More than 300 different dog breeds are officially recognized worldwide, from small Chihuahuas that fit in a carry-on bag to Great Danes that nearly reach 90 centimeters in height.
The history of the coexistence of our species with these canids is long, with archaeological records of dogs buried beside humans dating back 14,000 years. They are considered “man’s best friend,” appearing in artworks spanning thousands of years, and in the mythologies, religions, and folklore of almost all human cultures.
Some even speak of a co-evolution, in which dogs helped human societies develop and humans, in turn, shaped their forms, favoring certain traits for specific purposes: hunting, guarding, transportation, companionship. It is a history of reciprocal influence, which, in some ways, has been eroding over time, but which nonetheless persists today.
A new book, due to be released at the end of August, will reveal the mysteries of this millennial relationship, and the most important of our species with a non-human. Titled “First Dogs: Hunter-Gatherers and their Canine Companions from Prehistory to the Present” (“Primeiros cães: caçadores-recoletores e os seus companheiros caninos da Pré-História ao Presente”, numa tradução livre para português), it is authored by archaeologist Peter Mitchell.
The work explores how dog domestication was a “complex process” in which both humans and wolves (the ancestor of the domestic dog) participated, at least initially, as “equal partners.” And it also shows the “absolutely central” role that hunter-gatherer societies played in this process, long before humans learned to control plants or other animals.
This coexistence and interdependence led to the emergence of dogs with specialized traits that match the needs and environments of the human societies with which these canids lived.
Mitchell says that the links between dogs and people who depended on wild plants and animals as resources “are ancient, diverse and deep.”
Thus, from the icy Arctic tundra to the humid forests of the tropics, dogs underwent “notable” transformations that reflect the diversity of human cultures and the environments in which they live, from stout, thick-coated sled dogs in the north to slender canids adapted to the heat of equatorial regions.
The morphological diversity of dogs was also influenced by cultural preferences. The archaeologist shows that, for example, on the northwest coast of North America, some indigenous groups bred small woolly-coated dogs whose fur was used to make ceremonial cloaks, which, for Mitchell, reveals a “unique example” of dogs serving another function than hunting or transport.
In the field of genetics, the author explains that many ancient lineages of dogs no longer exist today, having been replaced by European breeds that spread around the world during the colonial era. However, traces of these original ancestral lineages can still be found in some regions, allowing glimpses of remnants of the history of the deep co-evolution between humans and dogs.
Dogs did not simply follow humans as our species spread across the Earth: they lived with us, developing specialized traits that made them indispensable partners in a multitude of ecological and cultural contexts.
“The process by which gray wolves became dogs is ongoing, not marked by a single decisive event. It was probably a long and gradual process,” explains Mitchell.
“The relationship thus built has been a joint effort, though it is a relationship in which, especially in the West and over the last centuries, humans have been exerting increasing control over shaping its form and direction,” he concludes.
