Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Literature review about the history of dogs
The similarities and differences between human and non-human primates
Differences between animals and humans
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Literature review about the history of dogs
The dog is a unique beast. Loyal and affectionate, if somewhat bizarrely built, today’s dogs are a far cry from the wild wolves from which they emerged. Whether fluffy, naked, cock-eyed, or bow-legged, each dog is an ample prototype of its kind. The very idea that such a cooperative creature could spring forth from such a ruthless predator is astounding by itself. The fact that the multitude of breeds (340, according to the World Canine Organization (Melina, 2014)) could starburst forth from a single point begs investigation. How, indeed, did it come to be that there are so many different breeds of dog?
Upon approaching the subject in question, one must first ask, “What are dogs?” Evolutionarily speaking, the modern domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is the descendent of an ancestor held in common with the grey wolf (Canis lupus) (Melina, 2014). As their Latin nomenclature suggests, dogs are only a subspecies of wolf. Therefore, no great genetic misalignments exist to prevent successful reproduction between breeds (hence why mutts are possible). This is conversely untrue of wolves--distinct only in species--as well as any members of any two separate geni, families, orders, classes, phylums, or kingdoms. Breeds--merely typecast mutations from the original--alone enjoy this special privilege.
Yet unexplained, however, are the stark physical and behavioral differences between dogs and their ancestor. If dogs are such a slight variation on the grey wolf, then why do they look so diversely alien to it when compared with wolves of entirely different species? One reasonable explanation for this dissonance that springs to mind is that dogs must still be more dissimilar to each other in genes that express physicality and demeanor than ...
... middle of paper ...
...=0&no&content=true&page=3&css=print
Trut, L. (Photographer). (2014). Piebald coat color [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://www.americanscientist.org/issues/issue.aspx?id=813&y=0&no&content=true&page=3&css=print
Trut, L. (Photographer). (2014). Foxes in the domesticated population [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://www.americanscientist.org/issues/issue.aspx?id=813&y=0&no&content=true&page=3&css=print
Wayne, R. (Producer). (2014). The domestic dog: Man's best friend in the genomic era [Web Graphic]. Retrieved from http://www.k9dna.org/learn-about-dog-genetics/genetics-dog-diversity/canine-population-genetics
Wayne, R. K. Linkage Disequilibrium and Demographic History of Wild and Domestic Canids.Genetics, 1493-1505. Retrieved May 14, 2014, from http://www.k9dna.org/references/journal-article/linkage-disequilibrium-and-demographic-history-wild-and-domestic-canids
First Friend: A History of Dogs and Humans, by Katherine Rogers, articulates the history of the relationship between dogs and humans. Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals, by Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce, investigates if and how dogs exhibit morality. In both texts, anecdotes and observations are used to portray instances of dogs displaying cooperation, empathy, altruism, and, by extension, morality. Consequently, it stands to reason that dogs have a capacity for sociality, but how can the sociality of dogs be described? A dog’s capacity for sociality is the ability to form long term relationships with members of the same or other species. Dogs, in particular, dogs who hunt as well as dogs who play, are able to form long term relationships with humans and other dogs through trust, love,
Every year an estimated 4.5 million dog bites occur in the U.S. BSL (Breed Specific Legislation) is a law that suggests that certain breeds are more prone to aggression than others. By banning or restricting the breeds in question, it is believed to help reduce the number of attacks. BSL determines which breeds are dangerous using statistics. These statistics cannot be relied on for two reasons. One, there is no concrete method to determine a dog’s pedigree. Thus, a victim, animal control officer, or owner is trusted with identifying the dog through appearance. According to Scott and Fuller, authors of Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog, “It has been known for decades that the cross-bred offspring of purebred dogs of different breeds often bear little or no resemblance to either their sires or dams (1965).” Visual assessments are questionable. Two, population is not accounted for. Population is important, in that it provides context to percentages. Because a dog’s breed is impossible to pinpoint, we cannot provide numbers. BSL’s cause is rendered useless when we consider these points.
Take a moment and picture a dog in your head. What do you see? You may see many different things depending on your own personal encounters with the species. There are many types of dogs out there. Some small, some large, long-haired or short-haired. There are many variances in what a dog can look like. One thing that does not change, or should not change, is the importance for every dog in this world to be given love and affection, no matter its characteristics. This is what leads me to believe that the obsession with producing and owning purebreds needs to come to a halt. Continuing to create these so-called “best dogs” is dangerous to not only the purebred’s health, but also devalues mixed breeds and can cost them their lives in animal shelters where they may never escape. My interest in this topic caused me to look into seeing what other people felt about it.
