After posting I happen to pick up an Issue of Dogs in Canada April/06 and it had an article on the origin of dogs.
The earliest archaeological find believed to be a dog from 14 000 years ago found in Germany, 12 000years in the middle East and 10 000 in Utah. I would guess that in 14 000 years of being domesticated that the dog is not a wild animal and would be naturally protective over humans? Before the dog was a dog it was a wolf, a wild animal; a dog never was a wild animal. I think (just thinking) that is why humans domesticated dogs in the first place because the dog was naturally protective over us and our property?
Some interesting info. from the article-------All dogs descend from the Old World grey wolves and split off from them about 15 000 years ago. Nuclear DNA evidence was used by researchers who in 2004 published findings that compare the genetics of 85 breeds of dog as well as the order of their splitting off from wolves. In the vast majority of cases, it was possible to correctly identify what breed an individual DNA sample was from. The earliest split-off from wolves was a branch consisting of Shar-Pei, Shibas Inu, Chows and Akitas. Next came Basenjis. The third branch was made up of Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies (which, incidentally, were difficult to distinguish genetically). The fourth group to split off were Afghans and Salukis. Then came a giant group with the most modern origins, consisting of all the other breeds. Interestingly, Pharaoh and Ibizan Hounds, considered extremely old breeds, were in the modern-origins group genetically. What this means is that the modern Pharaoh and Ibizan Hounds are a re-creations of the dogs drawn on interior walls in ancient Egypt.
