Breeds of wolf and jackal blood: how can you determine its ancestor by the character of a dog? (8 photos)

Who is your dog more like: a wolf or a jackal? Are you the happy owner of a mega-friendly, cheerful and carefree friend or the owner of a proud, independent and intelligent companion? Almost 100 years ago, Konrad Lorenz put forward a hypothesis about the division of dog breeds into heirs of wolf and jackal blood. And it seems that she recently found confirmation!





On the agenda is this very strange classification of dogs. Can be opened larger.

In the mid-20th century, in his book, Lorenz suggested the dual origin of dogs. According to the hypothesis, some breeds originate from wolves, and others from jackals.



Hey, two-legged, do you agree to protection in exchange for meat?

And you can determine the ancestor by character.





Get it! You'll know how to beg for food around the fire!

The jackal type is defined by unconditional friendliness, hyperactivity, affection, playfulness and other infantile qualities. Jackal dogs are hopelessly in love not only with their owner, but also with everyone around them. They will do everything to get a person to pay attention: they will learn the command, and they will bring slippers, and they will lick every cross person they meet. A typical example is Labradors or spaniels.



Well, I'll take a couple of pieces from the man. What bad could happen from this?

Wolf dogs, according to Lorenz, appeared a little later, when people with already tamed dogs went to conquer the north. There their pets crossed with wolves, which gave them an independent character, love of freedom, courage and intelligence. Wolf breeds are wary of strangers and recognize only their owner - a change of owner can cause them to go into deep depression. But such a dog will not even listen to his human unquestioningly. He knows how to think with his own head and is not shy about using it. A perfect example is the husky. A typical wolf in a dog's clothing.



We're the same blood?

In the years when Lorenz put forward his hypothesis, the scientist relied exclusively on observations of the behavior of different breeds of dogs. That is why the hypothesis about jackal and wolf breeds received publicity only in the books of ethologists. For a long time, scientists believed that all the motley Bobiks and Sharikovs had one ancestor. But 2022 research shows us that Uncle Lorenz was not so far from the truth!



- Guys, I’m your brother by blood! - Wow, what a quick lunch!

A team of scientists represented by 81 archaeologists, anthropologists, paleontologists, geneticists and other smart people conducted a large-scale study that confirmed the dual origin of the watchdogs. The object was the genomes of 72 prehistoric wolves and 402 dogs, 33 of which lived with ancient people.



Have you been told not to lie on the edge? Here I am, little top, come to bite your side!

Scientists were able to determine that ancient dogs were not domesticated all at once. Most likely, there were two independent domestication centers. The first is in North America, Siberia or North-East Europe. Previously, there lived a large population of wolves, from whose ancestors most of the modern dog breeds were derived. The second center of domestication was located in the Middle East, Africa or southern Europe. According to research, another part of the rocks originates from there.



Semi-wild dogs still exist in Asia. They are called pariahs. They are almost impossible to tame, but who knows, maybe these are the animals that became the ancestors of our pets.

For thousands of years after domestication, dogs crossed with each other and with their wild counterparts, so it is unlikely that it will be possible to trace the genetic origin of a particular breed with 100% accuracy. But if we reconsider Lorenz’s hypothesis from the bell tower of modern research, which also suggests the dual origin of dogs, everything fits. Perhaps the ancestors were not exactly jackals - but who can guarantee that one population of ancient canine ancestors could not have been hyper-affectionate, and the second had serious and self-confident inclinations?