The origin of dogs is not all that clear. In his book Man Meets Dog, Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989) claimed that most dogs descended from the golden jackal (Canis aureus), and he called them aureus dogs. A few breeds, such as greyhounds and spitz, he wrote, descended from the wolf (Canis lupus), and he called them lupus dogs. Aureus dogs, according to Lorenz, were relatively easy to domesticate, but lupus dogs were not.
Although classifying dogs into these groups based on their personality made some sense, DNA analyses have shown that Lorenz was wrong; all known breeds of dogs descend from the wolf (Canis lupus). But exactly when the separation between wolf and dog took place, as well as where and how, are questions we can only speculate about.
The first genetic analyses in the 1990s, comparing mitochondrial DNA of wolves and dogs, suggested that the wolf's transformation to a dog started more than 100000 years ago and that such transformations would repeatedly have taken place independently. However, there are no fossils of wolves or dogs older than 40000 years showing any signs of domestication. Moreover, molecular studies of fossils or present day's dogs and wolves suggest about 35000 years.
The lineages following most of these domestication events most likely died out, so we can assume that “modern” dogs are a result of relatively few domestication events, with just a few founding females.
It is commonly assumed that the separation of dog from wolf happened in East Asia and that dogs came to spread over the world from there. If that is the case, the original reason for domesticating canines might very well have been to breed them for food. Dog meat was eaten in prehistoric China and is still eaten in Korea, Vietnam and parts of China, especially in Hunan and Guizhou.
NOTE:
Despite the fact that Lorenz's theory on the origin of dogs was wrong, his book, Man Meets Dog - (Original in German: So kam der Mensch auf den Hund), 1950 - is an interesting read. Konrad Lorenz, the father of modern ethology, is a sharp observer and an entertaining writer. All his books and articles are well worth reading.
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I never thought about it! Interesting article about origin of dogs.