An Origin Story?

info2439292
Feb 22, 2024
2 min read

Hey guys, Wenzdi here from Yes Boy! with another blog. Today's topic is behaviour, and do dogs really aim to please?

The theory on how dogs first became domesticated goes all the way back to the ice age, where our ancestors were so efficient in hunting, that food was surplus. This is important to the topic, and the friendship began though the offering of food. Now it's easy to forget that dogs didn't become dogs through their eagerness to please, but more so because we as humans had something beneficial to them. Thus, a friendship was born.

It became apparent that the wolves had something to offer the humans also, and by hanging around it kept other predators away. This made settlements more secure, and while ever food was being shared, there was a mutual gain from both parties. Perhaps out ancestors played a part in raising wolf cubs, but really, nobody knows for sure.

Over time, humans and wolves began to work together, and it's strongly suggested that wolves aided humans in hunts. It makes sense - wolves would expend a huge amount of energy hunting in a pack, but with the added aide of humans and tools, hunts became more successful. That's something the wolves were sure to home in on.

As humans evolved, so did the need for specific jobs from the wolves. Some would need to be good at tracking prey. Some would need to help keep a herd of cattle, when livestock began to develop. Others would need to guard the settlements and livestock so precious to the humans. So, selective breeding took place. Humans learned that if they took the best wolves at that specific job and bred them together, the offspring would be predisposed to be good at that particular job also. In return, the wolves would continue to be fed and often housed safely.

So far in history, wolves have always had a reason to stick around - food and warmth. So how come in 2024 we expect our dogs to just want to work for us? As humans evolved and developed, the past became a distant memory. Dogs no longer are kept for a purpose, but moreso for our own benefit, for company. We have evolved far quicker than dogs have, so what can we do to better understand the animals that have stuck by our sides for thousands of years?

So today, I leave you with this thought. . .

Would you go to work for free, out of the goodness of your own heart, for a simple thank you or a pat on the back?