When we tell the story how humans came to domesticate dogs, and adopt them as our loyal friends, we rarely capture granular steps in the transitional process our ancestors experienced, and the perspectives they may have held in response to wolves becoming more ingrained to their culture and lives. These stories are often overlooked or simplified, and as a result most people tend to think that one day humans just began feeding wolves and it was love at first sight. I wanted to try to capture this, and appreciate the process of domestication in realistic terms. I hope you’ll gain a new appreciation for this process as well as I have.
But first, let’s start with the basics. The earliest date for the domestication of dogs is typically dated to around 20k to 30k years ago, some estimates reaching as far back as 70k years. The earliest “confirmed” dog dates to roughly 15k years, while “Paleolithic Dogs” have been dated up to 40k years. These remains are mostly found from Central Europe into Siberia. Genetic evidence shows these early dogs descended from Grey Wolves. This isn’t to say that this date range was the first time wolves were engaged with by humans, as some wolf remains (some with dog-like features) have been found associated with human remains as early as 400k years ago! Of course this may be a result of coincidence, or just a human ritual involving wolves, but it may suggest that various tribes may have started the domestication process independent of one another much further in our history, each time fizzling out before domestication fully took hold. Or perhaps humans as a whole maintained a type of “situationship” with wolves for much of our history, with small communities routinely engaging with wolves in various ways throughout our history.
Wolves as Competitors – The initial relationship between humans and wolves, was adversarial. Wolves acted as direct competitors to humans, with significant overlap in prey items. Like modern humans, many of our ancestors would have killed wolves to reduce their competition. Many people groups hunted them outright, for meat and furs. Their religions would have incorporated wolves as bold hunters to be respected, or as monsters to be eradicated. Some of the earliest stories we told our children were to not wander into the forest, lest they be devoured by the beasts which roam at night (a story still common up to just a century or two ago). These religious and oral traditions would have been in constant flux over our history from the time we first stepped into North Africa and the Levant, changing and growing over time. Fascinating to think even earlier human ancestors had these relationships with wolves, holding their own primitive stories and beliefs.
Wolves as Scavengers – At some point, likely off and on for dozens of thousands of years, packs of wolves would make a habit of following nomadic groups of humans. As these nomads moved locations, they would leave behind animal remains which these wolves would gladly clean up. Our Ancestors would have noticed this as they tailed closer and closer, some keeping them away by force and some tolerating their presence. Living their lives while these animals watched from afar. Mothers might tell their children the dangers of feeding them, “Give a wolf a bite of food, and they’ll bite your hand off!” If a bear or foreign tribe impeded on their space, the wolves would become restless, alerting the humans to the presence of a threat.
These tribes would begin to view the wolves as guardians, protectors of their people. They would begin actively leaving behind scraps, “offering to their ancestors, reincarnated as the watchful wolves.” After many generations, or perhaps just a few, they would begin giving food to their wolves, keeping them well fed to ensure their favor. Any wolves who happened to be too eager for food, too quick to cross the line, or snatch a child, would have been killed, selecting for the best tempered wolves. Likewise, wolf-friendly humans would have better odds of survival, ever so slightly, outcompeting the people groups who were completely wolf-hating. This would result in both a slight genetic selection, affinities to tolerating and even liking wolves, and cultural changes that reinforced the presence of the animals. Some suspect this may be an origin for why humans find animals (especially baby animals) so adorable, a genetic selection for survival, giving us an affinity to engage with animals for survival. This is of course highly debated, but I am a fan of this theory.
Wolves as Partners – Gradually wolves made the transition to Proto-Dogs, slowly crossing the line between wild animal, to first domesticated animal. This likely happened many-many times, humans and early dogs forming spontaneous bonds, dogs saving the lives of a human from attack, people adopting abandoned puppies, so many circumstances bringing these highly social species together. Like in many modern communities, these Proto-Dogs were communal” pets living among the tribe. Some humans viewed them as annoyances, some as family, and everything in between. Likewise, some Proto-Dogs would be more feral, wolf-like and unfriendly. Some would be more human-oriented. Our Ancestors would obviously select for the friendlier ones, feeding and protecting them more, inadvertently domesticating the species. As we do today, violent individuals would be killed, and brave individuals would be revered. They would accompany women as they gathered resources, followed men as they tracked and hunted. Lay by their side during community gatherings. Fight by their side when rival tribes attacked. Since then dogs have been breed to track scents, shepherd livestock, burrow after vermin, swim after waterfowl, bring down bears, produce wool, pull carts, fight in pits, perform tricks, reflect social status, rescue humans, lead the blind, accompany the vulnerable, and much more.
Today, dogs play major roles in human culture. Many cultures consider dogs members of family, providing legal rights. Dogs play crucial roles in many people’s lives, often filling roles as close friends. My dog Ramen, who I’ve had approaching 17 years now, has been a reliable source of companionship for me from highschool, college, and discovering my career. He has always been here for me, and in his old age my sense of obligation and love for him only grows. I know many of you feel the same way, and in this way we share in the history of our ancestors, and their journey with our best friends.
