- Domestication is thought to alter the temperament of a species, making it less fearful and aggressive and more social, thereby promoting their sociocognitive abilities. Some authors suggest that humans are ‘domesticated’ apes.
- The wolf–dog comparison has been used to support the idea of the human self-domestication hypothesis, but more recent results are not in line with this claim.
- Genetic and behavioral studies of free-ranging, pet, and captive pack-living dogs, as well as different subspecies of wolves, can further our understanding of the dog domestication process.
- Current dog domestication hypotheses focus on explaining specific dog–human interactions rather than trying to understand dogs as a social species.
- Dog domestication is best understood as an adaptation to a new, human-dominated niche, which included selective pressures by humans.
Based on claims that dogs are less aggressive and show more sophisticated socio-cognitive skills compared with wolves, dog domestication has been invoked to support the idea that humans underwent a similar ‘self-domestication’ process. Here, we review studies on wolf–dog differences and conclude that results do not support such claims: dogs do not show increased socio-cognitive skills and they are not less aggressive than wolves. Rather, compared with wolves, dogs seek to avoid conflicts, specifically with higher ranking conspecifics and humans, and might have an increased inclination to follow rules, making them amenable social partners. These conclusions challenge the suitability of dog domestication as a model for human social evolution and suggest that dogs need to be acknowledged as animals adapted to a specific socio-ecological niche as well as being shaped by human selection for specific traits.
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