How Dogs Became Our Best Friends: The History of Domestication

Dogs were the first domesticated animal, diverging from wolves 15,000-40,000 years ago. The leading theory is that friendlier wolves approached human camps for scraps, gradually evolving into dogs through natural selection for tameness. A Russian fox experiment demonstrated that selecting for tameness alone produces dog-like traits (floppy ears, curled tails, patchy coats) in just 10 generations.

Ancient dogs served as hunters, guardians, and companions. Different breeds were developed for specific tasks: herding, retrieving, guarding, and companionship. Today, dogs can read human emotions better than any other animal, including chimpanzees..