Evolution of the Dog-HUMAN Bond
Over the centuries, the relationship between dogs and humans has evolved. In many human societies, dogs that were once working and sleeping in the fields, transitioned to the backyard, and now find themselves in homes as members of the family. These dog-human relationships are potentially mutually rewarding and beneficial. “The impacts of the bonds between people and dogs undoubtedly impacts contemporary views of dogs and our perceived obligations toward them. As dog-human relationships continue to evolve, views on what we owe dogs are changing accordingly.”
-C. Croney
dog [dawg, dog]
noun
A domesticated canid, Canis familiaris, bred in many varieties. Any carnivore of the dog family Canidae, having prominent canine teeth and, in the wild state, a long and slender muzzle, a deep-chested muscular body, a bushy tail, and large, erect ears. See also canid, the male of such an animal. Any of various animals resembling a dog.
Dogs have been our companions for thousands of years. Experts speculate that the wolf ancestors of modern-day dogs may have begun associating with human groups 16,000 years ago, before the beginning of agriculture. The innate human attraction to infant-like features such as a large head, round face, and large eyes may have played a role in our affiliation with dogs who often show neoteny or retained juvenile physical and behavioral characteristics into adulthood. Domestication likely impacted dog social and communication behaviors, cooperation, hunting, nutrition, reproduction, and longevity. The mechanisms for dog domestication are debated. However, the evolution of the species has resulted in a genetic propensity for success in human company.
Evolutionary history and domestication created biologically driven needs and behaviors still seen in dogs today and which must be met to achieve good welfare. Later, breed selection further influenced dog physical characters and behaviors, with current variations found across dog breeds, breed groups, and individuals. Dogs are motivated to seek food, water, and a safe place to rest. They need to exercise, explore, and engage with their environment. As a social species, they require positive interactions with their own kind, but have also adapted to expand their social circles to include humans. Dogs are sentient beings that experience feelings, engage in play, seek physical contact and attention, and show distress when isolated.
Human-directed play behavior shows differences across breeds and likely has a genetic component that has been important in the domestication process (Kolm et al., 2020).
Human contacting-seeking behavior has also shown to be correlated with gene regions in several dog breeds and also may have played a role in domestication (Persson et al., 2018).
Kolm, N., Temrin, H., Miklósi, Á., Kubinyi, E., and Garamszegi, L.Z., (2020). The link between selection for function and human-directed play behaviour in dogs. Biology Letters, 16(9), 20200366.
Persson, M.E., Sundman, A., Halldén, L., Trottier, A.J., and Jensen, P. (2018). Sociality genes are associated with human-directed social behaviour in golden and Labrador retriever dogs. PeerJ, 6, e5889. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5889
Because they experience feelings, engage in play, seek physical contact and attention, and show distress when isolated, dogs can be considered sentient beings (Proctor, 2012).
Proctor, H. (2012). Animal Sentience: Where We Are and Where We Are Headed. Animals, 2, 628-639.
Dogs release increased oxytocin during social contact with humans due to life experiences, not because of domestication (Wirobski et al., 2021).
Wirobski, G., Range, F., Schaebs, F.S., Palme, R., Deschner, T., and Marshall-Pescini, S. (2021). Life experiences rather than domestication accounts for dogs’ increased oxytocin release during social contact with humans. Scientific Reports, 11, 4423. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93922-1
Genetic influences have been identified in dogs for select behavioral responses, including herding, athletic success, morphology, predation, temperament, trainability, and cognition across breeds (Shan et al., 2021).
Shan, S., Xu, F., and Brenig, B. (2021). Genome-wide association studies reveal neurological genes for dog herding, predation, temperament, and trainability traits. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 8, 693290. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2021.693290
Most American families consider their dogs to be family members (Bir et al., 2016).
Bir, C., Croney, C., & Widmer, N.O. (2016). (rep.). Public Perceptions of Dog Welfare, Sourcing and Breeding Regulation (pp. 1–17). West Lafayette, IN: Center for Animal Welfare Science at Purdue University.
The deep bonds that we share with our dogs has further impacted our perceived obligations towards them. As these relationships continue to evolve, our responsibilities towards dogs will likely change, as well (Bir et al., 2016).
Bir, C., Croney, C., & Widmer, N.O. (2016). (rep.). Public Perceptions of Dog Welfare, Sourcing and Breeding Regulation (pp. 1–17). West Lafayette, IN: Center for Animal Welfare Science at Purdue University.
The pioneering work of ethologist (animal behavior) Konrad Lorenz, who proposed that the baby schema of big eyes and rounded features seen in infant animals, has a powerful effect on our response, similar to how we respond to human babies (Eibl-Eibesfeldt, 1989).
Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I. (1989). Human Ethology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Both humans, especially females, and dogs have a similar physiological response to human infants’ crying (Yong & Ruffman, 2014).
Yong, M. H., & Ruffman, T. (2014). Emotional contagion: dogs and humans show a similar physiological response to human infant crying. Behavioural processes, 108, 155–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2014.10.006
Nearly 40% of the variation in dog social skills, revealed as early as 8 weeks, is derived from genetic factors and include interest in human faces and responding to human gestures at first exposure (Bray et al., 2021).
Bray, E.E., Gnanadesikan, G.E., Horschler, D.J., Levy, K.M., Kennedy, B.S., Famula, T.R., and MacLean, E.L. (2021). Early-emerging and highly-heritable sensitivity to human communication in dogs. Current Biology, 31, 3132-3136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2021.04.055
Evolution of the Human-Dog Bond Learning Library
Resources focused for the welfare needs of dogs living in breeding kennels, large or small scale.