Introduction
Dogs have always been thought to have been descended from wolves. Our research has confirmed this. Scientists have found DNA strands that modern dogs have in common with grey wolves. Though where they were first domesticated is a lot harder to find. Fossils have been discovered all over the world that point to each place as the place where dogs were first domesticated. Fossils were found in Goyet Cave in Belgium that date back to 37,000 years ago. There are many sources that say that dogs may not have been the first animal that prehistoric man attempted to domesticate, but the Grey wolf was the most adaptable to man’s companionship, and therefore was the most effective. Dogs were used for many things by prehistoric man. Early man may have hunted wolves for food, but may have found that they could be of more use as an ally. Hunters used them not only to attack and take down food. A dog could also be used a distraction against a hunted animal allowing man to sneak up and deliver the killing blow. The most important advancement in the domestication of dogs was man’s training them to track down prey. Prehistoric man may have taken advantage of the dog/wolf’s advanced senses and trained them to track wounded animals. Thus allowing man to track larger animals and wear them down over time, and allowing man to more actively track food then previously possible. A dog could go and find prey while man had to rely on luck more then anything. In areas where horses and other work animals were less prevalent or not fully domesticated yet early wolves/dogs were used as pack and work animals. Farmers used them to pull plows through their fields thus freeing up man to do other things. This increased food production and that gave man more time to invent and do other things. In the cold northern regions wolf/dogs have been used to drag sleds through the snow and ice for thousands and thousands years. In areas where the wheel had been developed dog/wolves were used to pull carts and carry goods from place to place. This helped trade advance because man did not have to transport everything himself. The ancient culture closest to using dogs the way they are used today was the Egyptians. They used dogs for protection in the home from everything from wild animals to robbers and unwanted visitors. It is believed that this eventually lead to a more companionship orientated relationship between dog and man. Man and dog have been connected for untold millennia. And the story of the domestication of dogs and the advancement of man will always continue to be intertwined.