Throughout the world there are many different countries that contain diverse cultures, religions, and life styles. There is however certain aspects within these countries and cultures that acts as a common ground between one another. One dominant aspect is the existence of dogs within these cultures. Dogs are common throughout the world, either as a domestic pet, a protector on a farm, or an assistant for hunting; amongst others. Regardless of the reason for having a dog most people have either owned one for themselves or has known somebody who has owned one at some point in their life. Despite the relative normality of having a dog in your life in one way or another, the reasons for dogs coming into existence is not common knowledge among most people. Throughout a great portion of mankind’s history dogs have been an essential part of life. The truth is dogs were actually created in part by man. It was evolution from wolves in the form of natural and artificial selection that brought dogs into existence (Harris 3). This is the most modern and widely excepted theory at this time, however this was not always the case considering the theory of evolution in of itself is relatively new in our society. After evolution as a theory was accepted there were several other variations on the theory such as, the evolution being from jackals opposed to wolves, and artificial selection being the only form of evolution to have taken place. According to Jarret A Lobell and Eric A Powell of Archaeology magazine “The idea that dogs were domesticated from jackals was long ago discarded in favor of the notion that dogs descend from the gray wolf (2)”. As for the theory that artificial selection ...
The grey wolf has been transformed into what we, today, call a dog. After years of traveling with humans, the wolf began to change and became adapted and tame enough to socialize with humans. The environment it was placed into was one of the causes for change, and another was the role it played for humans.
There are so many varieties of dog breeds to choose from. All breeds have their own special traits, but there is one in particular that sticks out; the Chinese Crested. The Chinese Crested has caused a greater division of opinion than any other breed. Few are indifferent to it, but it is usually either loved or hated. (Fogle, 1995, p.539) The Crested has often been dismissed as inadequate due to its physical appearance, but over the years has managed to survive and grow in popularity.
Especially when, according to the American Pet Products Association, out of 73 million pet dogs, 31 million are classified by their owners as “mutts”.
Later on they were bred as companion animals. The different variations of domesticated dog will be discussed later. The down fall of artificial selection is that it decreases variation in a species. Pure bred dog are highly susceptible to many different disorders and disease because of the lack of variation in their genotype. With these two processes, today we have friendly canine
Dogs are humanity’s best friend and each breed has a unique story to their origins. Bloodhounds are named so after a quote in a fairy tale. Miniature Pinschers are from Germany and have not been bred-down. A Labrador Retriever impressed an Earl when he first saw one and he bought a whole family of the dogs.
The transition to the diet of the original dog as a result of beginning the relationship with humans could be attributed to the changes identified between the modern dog and original dog (wolf). The canids remain recovered in yet cave, in Belgium where Upper Paleolithic artifacts were discovered along with other object are considered to be domesticated dogs. The domestication of dog could have been driven by human need for help with herding, hunting, and early warning while the dog benefited from companionship and reliable source of food
This article from the online edition of ScienceNews magazine focuses on the genetic differences between domesticated dogs and wolves. The author, Ashley Yeager, looked at various studies comparing the DNA of dogs and wolves. One study by Science Advances proposes that there is a smaller gap in their DNA than previously thought. Even though, their appearances diff considerable the genetics of domesticated dogs is still partially unknown. What many of the researchers hypothesized was that humans did not create domesticated dogs but simply the most sociable wolves adapted to have an advantage when interacting with humans.
M Dufrasne, I. M. (2013). Journal of Animal Science. Animal Genetics , Volume 91 (12).
Around 10 thousand years ago the domestication of dog started. The main assumption is that we needed a dog to hunt, but more than likely wolf's approached us as a superior hunter to get our scraps stated by Brian Hare(1). Dogs have slowly moved their way to being man's best friend. We began using them for medical research. Us and dogs share a lot of homologs about 82% according to Xu Beixi(2). Dogs started by taking the tamest one and breeding that with more tame. We want submissive dogs They still carry traits from younger or juvenile wolves like barking, winning, and submissive rolling said by Jill Adams(3). The big thing to remember with dog genetics is that all dogs are the same with different paint jobs. People breed dogs for behaviors and appearances. The behaviors we
Purebred dogs aren’t even a natural thing; they’re just something that humans made up. Wild dogs had diverse genes, and there was no such thing as dog breeds. This is just another one of those cases where humans messing with nature.
Over time, the evolution of several species has drastically changed and diversified. Thousands of years ago, most species did not have the wide variety of breeds and appearances that occur today. Specifically, canines evolved from one single animal into the 150 or more modern breeds that animal scientists recognize. By using historical evidence, DNA collections, and anatomical evolution records, scientists can interpret this information to form a modern analysis on canine evolution, and utilize this research to hypothesize what further manipulations may occur in the future.