Dogs Were Domesticated Recently Only

Dogs were domesticated by human beings only as recently as between 13,000 and 17,000 years ago, according to a recent study. The earlier theories contend that the bond lasted since 135,000 years ago. The study was conducted by Darcy Morey, and takes canine burials into consideration. Researchers found that though earliest known buried dog dates to around 17,000 years ago in central Russia, the practice of burying dogs did not become common between 15,000 and 14,000 years ago.

Christyann Darwent, an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of California at Davis, agrees with Morey's time window for domestication theory. The bond between man and dog could have existed before, but manipulating their breeding and domestication came about later. The study is published in the latest Journal of Archaeological Science.