Future Evolution of Dogs: Changes Ahead

Changes in dog size are expected as humans continue to evolve alongside them. Some dogs may shrink down to the size of a cat.

As humans adapt to living in cities, dogs will likely follow suit by becoming more compact and agile. This means we can expect to see more dogs that are bred for apartment living.

Dogs will continue to evolve to live alongside humans in urban environments, where space is limited.

Dogs and gray wolves share a common ancestor that went extinct sometime in the Late Pleistocene Epoch.

Researchers estimate that dogs began to genetically diverge from gray wolves between 36,900 and 41,500 years ago. Domestication, however, probably happened between 20,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Divergence is simply a genetic change, while domestication involves humans changing the behavior of wolves over time. This is the key distinction between the two processes.

The evolution of dogs may have started by accident, with wolves being drawn to human encampments for food scraps. Some wolves may have even started raising puppies near human settlements.

People likely killed or chased away aggressive wolves, leaving only the calmest, friendliest canines to survive and reproduce. This process would have favored the evolution of more docile wolves.

Over time, people may have started to benefit from the presence of wolves, who could serve as watchdogs and protect their territory from other predators.

Dogs have undergone significant changes in their evolution, shaped by their relationship with humans. They diverged from gray wolves around 36,900 to 41,500 years ago, but domestication likely occurred between 20,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Humans likely started by feeding and selectively breeding wolves that were friendly and calm, which led to the development of the first domesticated species. This process involved humans teaming up with wolves and changing their behavior over time.

Dogs have since evolved to become omnivores, with the ability to digest starch, which is a significant difference from their carnivorous ancestors.

Dogs have evolved to become more omnivorous than wolves, thanks to changes in their diet. This is largely due to the increased copies of the AMY2B gene, which allows for starch digestion.

Wolves, on the other hand, remain carnivores and don't have the same genetic adaptation. As a result, they're not as interested in exploring new foods or environments.

Dogs have a unique genetic change on chromosome six that predisposes them towards friendliness to people. This is a significant difference from wolves, which are naturally more shy and fearful around strangers.

Trained wolves can become comfortable around humans, but they still exhibit fear-based behaviors and make poor guard dogs.

For your interest: How to Become a Dog Trainer for Service Dogs

All dogs, from the smallest lapdogs to the biggest mastiffs, come from the same Siberian wolf population. We took them with us when we spread out across the globe.

Some ancient dog breeds diverged early on, including Salukis, shar-peis, Samoyeds, basenjis, and chow chows, which are still around today.

The majority of dog breeds were created within the last 150 years, starting during the Victorian Era, with the introduction of dog shows leading to an explosion of new breeds established only for looks.

Strict inbreeding is necessary to breed dogs that look a certain way, but this loss of genetic diversity has led to a lot of health problems.

English bulldogs cannot naturally mate and most have to be delivered by cesarean section due to their large heads.

Pugs are prone to their eyes falling out of their sockets, a result of breeding for looks.

In general, mutts are much healthier than purebred dogs, with the exceptions being purebred dogs bred for physical performance, like greyhounds, and landrace breeds still affected by natural selection, like Thai ridgebacks.

Today, there are hundreds of dog breeds overall.

On a similar theme: Dog Breeds Watch Dogs

Humans are a distinct species and wouldn't revert to wolves even if left to their own devices. Their physical characteristics and behaviors have evolved to adapt to their environment and lifestyle.

Just like dogs, humans have adapted to living in populated areas and would likely become scavengers if forced to survive on their own in a wilderness setting. They would have to compete with other species for resources.

As long as humans continue to evolve alongside other species, they will retain their unique characteristics and won't revert to an earlier form. This is similar to how dogs have evolved to be a distinct species from wolves.

Humans have no evolutionary pressures to resemble wolves, just like dogs don't have a strong incentive to look like wolves in modern environments.

Recent advancements in artificial intelligence are allowing us to visualize how dogs might evolve in the future.

Pet geneticists are using AI to generate images of what dog breeds might look like 10,000 years from now.

These visualizations are based on inputs from veterinarian experts at Basepaws, a genetics testing company in California.

They're exploring two possible scenarios: one where global warming leads to resource scarcity and smaller body mass in dogs, and another where the planet enters the Ice Age and dogs develop more body fat for energy.

In the scenario with global warming, dogs might lose their fur and develop larger heads and ears to keep cool.

Dogs could also develop darker skin shades and become more active at night.

Veterinarian Ernie Ward suggests that science is uncertain whether colder temperatures will result in bigger or smaller-sized dogs.

Either way, dogs will develop more body fat to serve as an energy reservoir.

Additional reading: Dog Body Language with Other Dogs

Dogs and humans share a common ancestor that went extinct around 36,900 to 41,500 years ago. Domestication likely occurred between 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, with humans teaming up with wolves and changing their behavior over time.

The evolution of dogs may have started by accident, with wolves that entered human encampments being treated to food scraps, which led to them becoming more friendly and docile.

Divergence, or genetic change, is not the same as domestication, and it's estimated that dogs began to genetically diverge from gray wolves between 36,900 and 41,500 years ago.

Selective breeding of dogs for specific breed types is a relatively new phenomenon, starting around 150-200 years ago, thanks to the Victorians who rigidly bred dogs to a particular standard or appearance.

Breeding dogs with desired traits has led to the wildly diverse types of dogs we see today, and scientists are already exploring genetic engineering and purposeful genetic modifications to fix problematic genes or produce radically different traits.

The selective breeding of dogs for specific breed types is a relatively new phenomenon, starting around 150-200 years ago. We can 'thank' the Victorians for a lot of selective pet breeding and the rigid breeding of dogs to a particular standard or appearance.

Dogs have been bred for quite some time, and it's possible to argue that dogs evolved alongside humans, but the numerous dog breeds we see today did not evolve their distinct characteristics on their own.