Introduction
Dogs have been companions to humans for ages. Debate exists over the exact origin of domesticated dogs, but research suggests that it could have happened between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago. Another analysis reveals that dog domestication can be traced back 11,000 years, to the end of the last Ice Age. Which confirms that dogs were domesticated before any other known species. Isn't that mind blowing! The dog, Canis familiaris, is a direct descendent of the gray wolf, Canis lupus: In other words, dogs as we know them are domesticated wolves. Wolves and humans were early competitors that both hunted in packs for large prey, shared ecological niches, and could kill each other. Man may have domesticated incipient dogs by providing them with leftover lean meat during the long Ice Age winters.This might have led to there domestication and long companionship alongside humans.
