A HISTORY OF THE DOMESTICATION OF DOGS
Emeritus Professor Sebastian van As, Department of Paediatric Surgery, University of Cape Town
Monday 18–Wednesday 20 January < 3.00 pm < COURSE FEES R345; Staff and students R173
The domestication of the dog represents a pivotal moment in human history, marking our first and most profound partnership with another animal. This transformative process began deep in the Palaeolithic, long before the advent of agriculture, as nomadic hunter-gatherers and wild wolves found themselves sharing territory and resources. The prevailing theory suggests a pathway of ‘self-domestication’, where less fearful wolves were drawn to the food scraps around human camps, gradually forging a mutually beneficial relationship.
Over millennia, this association deepened from tolerance to partnership. These proto-dogs offered keen senses for hunting and alarm, while humans provided a reliable food source. As generations passed, this natural selection for tameability led to physical and behavioural changes. From this ancient alliance, a remarkable diversity of breeds would eventually emerge, but the foundational bond was already forged – a partnership that would profoundly shape the success of human societies and create a unique interspecies connection that endures to this day.
Lecture titles
1. The prehistoric phase: wolves as shadowy camp followers
2. Early domestication: from wolf to dog
3. Diversification: from single type to a myriad of breeds
Recommended reading
Charles River Editors. 2020. The Domestication of Dogs: The History of Dogs’ Genetic Divergence from Wolves and the Origins of Their Relationship with Humans. ISBN: 979-8645367978
Geiger, M, Evin, A, Sánchez-Villagra, MR, Gascho, D, Mainini, C and Zollikofer, CP. 2017. Neomorphosis and Heterochrony of Skull Shape in Dog Domestication. Scientific Reports, 7(1), p. 13443.
Perri, A. 2016. A Wolf in Dog’s Clothing: Initial Dog Domestication and Pleistocene Wolf Variation. Journal of Archaeological Science, 68, pp. 1–4.
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