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The origin of the domestic dog
The origins of the domestic dog are and always will be shrouded in various theories and controversies, however looking at the various studies this is, in our opinion, one of the most realistic theories.
The dog was described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Canis familiaris, and considered as a distinct species from the wolf, also described by Linnaeus in the same year as Canis lupus.
Around 15,000 years ago, between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, the dog was the first animal to be domesticated by Man, presumably in the Middle East, spreading “quickly” across Europe and later the rest of the world. It is thought that 20% of the races/types existing today begin to appear between 10 and 8 thousand years ago.
Prehistoric Man, seeing the capabilities that the wolf naturally possessed, quickly began to try to use it for his own benefit, so he began to try to create less aggressive and more “friendly” wolves, how? Theoretically, some wolf pups were captured and taken to the camps/villages in an attempt to be used. Over the years, the animals that, when reaching the adult stage, were ferocious, not accepting human presence, were discarded, crossing only the most “friendly”. In this way, over time, there was a selection of animals that were docile, tolerant and obedient to humans. This work over several generations eventually led to the creation of domestic dogs.
Modern man probably would not have been able to survive all the difficulties and dangers without the help of the first dogs, they quickly began to work together not only at the level of hunting but also to guard villages against dangers. Already the first hunting and guard dogs helped the tribes in exchange for food and shelter.
Making a brief historical, cultural and geographical summary, we can, through various factors such as art, or ancient writings, begin to outline the evolution of the dog, taken during human migrations and appearing in all ancient cultures such as Romans, Egyptians , Assyrian, Gallic and pre-Columbian, always side by side with the history of human beings.
In Ancient Egypt, dogs were revered as knowledgeable of the secrets of the other world, as well as used in hunting and worshiped in the form of the God Anubis. Mainly used were various types of cattle dogs, large hounds of haughty bearing and extremely alert that so impressed Julius Caesar in the year 54 BC
On the European continent, more precisely in Ancient Greece, dogs were related to the gods of healing, with temples that housed dozens of dogs so that the sick could have their wounds licked.
Around the same time, the Greek and Roman empires used large molossers (large mastiff-like dogs, etc.) for attacks, fighting alongside soldiers. Alexander the Great (3rd century BC) used dogs in his battles, having lost his favorite molosser Périlles in one of them, an event important enough to be recorded in his diaries/reports.
With the end of the Roman Empire, the world entered the Middle Ages, with dogs already spread across the European continent, taken by Phoenician merchants from the Middle East to the entire Mediterranean region and entered Europe by the Romans.
In the Middle Ages, dogs continued to be trained for battle, even wearing thick armor.
However, it was at that time that dogs began to lose the relative prestige they held, as diseases such as the Black Death ravaged Europe and it was common to see dogs eating corpses, people began to associate dogs with negative animals and with the With the help of the Catholic Church, at the time the most influential institution, they began to relate them to death and consider them creatures of darkness. This relationship, encouraged by the Inquisition, resulted in the indiscriminate killing of wolves and dogs.
Despite everything, at the end of these dark years the dog had already begun to recover its reputation as a companion and faithful friend of man.
During the Renaissance, dogs were used for sport hunting and were carefully bred in the kennels of each castle. They were a sign of wealth and prestige and several castles began to select specific types of dogs for hunting specific animals and creating breeds that they baptized most often with the name of the family, themselves or their properties / areas. These new races were considered treasures not found anywhere else in the world, and therefore, given as a gift among the nobility, which greatly helped the dispersion of the various races around the world.
Despite everything, at the end of these dark years the dog had already begun to recover its reputation as a companion and faithful friend of man.
During the Renaissance, dogs were used for sport hunting and were carefully bred in the kennels of each castle. They were a sign of wealth and prestige and several castles began to select specific types of dogs for hunting specific animals and creating breeds that they baptized most often with the name of the family, themselves or their properties / areas. These new races were considered treasures not found anywhere else in the world, and therefore, given as a gift among the nobility, which greatly helped the dispersion of the various races around the world.
At this time, the first companion dogs of the great ladies began to appear, thanks to the appreciation of these great families for their dogs and the entry of these into castles next to the fireplaces of the nobles. William of Orange of the Netherlands even declared that his dog saved him from an attack. And Louis XV of France owned 614 hounds.
Our kings were also lovers of hunting. Let us remember, for example, King D. Carlos, a true lover of this activity.
During the period of the discoveries, and the arrival of the white man to the “New World”, the breeds/types of dogs that already existed in the American continent greatly diversified.
Also during the conquest of this continent, the presence of the dog had its importance and usefulness. In the wars against the Indians, dogs were used to find and kill the natives. There is even a legend that, in the current Dominican Republic, thousands of indigenous people were exterminated by a troop of only 150 infantrymen, thirty horsemen and twenty dogs.
The great world wars extinguished several dog breeds in the most affected areas and gave emphasis to the breeds most used by the military, such as the German shepherd, Belgian, Doberman, etc. The German armies used more than 30,000 messenger dogs and the use of bomb dogs was also widely used, the bombs were tied to the dogs and these were sent into the midst of enemy troops, the French also used, for example, Pyrenean dogs as ammunition carrying dogs. In Japan, the emperor even decreed that all non-German Shepherd dogs were killed to make military uniforms with their skin and hair.
In terms of training/training, the Germans were at this time one of the great founders of canine technology as we know it today.
Already in sec. XX the dog is mainly used as a companion animal, however we find our best friend in all kinds of professions, from guide dogs, various types of assistance dogs, guard dogs, hunting dogs, to fire detection dogs criminal. Whether we like it or not, human beings would not be what they are today without our best friend and our mutual relationship over the years.
