Dogs were established as a distinct species much earlier than previously demonstrated, already during the Ice Age. A new study published in Nature has uncovered the earliest genetic evidence for the existence of dogs and indicates that dogs were widely distributed by 14,000 years ago across large geographic areas.

Using ancient DNA analysis, researchers identified dogs at archaeological sites in the UK and Turkey dating to approximately 16,000–14,000 years ago, a time when all humans were hunter-gatherers and agriculture had not yet emerged.

The results from the study show that these animals were genetically true dogs, not wolves, and pushed back the earliest direct evidence for dogs by more than 5,000 years.

“With every new set of genetic data we analyze, we get closer to answering how and why the dog became humanity’s first companion. This is a major step forward in understanding our shared history,” says Anna Linderholm, researcher at Stockholm University and co-author of the study.

Dog moved between hunter groups

What role these dogs played in the communities remains unclear. The study suggests they may have been transferred between genetically and culturally distinct groups.

“The most striking thing is how genetically similar these dogs are, even though they lived in completely different parts of Europe and Turkey. This suggests that dogs already had a special social and cultural significance,” says Anna Linderholm.

A close relationship

The findings also show that the relationship between humans and dogs was close. In Gough’s Cave, dog bones were treated in a similar way to human remains after death. In Turkey, young dogs were buried in the same area as humans. Isotope analyses also show that dogs and humans often ate similar food, indicating that dogs lived closely with humans and were likely fed by them.

“These are not semi-tamed wolves on the outskirts of settlements, these are animals that are already part of human societies,” says Anna Linderholm.

Traces remain in modern dogs

These new DNA data revealed not only that the Gough’s Cave and Pınarbaşı individuals were dogs, but that they were more closely related to the ancestors of present-day European and Middle Eastern breeds, such as boxers and salukis, than to Arctic breeds like Siberian huskies.

“It is fascinating that we can trace a genetic lineage from Ice Age dogs all the way to modern breeds. It shows how long and deep the relationship between humans and dogs truly is,” says Anna Linderholm.