I'd like to continue my conversation from my previous post. How were dogs domesticated? How did this wonderful, glorious relationship between human and canine begin?
Let's start at the very beginning. Wolves. Wolves throughout history typically do not fare well with humans. They have been reviled, hunted and even today are made the bad guys in Disney movies. We do not have a very good relationship with the wolf. It would seem very unlikely that humans one day decided to gather up wolf puppies and breed them. We had no use for them, we were not friends.
Twelve to fifteen thousand years ago humans started to settle in one place. And along with those first settlements, came a great deal of garbage. We threw away our garbage and wolves started to use the food remains made available. Much easier than going out and hunting for food.
So this brings us to what type of temperament of wolves would hang around people. It would have to be a friendlier type personality. If aggressive wolves starting hanging around human settlements, it's unlikely that humans would allow it, right? Remember our relationship with the wolf...we were not friends. It would make sense that the wolves who hung around cleaning up after us; 1 - showed little to no fear and 2 - were friendlier in nature and temperament. Humans allowed the friendly wolf to hang around and thus they lived and reproduced a friendlier wolf...dog.
Having access to the 45 year study in Russia of the Dimetrie Belyaev foxes. We have concrete scientific evidence. The scientists selected kits who showed the least amount of fear and aggression toward humans. The outcomes of these matings showed a change in the fox's morphology. The friendly foxes exhibited floppy ears, curly tails and spotted coats to name a few of the visible changes. They became increasingly more friendly toward humans, enjoyed and even desired our touch and company.
Thus we can conclude that domestication is selection against aggression and a selection for interest in people and a willingness and desire to want to be with people!
Let's review:
~It's unlikely the first dogs evolved from wolves due to humans intentionally breeding them.
~ The friendliest wolves would have advantage scavenging from humans as we became more sendentary 12 - 15,000 years ago.
~More likely that frienldy wolves were allowed to live and thus reproduce.
~This selection for friendliness would change the behavior of these dog-like wolves but also their morphology and cognition would change like the Belyaev foxes.
In short, how were dogs domesticated? It was by "self domestication" that this most beautuful of relationships bloomed between human and canine. It is very evident that the first dogs CHOSE US! How exciting is that?!
And further study reveals, humans also started to realize the benefit of having a friendly wolf dog protect us, help us hunt and partner with us in our every day lives!
Survival of the fittest? No. Survival of the friendliest is a truer statement! Once again, I think we can learn a thing or two from our furry friends!
As always Happy Trails!
Survival of the fittest? No. Survival of the friendliest is a truer statement! Once again, I think we can learn a thing or two from our furry friends!
As always Happy Trails!
