Some new ideas about the domestication of dogs

We’ve all heard about the process of domestication. Animals (and plants) are adapted to meet human needs, such as for protection, work, food, or companionship. This often occurs when humans choose a wild animal and breed it to select specific characteristics. Over generations, the wild animal becomes “tame” and sometimes a new species arises.

The process of domestication is complex when talking about dogs. The common idea is that humans fed and raised wolves, gradually domesticating them for appealing behavior like protection, companionship, or assistance in hunting. For many animals, domestication could have happened when agriculture became common around 10,000 years ago. But dogs were domesticated thousands of years earlier when humans were hunter-gatherers (see Where did dogs come from?). 

A newer idea about the domestication of dogs may have more to do with the wolves’ behavior. The idea is that some wolves were naturally less afraid and more friendly to humans. These wolves may have had an advantage, like access to the humans’ food, which continued to deepen the relationship. This “self-domestication” process of becoming more friendly was described by biologists Richard Wrangham and Brian Hare. Self-domestication may have occurred in species like dogs, cats, bonobos, and even humans. Evidence for dogs has come from studies of fox domestication. When foxes were selected for friendly behavior over generations, there were also changes in physical appearance. The foxes developed floppy ears, spotted coats, and curly tails – typical characteristics of dogs!

The history of the relationship between dogs and humans is amazing. We will continue to learn more as research continues to uncover the details of dog domestication.

For more reading on this topic, check out:

Handwork B. 2018. How Accurate Is the Theory of Dog Domestication in ‘Alpha’? Smithsonian.

Dugakatin LA.  2018. The silver fox domestication experiment. Evolution: Education and Outreach.

Nuwer R. 2021. Dog Domestication May Have Begun because Paleo Humans Couldn’t Stomach the Original Paleo Diet. Scientific American.