Braaf, Ellen R. "Tale of the Dog." Ask!. May/Jun 2011: 6-13. SIRS Discoverer. Web. 18 Nov. 2014.
Tale of the Dog By Ellen R. Braaf
The Wanderers
During the last Ice Age, about 60,000 to 12,000 years ago, ancient humans and wolves had much in common. They were hunters who shared the same lands and competed for the same prey. And both lived in well-organized social groups.
Away from the pack, wolves by nature are shy. Like other wild animals, they fear strangers and act with caution in unfamiliar situations. Scientists think that some ancient wolves, however, may have been a bit bolder and more curious about humans. Maybe these wolves learned there were advantages to hanging around the two-legged hunters. Stealing food from the humans was probably easy. And who doesn't like a free lunch? Perhaps people were curious about wolves, too, wondering whether these intelligent and skilled four-legged hunters could be of some use.
Biologists believe that after a long period, certain wolves got used to the company of humans. They grew less fearful and less wild. Some of these "tame" wolves may have moved from place to place with our nomadic ancestors, not on a leash, but free to come and go as they pleased. Our ancestors may have occasionally adopted orphaned wolf pups from this group or even stolen pups from their dens, then reared these pups by hand and tamed them, choosing the gentlest and most docile to serve as hunting companions and pets.
Curly Tails and Floppy Ears
Domestication - the process by which animals are changed to fit into human society - takes a long time. Humans gradually domesticated wolves through selective breeding. When our ancestors found a wolf whose behavior or looks they liked, they kept it and mated it with another wolf that had the same desirable features. With luck, pups would be born with their parents' good qualities.
Most important, domesticated dogs behaved differently from the wolf, enabling dogs to thrive in human society and serve as useful companions.
Dogs with Jobs
Once people learned how to selectively breed dogs, we began to create canines that came in different sizes and shapes to do many jobs.
Hunting was an important job, and dogs were bred to specialize in different hunting tasks. Tracking prey through dense forests required animals with a keen sense of smell. Bred for the ability to follow a scent trail, a bloodhound's tracking skill is legendary. But in flat, open country, where humans hunted fleet-footed prey, swift, lightweight dogs with keen vision were needed. Greyhounds and Afghan hounds are descendants of dogs bred for this purpose. Terriers were bred to go after small rodent pests, such as the rats and weasels that infested villages and farms.
The Wanderers
During the last Ice Age, about 60,000 to 12,000 years ago, ancient humans and wolves had much in common. They were hunters who shared the same lands and competed for the same prey. And both lived in well-organized social groups.
Away from the pack, wolves by nature are shy. Like other wild animals, they fear strangers and act with caution in unfamiliar situations. Scientists think that some ancient wolves, however, may have been a bit bolder and more curious about humans. Maybe these wolves learned there were advantages to hanging around the two-legged hunters. Stealing food from the humans was probably easy. And who doesn't like a free lunch? Perhaps people were curious about wolves, too, wondering whether these intelligent and skilled four-legged hunters could be of some use.
Biologists believe that after a long period, certain wolves got used to the company of humans. They grew less fearful and less wild. Some of these "tame" wolves may have moved from place to place with our nomadic ancestors, not on a leash, but free to come and go as they pleased. Our ancestors may have occasionally adopted orphaned wolf pups from this group or even stolen pups from their dens, then reared these pups by hand and tamed them, choosing the gentlest and most docile to serve as hunting companions and pets.
Curly Tails and Floppy Ears
Domestication - the process by which animals are changed to fit into human society - takes a long time. Humans gradually domesticated wolves through selective breeding. When our ancestors found a wolf whose behavior or looks they liked, they kept it and mated it with another wolf that had the same desirable features. With luck, pups would be born with their parents' good qualities.
Most important, domesticated dogs behaved differently from the wolf, enabling dogs to thrive in human society and serve as useful companions.
Dogs with Jobs
Once people learned how to selectively breed dogs, we began to create canines that came in different sizes and shapes to do many jobs.
Hunting was an important job, and dogs were bred to specialize in different hunting tasks. Tracking prey through dense forests required animals with a keen sense of smell. Bred for the ability to follow a scent trail, a bloodhound's tracking skill is legendary. But in flat, open country, where humans hunted fleet-footed prey, swift, lightweight dogs with keen vision were needed. Greyhounds and Afghan hounds are descendants of dogs bred for this purpose. Terriers were bred to go after small rodent pests, such as the rats and weasels that infested villages and farms.
When sheep and goats were domesticated about 10,000 years ago, dogs helped guard and herd them. To protect their sheep, farmers needed dogs that were bigger and fiercer than wolves. They bred dogs called mastiffs, weighing as much as 200 pounds (90 kilograms). To herd livestock, farmers looked for dogs that displayed some, but not all, of the hunting instincts inherited from their wolf ancestors. When wolves hunt, they round up herds of animals, then separate the weak or ill so they can attack them. Farmers needed animals that would round up but not attack their flock. Collies and Shetland sheepdogs are examples of dogs originally bred for this purpose.
Just Friends
Today, specially trained dogs - such as guide dogs for the blind and hearing ear dogs for the deaf - help people in many important ways. But most modern dogs don't have a "job." They're not hunters or herders or guard dogs; they're just friends. Unlike their wolf ancestors, modern dogs could not survive on their own in the wild. But all dogs are still part wolf on the inside - even if they look like Chihuahuas or beagles or collies or mixed breeds on the outside. Their human family is their pack. They depend on us for food, shelter, and companionship. And they look to us as leaders of the pack.
Whether purebreds or mutts, working dogs or pampered pets, today's dogs have traveled a long way since their ancestors parted paths with the wolf. Somewhere on that journey, they left their paw prints on our hearts.
* * *
Copyright © Carus Publishing Company. May/Jun 2011.
Magazine
Ask!
(Vol. 10, No. 5)
May/Jun 2011, pp. 6-13
Just Friends
Today, specially trained dogs - such as guide dogs for the blind and hearing ear dogs for the deaf - help people in many important ways. But most modern dogs don't have a "job." They're not hunters or herders or guard dogs; they're just friends. Unlike their wolf ancestors, modern dogs could not survive on their own in the wild. But all dogs are still part wolf on the inside - even if they look like Chihuahuas or beagles or collies or mixed breeds on the outside. Their human family is their pack. They depend on us for food, shelter, and companionship. And they look to us as leaders of the pack.
Whether purebreds or mutts, working dogs or pampered pets, today's dogs have traveled a long way since their ancestors parted paths with the wolf. Somewhere on that journey, they left their paw prints on our hearts.
* * *
Copyright © Carus Publishing Company. May/Jun 2011.
Magazine
Ask!
(Vol. 10, No. 5)
May/Jun 2011, pp. 6-13