[thedoc (OP)]

A comparison of the genetic make-up of dogs and wolves has revealed the most crucial DNA changes that brought man's best friend into being.

Read the whole story on our website by clicking here.

Further information is available in the interview here.

 

[CliffordK]

Specifically, while wolves - which eat only a carnivorous diet - have just two copies of a gene for digesting starch, which is found only in plant matter, dogs have up to 40 copies and express the gene at much high levels.

So, dogs are genetically programmed to beg at the dinner table!!!

Is it possible that part of the domestication of Dogs involved wolves learning to scavenge human waste, which then brought the humans and wolves into closer contact.

It would seem to be a big jump from never seeing any animals except those in the wild, and those being hunted, to having a mutt for a pet.

[CliffordK]

Many studies have shown that dogs are very good at paying attention to people.  For example, if you point to a hidden treat, they will go to where you pointed.  They also have the ability to learn several human words. 

Aside from temperament, would a wolf puppy, hand raised from infancy also bond to its human caregivers, and learn to pay attention to human hand signals as well as speech?  I.E.  are there different genetic learning abilities?