The Origin of Dogs

NOVA scienceNOW

New DNA evidence shows that dogs were probably domesticated from wolves in the Middle East about eight thousand years ago. But wolves are generally fierce animals that travel in packs, and they’re usually afraid of humans. That's pretty far off from the behavior of today's family pets. So how could that poodle in your backyard have come from a wolf? To find out, we spoke to Clive Wynne, who studies animal behavior at the University of Florida. Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Gaia Remerowski. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers. To learn more about undersea archeology, go to pbs.org/nova