Does The Dog Really Come From The Wolf?

For many it is an indisputable fact: the dog comes from the wolf. However, within scientific communities, this is not a unanimous statement.

One thing is clear: the dog and the wolf share many similarities. The similarities in the DNA of both species have even been assessed at 99%.

Some specialists even assure that they are not two different classes of mammals, as they are traditionally classified. They maintain that wolves and dogs are two sub species of the same animal.

The assertion that the dog is nothing more than the domestic “version” of the wild wolf is also common.

 The dog comes from the wolf (or not)

The neuralgic point in the debates about whether the dog comes from the wolf, revolve around domestication.

It is certain that the dog is, in short, the oldest domestic animal in the world. The first vestiges of this process are in fossils between 31,000 and 38,000 years old.

It is not entirely clear whether man ultimately domesticated the dog. Some theories state that these canids domesticated themselves, as a survival measure.

Possibly the discovery by the human being of qualities that could be useful in dogs, made possible the process of interaction between the two species.

A mutual benefit between man and dog

It was an exchange . As long as the dogs got a safe, constant, and risk-free source of food, the man found a helper. And, in addition, a versatile and tireless assistant, capable of working in a team, following instructions and quick learning.

The belief that the cooperative qualities of dogs, their disposition for work and their simple learning curve, are a very consequence of domestication, is not entirely accepted. Some argue that these characteristics were already present in wolves, before they began to interact with humans.

The wolf is not the only canid responsible for the training of dogs

A sector of biologists and paleontologists affirms that the origin of dogs, as a specific species, is not only in the gray wolf. Nor only in other subspecies of these quadrupeds.

They assure that the process that ended with the formation of domestic dogs, as we know them today, also participated others such as the coyote and the jackal.

This would explain the wide variety of sub species of dogs. There is a record of at least 400 different breeds of domestic dogs, which makes it the most diverse mammal.

However, this theory has faced some objections, so far insurmountable. The first one is that in China there is no record of the existence of these animals. The Asian giant is one of the three geographical points where the original birth of the species is located.

Similarities in the DNA of canid species are also discussed. While between dog and wolf it is 99%, between dog with coyote and jackal it is 96%.

Similarities and differences: does the dog come from the wolf?

To support the diversity of subspecies of domestic dogs, as well as to explain the notable physical differences, other theories do not qualify only the gray wolf as the original “father” of all dogs. They claim that other subspecies, such as the Arctic, American, Eurasian, Himalayan, and Indian wolves, among others, have a high participation rate.

The diversity of sizes and coats was conditioned by the climatological characteristics of the places where they were developed. It is a scientific fact: the largest species live in colder areas.

In terms of personality, the wolves continued to live in packs, being distrustful of their environment and pragmatic in their performance. The dogs relaxed their social norms and became “eternal puppies”: even in their adult lives, they prefer to play ball rather than hunt.

Voices against the idea that the dog comes from the wolf

There are much more contentious theories surrounding this discussion. There are postulates in which it is completely questioned that the dog comes from the wolf. It is affirmed that since always, they were two different species.

The scientists who defend these postulates assure that the similarities between modern wolves and domestic dogs are due to the fact that they share a common origin. Also that during the domestication process, they would end up crossing.