What are dogs related to? Tips and Tricks

When and where were dogs domesticated?

Pugs and poodles may not look the part, but if you trace their lineages far enough back in time all dogs are descended from wolves. Gray wolves and dogs diverged from an extinct wolf species some 15,000 to 40,000 years ago. There’s general scientific agreement on that point, and also with evolutionary anthropologist Brian Hare’s characterization of what happened next. ‘The domestication of dogs was one of the most extraordinary events in human history,” Hare says.

But controversies abound concerning where a long-feared animal first became our closest domestic partner. Genetic studies have pinpointed everywhere from southern China to Mongolia to Europe.

Scientists cannot agree on the timing, either. Last summer, research reported in Nature Communications pushed likely dates for domestication further back into the past, suggesting that dogs were domesticated just once at least 20,000 but likely closer to 40,000 years ago. Evolutionary ecologist Krishna R. Veeramah, of Stony Brook University, and colleagues sampled DNA from two Neolithic German dog fossils, 7,000 and 4,700 years old respectively. Tracing genetic mutation rates in these genomes yielded the new date estimates.

“We found that our ancient dogs from the same time period were very similar to modern European dogs, including the majority of breed dogs people keep as pets,” explained Dr. Veeramah in a release accompanying the study. This suggests, he adds, “that there was likely only a single domestication event for the dogs observed in the fossil record from the Stone Age and that we also see and live with today.”

End of story? Not even close.

In fact, at least one study has suggested that dogs could have been domesticated more than once. Researchers analyzed mitochondrial DNA sequences from remains of 59 European dogs (aged 3,000 to 14,000 years), and the full genome of a 4,800-year-old dog that was buried beneath the prehistoric mound monument at Newgrange, Ireland.

Comparing these genomes with many wolves and modern dog breeds suggested that dogs were domesticated in Asia, at least 14,000 years ago, and their lineages split some 14,000 to 6,400 years ago into East Asian and Western Eurasian dogs.

But because dog fossils apparently older than these dates have been found in Europe, the authors theorize that wolves may have been domesticated twice, though the European branch didn’t survive to contribute much to today’s dogs. Greger Larson, director of the Wellcome Trust Palaeogenomics & Bio-Archaeology Research Network at Oxford University, suggests that the presence of older fossils in both Europe and Asia, and the lack of dogs older than 8,000 years in between those regions, supports such a scenario.

“Our ancient DNA evidence, combined with the archaeological record of early dogs, suggests that we need to reconsider the number of times dogs were domesticated independently. Maybe the reason there hasn’t yet been a consensus about where dogs were domesticated is because everyone has been a little bit right,” Larson said in a statement accompanying the study.

The many interbreedings of dogs and wolves also muddy the genetic waters, of course. Such events happen to the present day—even when the dogs in question are supposed to be stopping the wolves from eating livestock.

All members of the Canidae family have live births after a gestation period of 45 to 55 days. Canids typically have many babies at once. Domestic dogs can have as many as 15 young, called pups, at the same time. Other genus types are less prolific. For example, gray foxes (genus Urocyon) have only one to seven young per year, according to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Biological Sciences Department of Smith College reports that there is a correlation between the weight of a canid and reproduction; the larger the female, the larger the litter size.

Kingdom: Animalia Subkingdom: Bilateria Infrakingdom: Deuterostomia Phylum: Chordata Subphylum: Vertebrata Infraphylum: Gnathostomata Superclass: Tetrapoda Class: Mammalia Subclass: Theria Infraclass: Eutheria Order: Carnivora Suborder: Caniformia Family: Canidae Genera & species:

Coyotes are scavengers that will eat almost anything. Their diet includes bugs, trash, deer, rodents and snakes. They are also very fast runners and can run up to 40 mph (64 km/h), according to National Geographic (opens in new tab).

Wolves, foxes and other dogs dont howl at the moon. They are actually howling at each other as a form of communication. Dogs also yelp, whine, bark and growl to communicate.

Domestic dogs are also very expressive in their facial expressions, particularly when they are getting attention from humans, according to a 2017 study published in the journal Scientific Reports (opens in new tab).

This created a messy, intertwined relationship between different dog types, with the details of a breed’s origin sometimes recorded only in oral history.

As for the future of the dog genome project, Ostrander says they are doing the same analysis between different breeds, using full genomes for comparison.

Researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute in the US analysed DNA from 161 breeds to create a dog-breed family tree. The tree groups breeds into categories according to their shared history. These groups, known as clades, reflect the fact that for much of their domestication history dogs were known only by the kind of service they offered humankind. The hunting dogs are a family including retrievers and setters, the herding dogs contain the shepherds and sheepdogs.

The results for the pug – originally from China – were surprising. Breeders have sprinkled a dash of pug genes into a wide variety of breeds throughout the world, presumably to make them smaller. How closely related is the Pug to other breeds? Showing a relatedness index between two breeds based on identical-by-descent haplotype sharing which measures identical sections of DNA inherited from a common ancestor View by breed View by group Relatedness index

It wasn’t until a landmark genetic study was published in 2017 that we gained a clearer picture of how all these breeds relate to each other.

The Science of DOGS

All dogs have descended from wolves or other wild canids and many still maintain their primitive looks and temperaments today.

Although it’s been centuries since dogs became domesticated, recent DNA studies have brought to light which of the recognized breeds are the most closely related to wolves and their ancestors. The study included 414 dogs from 85 different breeds and the results might surprise you! You can read more about the study at National Geographic.

Although this breed looks nothing similar to wolves and other wild canids, the Shih Tzu is genetically one of the domestic breeds most closely related to wolves. It is thought that this companion breed originated in China around 800 BC.

Like the Shih Tzu, this lapdog hails from China and despite its appearance and temperament, is one of the least diverged from its ancestors. This breed has been owned and adored by members of the Chinese Imperial Palace for centuries.

A northern spitz-type from Russia, the Samoyed looks more believable when it comes to wild ancestors. This breed is social but primitive, still used for sledding and reindeer herding in its native land.

The Lhasa Apso is known for being a watchdog among Buddhist monasteries in its native Tibet. Researchers believe this breed originated roughly 4,000 years ago and its genetic makeup proves this to be true. Regardless of their appearance, the breed is one of the most closely related to wolves.

As its name suggests, this breed originates from Tibet, but it is not a true terrier. Tibetan Terriers have been kept as purebred dogs in their native home for over 2,000 years.

The Saluki is a sighthound native to the Middle East and known for traveling the Silk Road with caravans and nomadic tribes. Salukis are thought to be one of the oldest dog breeds in existence, with ancient rock art showing Saluki-like dogs as far back as 10,000 BC. Genetically, the breed is still very closely related to its wild ancestors.

Like the Saluki, the Afghan Hound is a sighthound that is also considered to be one of the oldest domestic dog breeds in existence. Genetic testing from this study proved they have little divergence from wolves.

This northern breed hails from Siberia where it has been and is still used for sledding. Not only does the breed resemble its wild ancestors, it has changed relatively little genetically over time. Siberian Huskies allowed nomadic tribes to survive in the cold, harsh environment of the Russian north.

Like most other Chinese breeds, the Shar-Pei is genetically very ancient. Despite its appearance, its genes are very similar to those of wolves. Although the exact history of the breed is uncertain, there are pottery s depicting Shar-Pei-like dogs as far back as 206 BC.

The Basenji is a small- to medium-sized hunting dog from Africa. Like other wild dogs and wolves, the Basenji is known for its yodeling rather than barking. Genetically, the breed is considered ancient and is closely related to its wild ancestors.

The Shiba Inu is the smallest of the Japanese breeds and is also a very ancient dog. It was originally used to hunt rabbits and birds, but is most commonly seen as a family companion today. Its DNA makeup suggests it is one of the oldest living breeds.

Often considered a larger version of the Shiba Inu, the Akita is a guardian dog from Japan. Like the Shiba, it is genetically very ancient and similar to its wild ancestors. Although the Japanese and American Akitas have become two very different types, and are ever considered separate breeds in some countries, they are still relatively similar.

This large northern breed was developed for sledding and cart pulling and it is still used for this function today. With its wolf-like appearance, it doesn’t surprise many to learn that this Alaskan native is very closely related to its wild ancestors.

Of all Chinese breeds, the Chow Chow looks most closely like its wild ancestors. Although still very different, the breed is genetically ancient and considered to be one of the oldest breeds still in existence. They have primitive temperaments and were used as guard dogs as far back as 150 BC. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column]