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Kaitlin Stoeckmann

Professor Cassel

ENG 1201.501

10 April 2022

How Did Humans Domesticate Animals?

Humans have domesticated many animals, cats, dogs, horses, hamsters, rabbits,

mice, birds, and more. Research is constantly being done on the history and the beginning

of this domestication. When and why did dogs become man’s best friend? When did big cats

become small domestic tabbies? Humans have domesticated animals in different ways, for

different reasons. Most of these domestications were not intentional, but it became one of

humanity’s greatest and mysterious achievements.

The origin of domestication starts with farm animals, then gears towards when

humans were hunter-gatherers. The domestication of farm animals happened not long

after people began farming and living in settlements. Researchers and scientists are in

disagreement about when and where animals were first domesticated. This is because it

varies with every species and generation. We have to take into account the physiology,

morphology, and behavior of the entire species versus the domesticated. Carlos A. Driscoll,

a researcher from Oxford University, emphasizes that domestication does not have to equal

tame.

The domestication of modern dogs and cats are a lot different than that of farm

animals. Farm animals were domesticated for food items and agriculture, for utility. One

reason for dog domestication was for protection. The early hunter gatherers sought out the

less-fearful wolves and unintentionally domesticated them as guards (Driscoll). The wolves
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worked with the humans and eventually became more comfortable with the people around

them. These early hunter gatherers unintentionally selected these animals for decreased

aggressive behavior and increased sociability. These two qualities are needed in order for

an animal to be tamed.

As guards, these dogs would bark as a warning for the humans. Sensing danger or an

intruder, the dog would let the people know what was going on outside the home, camp, or

settlement (Hare). These new-dogs would also help with hunting. The groups who went out

hunting with their new dogs would be more successful than those who did not. These

hunters, even now in several cultures, used dogs to help them detect prey.

The humans let the tamer wolves eat the leftover food they had, and welcomed them

by the fire. This created a safer environment for the wolves, especially the wolf packs. This

is one of the reasons researchers believe is how humans domesticated dogs in very early

society.

The original domestication of cats was a result of natural selection, whereas dogs

were both natural and artificial. Cat domestication dates all the way back 10,000 years in

Egypt. These cats are seen in tomb paintings alongside humans. On farms, these cats would

exploit and interrupt human environments so the humans would tolerate them. Over time,

these cats parted from their wild relatives and became barn cats, and eventually into

domesticated house cats (Driscoll).

When humans and the gray wolf gained a partnership, both species changed. The

gray wolf changed its features and behavior. The wolf’s paws, skull, and teeth shrank, and

their ears flopped down. They became less frightening and less fearful, and became dogs

(Yong). Dogs were the first animals domesticated, well before kittens and cows.
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“Domestication has influenced the entire earth,” (Yong). Domestication has changed every

historical society and every continent, and is still continuing to grow. Domestication of

animals, dogs especially, modified the environment.

The domestication of dogs is not a question, but scientists are still arguing about the

time and the place of its existence. Some people say it happened 30,000 years ago, while

others argue it was only 10,000 years ago (Yong). Some researchers claim it first took place

in the Middle East, while others claim it was Europe or East Asia. Some researchers even

claim that the wolves mostly domesticate themselves, following the hunter gatherers and

eating their scraps and following where they took shelter.

Dogs have been domesticated for so long and cross-bred with themselves as well as

other wolves that their gene pool is a mixture of anything and everything. The scientists

who want to dig deeper into the genes have to go way back in history. Greger Larson, a

geneticist and an archaeologist, has been gathering fossils and taking DNA out of various

dog and wolf fossils. By doing this, the DNA can show how the ancient wolves and dogs

relate to the ones we have today (Yong). We do know that the original wolves who gave us

the first domesticated dogs are now extinct, showing us the age of these animals.

The domestication of horses was a totally different type of domestication humanity

saw. This historic event was crucial for travel, communication, daily work, and warfare. It

was revolutionary for human beings and society. It’s hard to place exactly where this took

place because the modern horse looks similar to the ancient wild horse, so it's difficult to

figure out through fossils and DNA where exactly the shift happened (Marshall). This new

life occurred near Russia around 2200 BC (Marshall).

