The Origin of Dogs

Dogs were domesticated at about the same time all over the world, perhaps 20,000 years ago. The first ancestors of dogs, however may have split off from the parent wolf branch more than 100,000 years ago, just about the time modern humans emerged. Dogs and people grew up togeher, so to speak.

Many scientists think that all dogs were developed from one wolf-like species. Candidates for this "Mother of All Dogs" include the Arabian and Indian wolves, which are small subspecies of the Grey wolf found in southern Asia. According to the scenario, the Husky is genetically no closer to the wolf than is the Mexican Hairless. Other scientists believe that domestication occurred at numerous times and at several locations. In their view, different species or subspecies of wolves were involved. An older idea, that jackals or foxes may have been involved in producing the modern dog, is pretty much discredited today.

So why do Huskies look like wolves and Mexican Hairless don't ? Well, a couple of reasons have been suggested. One possiblity is that northern dogs, after their evolution into domesticated animals, may have been crossed more or less frequently with the Grey or Timber wolf found in northern Asia and North America. Cross-breeding with these northern wolves could account for the appearance of Siberians and other northern dog breeds, which certainly look like wolves and share several wolf-like characteristics, such as pack behaviour and howling.

Other people point to an environmentally driven reason for differences between Huskies and, say, Afghans. They maintain that the reason a Siberian Husky looks more like a wolf (Canis Lupus) than does an Afghan Hound may be simply that the Siberian was domesticated in an area similar to the northern wolf's native habitat. (Afghans were bred in the desert) The Husky's looks are an adaptation to a northern climate, just as the Grey wolf's are. But wolves and Huskies, despite surface similarities, are very different creatures.

For instance, closer study reveals that the Siberian's brain capacity, muzzle length, and bite-power are less than that of wolves. Certainly a Husky's temperament is that of the thoroughly domesticated dog. Plus, no wolf has blue eyes, a common characteristic in Siberians.

DNA testing has revealed that dogs should be regarded as a subspecies of wolves. Both belong to the same genus, Canis, but wolves are designated Canis Lupus, and dogs, all dogs, are now called Canis Lupus Familiaris - the familiar wolf.