First time dog ownership made easy

Author: Ye Junhua, Li Chuanwu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: How did dogs originate?
Regarding the origin of dogs, current views are not yet unified. The "single-origin theory" represented by the naturalist Buffon and the zoologist Scott holds that all dog breeds in the world today evolved from wolves. Meanwhile, some scientists, such as the famous biologist Darwin, believe that the domestication of dogs across the globe began almost simultaneously. In such a short period, it would be impossible for dogs to be domesticated from a single species in one place and then rapidly spread worldwide, leading to the emergence of the "multiple-origin theory." The multiple-origin theory suggests that dogs were domesticated from six different canine species: wolves, coyotes, jackals, black-backed jackals, side-striped jackals, and Australian dingoes. Some scholars also propose that dogs were domesticated from only four types of wolves: North American wolves, Chinese wolves, Indian wolves, and European wolves.
Archaeological findings show that the teeth fossils of canine animals from 35 million years ago are very similar to those of modern wolves, dogs, and foxes. In the Middle Ages, dog teeth fossils were similar to those of modern dogs, and their bodies were more like those of foxes, even more resembling modern wolves. These findings indicate that wolves are the ancestors of domestic dogs, or that wolves and dogs share a common ancestor. However, wolves remain in a wild state and retain aggressive tendencies, while dogs have been domesticated by humans. Despite many centuries of separation, dogs and wolves still retain some similar traits, such as wagging their tails to show friendliness, tucking their tails between their legs to express fear, howling to call distant companions, and having the same gestation period.
Some scholars have also confirmed that dogs originated from wolves through deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology. By comparing the DNA of dogs and wolves, their similarity reaches 99.8%, while the similarity between dogs and foxes is only 96%. Additionally, the existence of as many as 45 ancient wolf breeds also helps explain the diversity of dog breeds. Comparing the body sizes and anatomical structures of wolves and dogs reveals minimal differences. P2