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Some researchers believe that the wolves, now dogs, domesticated themselves. They

chose to eat the leftover scraps from the hunter gatherers, and they chose to share their

lives with humans and become man’s best friend. It became a partnership instead of a

master- servant relationship with these animals. Gray wolves and dogs came about from an

extinct species of wolves between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago (Handwerk). It makes

sense that the wolves would have approached the humans, and not the other way around.

The wolves were trying to survive, but to them, it was easier to survive with the help of

humans.

A different source questions why we didn’t choose to domesticate chimpanzees and

companions instead (Schleidt). Humans are more alike that animal than the gray wolf, so

why not? Humans and wolves do have things in common, such as the concept of

cooperation. Humans thrive in society and “packs”, similar to wolves. (Schleidt). This

source claims that instead of domesticating the wolves, the initial contacts were mutual

between both species. Both humans and these wolves have taken part in this co-evolution.

The impact the wolves had on humans as a species most likely exceeds the impact on them.

At the end of the ice age, man had tamed wolves, and by artificial selection came a

multitude of different dog breeds that we see in modern times (Schleidt). Or, as others

believe, the wolves took the initiative and cheated the humans into giving them food and

behaving as their hunting partners.

The behavior and repetition of the lives of wolves made it easy for them to be

domesticated. The question above still needs answered; why not chimpanzees? One of the

reasons is that they are individualists. They do not have a pack, they do not travel together

like wolves do. Wolves are also loyal, affectionate, and playful, which makes them man's
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best friend. Chimpanzees do not have any of these traits, so it would not make a good pet or

companion in the long run. The gray wolf was also great at adapting to its environment.

This makes communal life possible and able to move around with their human companions

(Schleidt). The wolf’s awareness is also a prime trait for its domestication. These animals

are able to tell who is who, where is where, and sense danger. This trait is compatible with

humans because this is how the hunter-gatherers acted as a pack.

Researchers have asked questions about how the domestication of dogs has shaped

their cognition, behavior, and sociability. Most studies and theories say that during

domestication, human beings selected dogs with certain social skills to be collaborative.

They did this so the selected breed would have an increase in their mindfulness to humans

(Lazzaroni). The modern dogs we have now are much more, psychologically, attaching to

humans more and more than the socialized wolves were thousands of years ago. “…

Although dogs and wolves are similarly successful when cooperating with a human in a

string-pulling task, wolves are more likely to initiate movement, but less likely to follow the

human partners’ initiative than dogs while dogs tend to wait for the human to take the

lead,” (Lazzaroni). This quote from the article explains that modern dogs see their owners

as the alpha, while the wolf-dogs did not.

The domestication of these dogs has reduced dogs’ fearful nature towards humans.

It made them the breed we know and love today. It also increased their submissiveness and

their sociability towards all animals. On a different spectrum, free ranging dogs have a

different cognition than pet dogs. Free ranging dogs are dogs that are not confined to a yard

or home. This can include stray dogs, village dogs, street dogs, and can be own or unowned.

Despite the free ranging dogs’ lack of social human experience, they still display important
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social skills. Free ranging dogs have been shown to be attracted to humans and even

understand humans’ social cues, whether friendly or threatening (Lazzaroni). These dogs

are thought to hold social and physical contact with humans at high value. This suggests

that the domestication has influenced dogs' attitudes towards humans and not on

particular cognitive abilities.

A pivotal part in human history was the development of domestication of animals,

instead of using them as prey or something to be avoided.

Figure 1. An estimated timeline of animal domestication. “DNA Evidence Is Rewriting Domestication Origin Stories.”
Science News, Science News, 2 Aug. 2018, www.sciencenews.org/article/dna-evidence-rewriting-domestication-
origin-stories

Domestication happened in all around the world at different times throughout human life.

Some animals, including dogs, were domesticated for something they do not do anymore.

Now, dogs are a household pet and seen as family members instead of aid for hunting as

they were previously domesticated for. Dogs were the first animals to have been

domesticated as pets as we know, but scientists and researchers are still looking into this

today. We still are not certain at what point humans stopped using animals for food and

started standing beside them in companionship (Hesman Saey). This is the million-dollar

question. It happened gradually, slowly, so it’s not an exact year.

