The origin of the domestic dog is not clear. Whole genome sequencing indicates that the dog, the grey wolf and the extinct Taymyr wolf diverged at around the same time 27,000–40,000 years ago. These dates imply that the earliest dogs arose in the time of human hunter-gatherers and not agriculturists. Modern dogs are more closely related to ancient wolf fossils that have been found in Europe than they are to modern grey wolves. (Wikipedia)
Dog domestication was earlier assumed at 8,000 years ago, now at 33,000+ years ago. Canine skulls discovered in the Goyet Cave in Belgium and the Altai mountains in Siberia date back 36,000 years and 33,000 years respectively. The timing of domestication “is hotly contested, though dogs were well-established in human societies by about 10,000 years ago. Dogs and humans were buried together in Germany about 14,000 years ago, a strong hint of domestication, but genetic studies have pinpointed the origin of dog domestication in both China and the Middle East”. (LiveScience)
However, domestication is not a correct word to describe the dog-human relationship. It is very different from any other type of domestication (e.g., birds, cats, goats, horse, rabbit, sheep). In fact, scientists now agree that it’s truly unique after a 2015 study found first evidence of inter-species hormone exchange, being oxytocin. “That’s the first time the mechanism was observed between species. This hormone is one of the most important evolutionary bonding mechanisms known to man. Without it, affection, trust and altruism, as we know them, would never have been possible.” (RT)
Actually, this oxytocin hormone also explains why humans love dogs and why dogs love humans.
A 1996 study “shows just how domesticated our pet dogs have become and how their orientation seems to have shifted more towards humans than to other dogs”. (PsychologyToday) In other words: this study revealed that dogs love humans more than they love other dogs.
More recent brain scan studies on dogs even go a step further: “Not only do dogs seem to love us back, they actually see us as their family. It turns out that dogs rely on humans more than they do their own kind for affection, protection and everything in between.” (ScienceMic)
Unlike dogs, wolves usually avoid gazing into human eyes as direct gazing has a hostile meaning to them. “A [..] fixed (aggressive) stare directly into their eyes [..] is a blatant challenge of that canine’s rank and social status. If performed toward a dominant wolf, a reciprocal challenge and fight is likely to ensue. High ranking wolves use this technique to assert their rank over submissive pack members or as a challenge to another trespassing wolf pack”. (Wolf Center)
The German scholar Eberhard Trumler [..] pointed out that wolves, phylogenetically older than us and superbly equipped for hunting, had no need of human help. Men, on the other hand, derive from plant-eating ancestors and are not nearly as well equipped for hunting as are wolves. In order to eat, wolves scarcely need us at all, but we could benefit from the help of wolves. (NYT)
To me it seems entirely possible that the dog, unlike its wolf “nephew”, somehow did see added value in establishing human contact as the dog is no match to a wolf when it comes to competition. The added value to human hunter-gatherers is also very clear as the dog outperforms humans in senses like smelling (1,000 – 10 million times) and hearing (4x).
The 33,000+ year old dog-human partnership – and relationship – is truly unique in many ways.
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