Similarly, dogs can sniff out early signs of Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, several types of cancer, oncoming epileptic seizures, and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Still others lead the way tracking down poachers, patrolling cargo ships for rats that might escape at distant harbors, or exposing forest insect pests in shipments of wood from abroad. Some partner instead with customs officials searching for contraband, from drugs to elephant ivory. Other dogs assist police looking for jail escapees or the bodies of murder victims. Dogs trained to warn of hidden explosives and enemies serve as allies in military operations.

They assist search and rescue teams in the wake of natural disasters or reports of people lost in the outdoors. They can also help conservationists find and protect endangered species using their super-powered schnozzes. While people rely less on dogs for daily tasks than they did in the past, there are still many modern jobs for pooches.īecause the domestic dog’s sense of smell is between 10,000 and 100,000 better than our own, canines now assist law enforcement by sniffing out drugs, explosives, and even electronics.

Photographs by MARK THIESSEN, NAT GEO IMAGE COLLECTION Modern working dogs For instance, the labradoodle, which combines the traits of a Labrador retriever and a poodle, was invented as an attempt to create a hypoallergenic guide dog. Many more breeds were created to fill other human needs, such as home protection and vermin control.Ĭertain breeds have also been created to make dogs more desirable as companions. Similarly, humans bred German shepherds for their ability to herd livestock, Labrador retrievers to help collect ducks and other game felled by hunters, and sausage-shaped Dachshunds for their ability to rush down a burrow after a badger. These dogs would become the family of sled dogs-including breeds such as huskies and malamutes-that remains relatively unchanged today. For instance, around 9,500 years ago, ancient peoples began breeding dogs that were best able to survive and work in the cold. Today, many of the dogs you know and love are the product of selective breeding between individuals with desirable traits, either physical or behavioral. All of this is thought to have unfolded over thousands of years. Later still, those wolves may have been welcomed into the human home and eventually bred to encourage certain traits. Many generations later, humans might have encouraged wolves to stay near by actively feeding them.

Perhaps wolves started down this path simply by eating human scraps. While it’s impossible to say exactly how a wild wolf species became a domesticated dog, most scientists believe the process happened gradually as wolves became more comfortable with humans. When dogs broke off from their wild ancestors is also a matter of mystery, but genetics suggest that it occurred between 15,000 and 30,000 years ago. However, scientists are still working to understand exactly what species gave rise to dogs. In fact, DNA evidence suggests that the now-extinct wolf ancestor to modern dogs was Eurasian. Evolutionary originsĪll dogs descend from a species of wolf, but not the gray wolf ( Canis lupus), like many people assume. This makes the domestic dog the most popular pet on the planet. A third of all households worldwide have a dog, according to a 2016 consumer insights study.

This separates domestic dogs from wild canines, such as coyotes, foxes, and wolves.ĭomestic dogs are mostly kept as pets, though many breeds are capable of surviving on their own, whether it’s in a forest or on city streets. While these animals vary drastically in appearance, every dog-from the Chihuahua to the Great Dane-is a member of the same species, Canis familiaris. The term “domestic dog” refers to any of several hundred breeds of dog in the world today. Current Population Trend: Unknown What is a domestic dog?

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