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“… When it came to mammals, virtually all domesticated species shared a bundle of

characteristics that their wild ancestors lacked,” (Mikanowski). This is because the

domesticated species has changed over hundreds of years to be resourceful to humans in

multiple different ways. These characteristics are also physical as well as mental. Some of

these traits are floppy ears, smaller teeth, shortened faces and limbs, different fur/coat

color, and smaller physical brains. These features are due to the cross breeding between

the different animals and the different levels of domestication. This could also be due to a

different diet and a better condition of living due to the help and partnership of humans

(Mikanowski).

Melinda Zeder is an archaeologist who works at the Smithsonian Institute and has

demonstrated three ways to modern domestication. The first route to domestication

occurs when humans intently set out to boost a wanted trait in a certain species that

humans can benefit from. A second route to domestication occurs when humans take

animals they have previously hunted in the past and begin herding them in one of two

ways. Either by creating an environment that suits them or capturing and enclosing them.

This is what humans did with sheep, goats, and horses, which were used for meat before

the first human thought it would be a good idea to sit on their back and travel as well. The

third and final route to domestication according to Zeder was food sources. The animals

were drawn to humans because of their food sources. It was mostly their trash, but also

their crops and unwanted mice and pests that followed. This idea explores the hypothesis

that animals domesticated themselves without the help of humans.

There is some downside to certain species that have been domesticated, such as the

smaller brains as stated before. Pigs for example, have a brain about 35% smaller than
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their wild boar ancestors (Mikanowski). Modern dogs’ brains are 30% smaller than those

of wolves. Researchers say that it is uncertain if these smaller brains equate to decreased

intelligence.

The domestication of animals, dogs specifically, changed the way humans live their

day to day lives. “… The most profound changes aren’t to our genes, but to our morals,”

(Mikanowski). Keeping animals in the house and putting more and more trust into dogs

was an intimate time period for humans and their companions. Dogs were used as hunting

partners for so long, so bringing them into the house was a big leap of faith. Having and

providing for pets meant bringing animals into the family. It began a friendship and

partnership that humans had never seen before. It’s odd to think about that in our modern

world today. Most of us had grown up with pets, it’s such a normal, mundane thing now.

Humans first domesticated animals mostly by accident. Humans have bred dogs for

thousands of years. Recently, humans have bred dogs for aesthetic purposes instead of

survival purposes. Each species and each generation of different animals have their own

personality, and it’s always evolving. The evolution of domestication is still changing, even

if we cannot see it.

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Works Cited

Cathaleen Chen Staff. “Were Cats Domesticated Twice?” Christian Science Monitor, 27 Jan.

2016, p. N.PAG. EBSCOhost, https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=112513886&site=ehost-live

Driscoll, Carlos et al. "From Wild Animals To Domestic Pets, An Evolutionary View Of

Domestication". PNAS, 2022,

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0901586106.

Francis, Richard C. Domesticated: Evolution In A Man-Made World. W. W. Norton &

Company, 2015.

Hare, Brian, and Vanessa Woods. "We Didn’t Domesticate Dogs. They Domesticated Us.".

National Geographic, 2022,

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/130302-dog-domestic-

evolution-science-wolf-wolves-human.

Handwerk, Brian. "How Accurate Is the Theory Of Dog Domestication In 'Alpha'?".

Smithsonian Magazine, 2022,

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-wolves-really-became-

dogs-180970014/.

Hesman Saey, Tina. "DNA Evidence Is Rewriting Domestication Origin Stories". Science

News, 2017, https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dna-evidence-rewriting-

domestication-origin-stories.

Lazzaroni, Martina. "The Effect Of Domestication And Experience On The Social Interaction

Of Dogs And Wolves With A Human Companion". Www.Frontiersin.Org, 2020,

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00785/full.
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Marshall, Michael. “On the Origins of Horses.” New Scientist, vol. 252, no. 3358, Oct. 2021, p.

18. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0262-4079(21)01916-3.

Mikanowski, Jacob. "How Domestication Changes Species, Including the Human | Aeon

Essays". Aeon, 2016, https://aeon.co/essays/how-domestication-changes-species-

including-the-human.

Schleidt, Wolfgang, and Michael Shalter. "Co-Evolution Of Humans And Canids".

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https://nldogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/coevolution03.pdf.

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Multivariate Methods for Differentiating Domestic and Wild Canids in North

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196–206. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.2939.

Yong, Ed. "A New Origin Story For Dogs". The Atlantic, 2022,

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