4 ms·
It’s not luck, though, right? They are man-made; selectively bred to cooperate with and have affection for humans.
by leephillips 5y ago
It’s not luck, though, right? They are man-made; selectively bred to cooperate with and have affection for humans.
- shepherdjerred 5y agoIt’s lucky that our ancestors selectively bred them so that we get to benefit from them today.
- lovemenot 5y agoIt's lucky that there were innate characteristics in dogs' ancestral species, which allowed for their domestication. Tail-wagging in juvenile wolves and foxes was selected for in adult dogs. Their acutely sensitive hearing and olfactory sense complements our eyes etc.
- jazzyjackson 5y agoI consider it a matter of mutual respect. Early humans and dogs are both pack hunters and likely stalked the same prey. I figure dogs were pretty impressed with our take-downs and were glad to share the spoils, and vice versa. Throw in a warm fire and you got yourself a friend.
- Filligree 5y agoOf course, they were wolves at the time. It must have been quite an interesting relationship.
- selcuka 5y agoIt was and still is possible to domesticate wolves. They are harder to train but it is perfectly possible [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_as_pets_and_working_animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolves_as_pets_and_working_ani...
- fsckboy 5y agodomesticating dogs refers to multigenerational breeding and selecting for genetic traits. in the sense of domesticating meaning training, I wouldn't call what you can do with a wolf "perfect". Don't leave the baby alone with them.
- leephillips 5y agoI guess people sometimes say “domesticate” when they mean “tame”.
- sjg007 5y agoI like to think humans stole the pups or took the abandoned ones.
- k_ 5y agoSaw this [0] on HN a couple months ago, which could hint at how it started. [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28272893 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28272893