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How Do We Know That Dogs Became Domestic?

By Susan MA.

Dogs are man’s best friends. For millions of years, dogs were used for many different purposes. They have been valued as companions, herd animals, hunting dogs, therapy dogs, and even companion animals. There are many different breeds of dogs and they are all a part of a long history that traces its origins back even further than you might think.

The dogs we know today are a very diverse group of animals. They are found in all parts of the world and each has their own unique place in which to live. From Africa to America to Europe, dogs have colonized all areas of this earth. The dogs were once known as wolves, but they were transformed into dogs when their ancestors became adapted to new environments and began to move from the cold forests of the last Ice Age to the warmer grasslands of the early middle ages.

One of the evidences of dogs being domesticated are the fossils they leave behind. These fossils are extremely important because they can help us to determine when dogs domesticed. Dog fossils can be found in Europe, Africa, Asia, and North America. The most common types of fossils found are teeth and skull, although some dogs left behind remains of bones, hair, nails, and DNA that could help us to date when dogs became domesticated.

Using fossils to date the dogs is not always accurate though. Because dogs are such a diverse and complex group of species, they tend to look similar. This means that while some dogs may look completely modern, other species may still look a lot like wolves. To accurately date a species, geneticists use a variety of techniques, including molecular biology and genetic sequencing. Molecular biology is a study of how DNA is passed on between living organisms, such as plants and animals, and using genetic sequences to look at similarities between fossils is called genetic analysis.

Geneticists can analyze the genetic makeup of both dogs and wolves to determine when dogs started to become domesticated. When can we date when dogs began to be domestic? Some of the best places to search for fossils are in Europe, Russia, the United States, China, sub-Saharan Africa, Australia, Latin America, and the Middle East. There is also a possibility that ancient dogs are found in parts of Asia and North America.

Different breeds of dogs have different genetic codes than do wolves. So, humans and dogs share many genetic similarities. However, the DNA samples from modern humans and dogs are very different and so are the dates that these samples can provide. However, a person could check with a local genetic lab to see if he could find the same genetic material from ancestors of dogs to humans. Such testing might not be available to everyone, but it is certainly worth investigating.

Filed Under: Dog and Puppy Care Tagged With: dog health, Dogs

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