Women have played a major role in the domestication of dogs since the dawn of time. On 8 March, her feast day, we can only thank her for making our four-legged friends a fundamental part of the family.
The relationship between man and dog was originally based on the use of wolfhounds in hunting. However, the puppies, which were still too small, were not used for this purpose. Rather, they were left near the camps with women. In the course of time, this led to the intensification of the relationship between women and dogs. This relationship is like the loving one created between mother and child.
Domestication of dogs in prehistoric times
The domestication of dogs and wild animals in general was born in prehistoric times. Man was in some way useful to the dog and the dog to man. A communion of intentions destined to become a visceral relationship. But while humans mostly dealt with adult animals used for hunting, puppies were left in the loving care of women and children. It is no coincidence that the first archaeological evidence of the existence of a domestic animal is the deposition of an adult woman accompanied by a puppy.
Domestication of dogs: the importance of the maternal instinct
Females, therefore, played a key role in the domestication of dogs from an early stage. The factors that have contributed to the close relationship between women and dogs stand in the nature of women and their maternal sense. Dedicated to caring for her children, she has developed communicative, empathic and relational skills for dealing with living beings that are unable to speak. Like children, puppies also need a reference figure to look after them and make them feel protected. This figure, due to its instinctive aptitude for caring, is identifiable in women.
Domestication of dogs: the time factor
Another factor that has helped the establishment of this special relationship between women and dogs is time. While men were busy working, women had much more free time to bond with their children or their four-legged pets.
The intensification of the relationship between women and dogs has also led people to re-evaluate the animal, no longer used as a mere hunting tool, but loved and appreciated as a member of the family. And this, as recent studies have shown, is the work and merit of women.