dogs which were used to warn of danger and this, coupled with imposing size, could put fear into an intruder. Long legs and powerful muscles were needed in dogs used in the chase, while those hunting by scent needed an improved sense of smell.

Natural pack members
Dogs were used to behaving as pack animals and found themselves willing to become members of human packs, able to work with man or with cither dogs as the need arose and capable of protecting other animals belonging to man when required to do so. Hunting methods were developed, and the dog's natural ability to track and to retrieve game was recognized and developed further, later becoming a leisure activity, not merely a necessity.

Dogs worked for their rewards and also became companions. Perhaps they provided warmth and their affection and devotion was doubtless appreciated, but later the dog's appearance was refined to suit aesthetic taste and personal whim.