Why Dogs?

There are many creatures on Earth with an excellent olfactory system. Why should we focus on dogs? Experiments have proven bees, pigs, and even cats excellent animals in detecting specific smells. You certainly understand the inconvenience of working with bees or pigs to detect drugs at an airport. But what about cats? Unfortunately, they have no interest in reporting the success of their findings to the trainer. The critical difference between dogs and cats is the way they relate to humans. 

The story between man and dog is a very old one and deserves attention because it explains why the dog tries to please us when using its expertise. This pleasing attitude is decoded as “working/obedience” intelligence.

 For a taste of working pigs, watch this video:

How Old Is the Dog-Man Story?

The initial relationship between man and dog is lost in time. The first man buried with his dog dates to 25000 B.C. Scientists tend to go back to the prehistoric era when weaker wolves would follow nomadic groups of people to eat their leftovers. On the one hand, the animals became accustomed to the presence of men and started to appreciate human beings as food providers. On the other hand, the nomadic community domesticated the wolves more inclined to respect human life and used them to perform what became the two traditional canine tasks: guarding and hunting. This is how man and dog co-evolution began.

Men hunting for deer with dogs- Valcamonica, Italy, 8000 to 6000 B.C.

 For other images of dogs in history, watch this video: