Siberians were the first to breed dog breeds

Ancient people in their desire to survive in natural conditions resorted to the help of animals. They hunted some, which gave them food and clothing, while they tried to use others as helpers and to breed in captivity. One of the first animals to be tamed was a wolf, or, according to some researchers, a jackal. The most ancient evidence of the existence of wolves (or dogs) next to people are finds in the Chauvet cave, in southern France. There were found footprints of a wolf next to the footprint of a child. The find is about 26,000 years old.

But taming a wolf does not mean learning to breed it in captivity. The first tamed wolves, according to scientists, helped ancient people drive their prey. Then people learned to breed these animals on their own, and not to borrow from nature. But when did that moment come when people began to select animals with the necessary qualities and purposefully use them for further reproduction?

It seems that the answer to this question was found by domestic researchers who visited an expedition beyond the Arctic Circle, on the Russian island of Zhokhov. On this island, located in the East Siberian Sea, the northernmost site of ancient people in the world, called the Zhokhov site, was discovered. And here, in the conditions of permafrost, scientists found the well-preserved remains of 11 dogs. Their age is estimated at about 11,000 years. Analysis of the cranial bones showed that these are the remains of dogs that are close to modern species, not wolves. Thus, these are the oldest finds of the remains of dogs to date. Specialists even managed to reconstruct their appearance. And it turned out that 10 dogs were like modern huskies or dogs of the husky breed. These breeds today accompany the inhabitants of the Far North on hunting and run in teams, helping to transport things. Dogs found on the territory of the island of Zhokhov, as scientists believe, also performed these functions, since among the finds of this site there are also sledges - special sledges in which the indigenous peoples of the north harness sled dogs. It turns out that these animals were bred by artificial selection, when, to leave offspring, individuals were selected that were suitable for the person according to the set of necessary qualities. Moreover, both young dogs and old individuals were noted in the group. This speaks in favor of the fact that the owners not only used the dogs, but also took care of them until they were old, even when they ceased to be useful.

So, in these polar regions a strong friendship between a man and a dog arose, thanks to which people managed to survive in these harsh natural conditions.