Dog Evolution
There is no living animal more beautiful than the wolf. The current domesticated dog (canis familiaris) shares the same ancestry as the Grey wolf (canis lupus) and has been affiliated with humans since the Stone Age. One theory suggests this probably happened as a result of both predators (humans and the grey wolf) hunting the same sized prey and selective breeding by stone age man.
This theory assumes that stone age man was capable of taming a grey wolf and nurturing it's offspring. When one understands the "personality" (behavioural traits) of a wolf, this seems rather unlikely as they are naturally afraid of humans. Experiments aimed at taming wolf cubs have generally been unsuccessful as by the time they reach 2-3 years of age they resort to their innate instincts. I doubt whether stone age man would have bothered investing the considerable amount of time required to selectively breed six to ten generations ( 6-10 years as the wolf comes into season once a year). It may, of course, have happened this way if stone age man had the foresight to see the advantages of taming the wolf.
Experiments in the Soviet Union in the 1950's onwards have domesticated silver foxes by selectively breeding those that showed the least fear towards humans. Interestingly, this selective breeding program also altered the appearance of the silver foxes. Infact, they developed dog like behaviour such as barking, wagging tails etc.
I, however, prefer to think that dogs share the same ancestry as the wolf and our domesticated dog evolved from inter breeding between wolfs and other canidae. Technology has identified that dogs and wolves share more than 98% of the same mitochondrial DNA and as such must share the same ancestry. However, dogs are NOT wolves and wolves are NOT domesticated dogs.
The grey wolf (canis lupus) Photo by Hal MacGregor
The grey wolf, like the majority of wolves, prefer social living in packs, normally blood related. The advantage of this is that they can hunt larger prey and protect their kills.
Within the pack, female wolves are also known to suckle other females offspring and the whole pack is responsible for nurturing the young. In order for these social living packs to be successful, they need to work as a team.
Over the last ten thousand years or so, canines have been bred by humans to meet specific needs. If it was fast, then it would be a good hunter, if it barked loudly, then it would be a good guard dog. So you can see how the many different breeds of domesticated dog have materialised through selective breeding programs.
Of course, wolves have bred with other forms of canidae as the species migrated due to the continual change of the Earth's surface, the appearance and disappearance of "land bridges", the movement of continents and the physical introduction by humans to new terrain.
So, your dog's ancestor was something like a wolf! Sometimes it is easier to see in some breeds than others!
All dogs are predators.
All dogs are social creatures.
All dogs have the same innate needs.
We introduced dogs into our human world, so it is our responsibility to meet those innate needs in order to maintain a healthy and good mannered dog.
INTERESTING POINT : There is much myth that surrounds the hierarchy in wolf packs and how it is reflected in our domesticated dogs. Although once upon a time it was generally regarded that the pack consisted of a hierarchy system that included an alpha breeding pair, beta wolves (middle ranking) and omega wolves (lowest ranking) it is now evidenced that these roles changed depending on the packs circumstances and seasons.
Much has been made of dog trainers emulating or becoming alpha status humans (I was as guilty as the rest!) implemented by pack reduction (dominant) programs (we've all seen these interventions on TV, walk through doors first, eat first, walk behind us etc).
In actual fact, there has never been one witnessed incident where an alpha wolf chased or attacked a lower ranking wolf for walking in front of it. This theory came about from watching captive wolves move between gates of their pens.
Contrary to popular belief, wolves eat as a pack too when food is plentiful. The term "pecking order" was originally applied to bird behaviour!
Having watched my dogs enter and exit a room, there doesn't appear to be any rule as to who goes first, and it doesn't lead to any quarrels between them or with visiting dogs!
So, I doubt it is really important in the canine world, well at least not as important as we were all led to believe.
However, it is imperative that your dog learns good manners and teaching good door etiquette is important for safety reasons.