From wolves to dogs
Dogs share wolf ancestry, but their domestication has no securely identified starting place or year.
Density
Wolf ancestry, shared lives and changing evidenceOur World
Dogs
Explore dogs from uncertain domestication through Ice Age diversity, working partnerships and ancient DNA.
Subject guide · scope, chapters & sources ↗A selective history of domestic dogs and their relationships with people. Domestication is unresolved; fossil ages, institutional dates and research announcements are kept distinct. Not a complete breed catalogue.
Official Earth time scaleSelect an eon on the road to reveal its eras.ICS 2026/06 ↗
An ancient dog at Pınarbaşı
DNA identifies a dog living with hunter-gatherers in what is now Türkiye.
Dogs already have diverse ancestries
Ancient genomes reveal at least five major dog ancestry lineages by the end of the Ice Age.
A Roman warning: beware of the dog
A Pompeian doorway preserves a guard-dog image and its written warning.
An institution formalises dog showing
The Kennel Club is founded to establish consistent rules for shows and trials.
Britain's first guide-dog partnerships
Four dogs begin a programme that develops into a major assistance-dog charity.
A dog genome draft becomes public
Researchers release a draft assembly from a boxer named Tasha.
Ancient DNA revises the oldest record
Newly identified Ice Age dogs show why the origin story remains open to revision.