Domestic Dog Origin

Domestic dogs inherited a complex social hierarchy and behaviors from their wolf ancestors.

Dogs are pack animals with a complex set of behaviors related to determining each dog's position in the social hierarchy, and they exhibit various postures and other means of nonverbal communication that reveal their states of mind.

These sophisticated forms of social cognition and communication may account for their trainability, playfulness, and ability to fit into human households and social situations, and these attributes have earned dogs a unique relationship with humans despite being potentially dangerous apex predators.

Although experts largely disagree over the details of dog domestication, it is agreed that human interaction played a significant role in shaping the subspecies. Shortly after domestication, dogs became ubiquitous in human populations, and spread throughout the world.

Emigrants from Siberia likely crossed the Bering Strait with dogs in their company, and some experts suggest that use of sled dogs may have been critical to the success of the waves that entered North America roughly 12,000 years ago. Dogs were an important part of life for the Athabascan population in North America, and were their only domesticated animal.

Dogs also carried much of the load in the migration of the Apache and Navajo tribes 1,400 years ago. Use of dogs as pack animals in these cultures often persisted after the introduction of the horse to North America.

The current consensus among biologists and archaeologists is that no one can be sure when dogs were domesticated. There is conclusive evidence that dogs genetically diverged from their wolf ancestors at least 15,000 years ago but some believe domestication to have occurred earlier.

It is not known whether humans domesticated the gray wolf as such to initiate dog's divergence from its ancestors, or whether dog's evolutionary path took a different course already prior to domestication. Lately the latter view has gained proponents such as biologists Raymond and Lorna Coppinger.

They theorize that some wolves started gathering around the campsites of the paleolithical man to scavenge his refuse. There, an evolutionary pressure developed that favored those who were less frightened by and keener in approaching humans.

The bulk of the scientific evidence for the evolution of the domestic dog stems from archaeological findings and mitochondrial DNA studies. The divergence date of roughly 15000 years ago is based in part on archaeological evidence that demonstrates that the domestication of dogs occurred more than 15,000 years ago, and some genetic evidence indicates that the domestication of dogs from their wolf ancestors began in the late Upper Paleolithic close to the Pleistocene/Holocene boundary, between 17,000 and 14,000 years ago. But there is a wide range of other, contradictory findings that make this issue controversial.

Pet Insurance For Dogs

Many people could not contemplate a life without their dog as they see them as more than a close family member but as a regular companion that they may not have ever experienced in another human being.


Taking your pet out for a walk or for a simple game with the Frisbee can ensure a healthy workout for you and in the most enjoyable manner possible; your pet gives you silent company on lonely evenings and is more than delighted to take a backseat when you are surrounded by your friends and family. It is understandable why many individuals prefer the company of their dog over that of another human being when they so rarely demand anything other than your love.

It is not very often that we are able to show our admiration the way your dog displays theirs for you but keeping them healthy is one way and a good dog insurance plan is a way we can give something back. Various dog pet insurance policies exist and how complete they are will depend on the supplier as some will incorporate routine visits to the veterinary to check you dogs health in addition to positions like accidents or even illness can also be covered. Even the healthiest of dogs can become sick and knowing you have pet insurance for dogs that will pay for medical attention means that the cost is never a concern.

Fortunately for us, our pets are now in safer hands than ever before and we have improved medical techniques to thank for this but these treatments are only available if you can afford them. It is even now possible for certain pets to have transplants and even the likes of hip replacements which not so long ago were not even thought about. Dogs too are prone to certain specific diseases like enlargement of heart, epilepsy, hip dysplasia which can be even be genetic.

Many diseases that dogs are prone to suffer from do not occur until they reach middle age and of course by then, the dog is a member of a immediate family and loved by everyone. So by providing a comprehensive dog health insurance for your dog you can offset any financial worries that medical treatment may cause and still give your pet the best health care. Dogs, no matter how well looked after do require regular checks for the many other problems they can be prone to: like mites, worms and vaccinations plus having their teeth cleaned for example.

All of this and more should be part of the regular check a dog has when they visits the vet and is incorporated into most policies. If you love your dog and want them around for as long as possible, this is the way to ensure it will happen. Other pet owners or local dog clubs, even your vet should be able to provide details of reputable insurance underwriters that will be able to help you arrange insurance for your dog.