TheWorldofDogs-Training.docVIP

The World of Dogs Introduction The History of Dogs Although the exact origin of the domestic dog (Canis familiaris) is unknown, it is clear that the dog existed in proximity with humans as far back as the Stone Age. In fact, it is the dog’s close association with man throughout the world that distinguishes it from all other animal species. It is impossible to pinpoint the actual beginning of the man-dog relationship, but it generally is agreed that the dog was probably the first animal to be domesticated and that this domestication probably took place somewhere in the Middle East or southwestern Asia. The interesting fact remains, however, that the single earliest domestic dog known (10,500 years old) was found at the Jaguar Cave site in Birch Creek Valley, Idaho. For additional information, see “The Pre-History” on page 1. The Wolf Theory Although at one time it was believed that jackals and wolves both figured in the ancestry of modern dogs, today the wolf is assumed to be the lone ancestor of our modern friends. While wolves and dogs can interbreed, they are distinct species. Dogs differ physiologically from the wolves in that they possess shorter muzzles, crowded premolars, and smaller brains. See also “When the sites of ancient human remains are excavated...” on page 1. Although a small species of wolf from the southern hemisphere is believed to be the ancestor of most mainstream domestic dogs, Roger Caras believes that a larger species of wolf from the northern latitudes was probably the direct ancestor of the spitz dog. The Pre-History It is theorized that during the Eocene epoch (50 million years ago), Miacis, the ancient ancestor of weasels, cats, bears, and dogs, roamed the earth. By the time the Oligocene epoch (35 million years ago) came about, Miacis had given rise to the more specialized Daphnaenus, the ancestor of bears, and Cynodictis, the ancestor of canines. Cynodictis saw the rise of Cynodesmus, which evolved into Tomarctus during the Miocene epo