Dogs and Humans: An Ancient Bond

Several millenia ago, man and an early ancestor of the modern dog formed a mutually beneficial partnership. This animal was, most likely, an unusually tame jackal, or perhaps an ailing wolf that had been driven away by the pack. These new companions protected humans against wilder animals and guarded sheep and goats. In return, they received food and a dwelling. As time passed, these early dogs became man's trusted companions.

In nearly all parts of the world traces of an indigenous dog family are found, the only exceptions being the West Indian Islands, Madagascar, the eastern islands of the Malayan Archipelago, New Zealand, and the Polynesian Islands, where there is no sign that any dog, wolf, or fox has existed as a true aboriginal animal.

In ancient Asian regions, as among the the Mongolians, dogs were wild creatures, prowling in packs like wolves. This is still the case in many Eastern cities. If we examine the records of the high civilizations of Assyria and Egypt, we begin to discover distinct varieties of the canine form.

The great multitude of different breeds of the dog and the vast differences in their size, points, and general appearance are facts which make it difficult to believe that they could have had a common ancestry. One thinks of the difference between the Mastiff and the Japanese Spaniel, the Deerhound and the fashionable Pomeranian, the St. Bernard and the Miniature Black and Tan Terrier, and is perplexed in contemplating the possibility of their having descended from a common progenitor. Yet the disparity is no greater than that between the Shire horse and the Shetland pony, the Shorthorn and the Kerry cattle, or the Patagonian and the Pygmy; and all dog breeders know how easy it is to produce a variety in type and size by studied selection.

In order properly to understand this question it is necessary first to consider the identity of structure in the wolf and the dog. This identity of structure may best be studied in a comparison of the osseous system, or skeletons, of the two animals, which so closely resemble each other that their transposition would not easily be detected.

The spine of a dog has seven vertebrae in the neck, thirteen in the back, seven in the loins, three sacral and twenty to twenty-two in the tail. As for ribs, both the dog and wolf have thirteen pair --nine true and four false. They both have the same number of teeth --forty-two, and the same number of toes --five front and four hind. In many cases, a general outward description of either one could serve the other.

The behavior of the two species is quite similar in many ways. While the wolf naturally howls, he can easily learn to bark if confined with dogs. Although a natural carnivore, like the dog he will eat vegetables or even nibble grass when ill. When hunting, a wolf pack will separate into parties; one will follow the trail of the quarry, while the other intercepts its retreat, a strategy also employed by many sporting dogs when hunting.

Yet another similarity between canis lupus and canis familiaris is the gestation period, which is sixty=three days for each. The wolf's litter usually has from three to nine cubs. These are blind for twenty-one days. After two months of being suckled, they are capable of eating half-digested flesh which their dam or even sire has disgorged for them.

The dogs and wolves native to almost all regions closely resemble each other in size, coloration, form and habit, a fact too widespread to be simply coincidental. An observer in 1829, Sir John Richardson, commented that the only difference he could see between the wolves of North America and the domestic dog of the Indians was the greater size and strength of the wolf.

Some see the difference between the dog's bark and wolf's howl as a definitive one. However, we know that wolf pups, along with jackals and wild dogs will readily learn to bark when raised by bitches, while domestic dogs will forget the habit if they run wild long enough. This, then, cannot be used as proof of the dog's origin.

We might consider Darwin's belief that domestic dogs descended from several species of wolf from places as diverse as Europe, India and North Africa, as well as several species of jackal, and possibly from one or more species now extinct. This suggestion that our modern dogs had such a diverse ancestry could be the truest explanation we will find.

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Bob Evanston writes and researches on many topics pertaining to animals and pets. You can get more information on animal care and some useful resources on guide to dog behavior problems