Why were dogs domesticated?

Recently I saw an interesting topic: If dogs ruled the earth and you were their chief minister, how would you assist them? Hahaha, this question is really too imaginative... But jokes aside, let's get back to the topic. Today, let's talk about why dogs were domesticated and how to be a good chief minister!

After thinking for a long time, I think that if I want to be a good chief minister of dogs, the best way and the most important step is to improve their diet. This is not a simple matter of "dogs take food as their first priority", but the diet problem is related to the fundamental nature of dogs.

Because, for dogs, the key factor in their domestication was not the abundance of human resources, but "food". This period of history can be called the "history of humiliation" of the "Dog Clan".

I would like to state in advance that this article is written from the perspective of a dog, so please forgive me if it offends you.

01. How did humans make wolves surrender?

How did humans make wolves surrender? "Orcs became slaves" just for "a bite of food". When it comes to wolves, they are one of the beasts worshipped by many people. There are wolf culture and wolf totems. Many people also know that domestic dogs and wolves are distant relatives, but few people know that even today, domestic dogs are still wolves.

In taxonomy, the species name of domestic dog is gray wolf, and Canis lupus is a subspecies, so can you imagine that what you are raising is actually a wolf?

So how did wolves change from ferocious beasts to domestic dogs that are kept by everyone today? Although there are many different opinions, they basically point to one key factor: food.

Although wolves are very powerful predators, they still cannot avoid the basic problems of old age, weakness, illness and disability. At this time, they will lose the ability to obtain food, while humans can obtain a considerable amount of food, which becomes an opportunity. Coupled with the frequent drastic changes in weather, when wolves cannot hunt for food, the food that humans have becomes even more of a temptation.

Of course, wolves must have attacked humans in the past. However, facing humans at the top of the terrestrial food chain, especially humans who lived in groups and mastered tool-making, there were almost no cases of wolves defeating humans.

Eventually, some wolves chose to coexist with humans. Humans provided food for the wolves, while the wolves were responsible for guarding and assisting in hunting for humans, which was also the earliest role of domestic dogs.

02. Do domestic dogs and humans have the same eating habits?

Although wolves have been domesticated by humans and become domestic dogs, and obtain food from humans, these foods may not be so suitable for wolves. After all, the eating habits of domestic dogs, who are forced to be omnivorous, are not exactly the same as those of humans.

Typically, humans are omnivorous animals, so we consume a lot of vegetables, fruits, meat, eggs, milk, etc. on a daily basis. Even humans are herbivorous to a certain extent. Various dietary nutrition recommendations often include a large amount of herbivorous foods such as vegetables and fruits. Naturally, they are inseparable from human staple foods: grains, em, which are also herbivorous. Today, facing public health issues, experts recommend that humans consume more fiber, etc.

But what about wolves? They are carnivorous animals, and their diet is mainly meat.

Moreover, dietary habits are not just the food itself, but also include evolutionary selection, which makes the body's gastrointestinal system and intestinal flora adapt to dietary habits.

It can be said that human food is actually not suitable for wolves.

After all, for most of history, the main source of food for domestic dogs was human leftovers, and in some cases, they even had to eat human excrement. After all, early humans' diet and cooking techniques were immature, and food was difficult to digest, so excrement contained a lot of undigested nutrients. There is even a saying that "a dog will always eat shit."

No matter how you look at it, the fact that this dog's food is controlled by humans and not very suitable for it is somewhat a "history of humiliation."

So, if dogs rule the earth, they will undoubtedly have to stand up from the perspective of food and get rid of the problem of being enslaved by humans first.

03. Wang’s life depends on food

Food is the most important thing for all creatures, and dogs are no exception. Moreover, food is related to their dignity. So if dogs rule the earth, getting rid of the food crisis must be the first step.

Therefore, as the Chief Minister of Dogs, what must be done to realize the freedom and dignity of Dogs.

1. Design food according to your dog’s needs.

In the past, dogs' food was often leftovers from humans, but from now on, dogs' diet will be greatly improved.

Conduct group research among dogs, solicit their opinions, and finally design a food suitable for them. What does this food look like? Based on the current understanding of human science, I think it should include at least the following aspects:

1) Mainly meat. As a carnivorous animal, dogs need to eat meat, so dog food should be mainly meat, instead of the current dog food that uses starch and oil to impersonate meat.

2) The necessary nutrients must be available. Look at humans. They not only have daily diets, but also a variety of dietary supplements, such as vitamin C\E\K, etc., as well as various nutritional supplements, such as protein powder, calcium tablets, glucosamine, etc. As dogs, they need the necessary nutrients. Therefore, a lot of nutrients must be developed to meet the needs of different dogs.

2. Food quality must also be guaranteed. Food safety is of paramount importance, as it is fundamental to health. In the past, dogs ate whatever their owners gave them, and they did not carefully identify the quality of food, so many times dogs could only eat with tears in their eyes. Now that dogs rule the earth, they must have the best quality food supply.

Of course, there are already some high-end pet brands working in this direction. They are dedicated to providing high-end pet nutrition solutions. If you are interested in taking a look, you will be surprised and feel that today's pet nutrition products are becoming more and more high-end.

For example, common joint problems in dogs, especially now that many breeds of dogs have ignored these problems during the domestication process, and coupled with the current overnutrition, some dogs are also obese, which puts a lot of pressure on the joints, which is very similar to us humans.

For example, for dog intestines, probiotics and digestive enzymes are also indispensable. Maybe in the future, this will be an option for dogs.

In fact, pets have always been a controversial topic, but I personally think that if you love them, you should cherish them. It is not just a matter of diet, but you should treat them as family members and put them on a leash when going out, which is also a protection for them.

Okay, my dear dog, I will take my leave now.