The Origins Of A Dog According To Its Ears

The shape of the ears is an important trait in dog breed standards and has clearly been under heavy artificial selection, but can you get a glimpse of what a dog’s origins are based on its ears?

Dogs come in a wide range of shapes and sizes. It is difficult to imagine that a Great Dane and a small poodle are the same species. However, they are genetically identical and with the same anatomical characteristics. But can the origins of a dog be deduced from its ears?

Obviously a dog’s ears are one of the most remarkable parts of its anatomy. In addition to their sensory function, they express a good part of the character and personality of the dog. Next, we reveal all the secrets of these fascinating sensory structures.

The origins of a dog have been studied

Gray wolves and dogs are descended from a species of wolf that was extinct about 15,000 to 40,000 years ago. There is general scientific agreement on that point, but controversies abound as to where domestication began.

The event is not trivial: where an initially feared animal first became the closest domestic companion to human beings. Genetic studies have identified evidence in various places, from southern China to Mongolia and Europe.

From these findings the hypothesis has arisen that the dog could have been domesticated, from the wolf, more than once in different places.

Man’s hand in shaping canine breeds

Humans have played an important role in creating dog breeds that meet different social needs. Using rudimentary genetic engineering, the dogs were bred to accentuate a set of specific traits, by artificial selection.

These processes have impacted the patterns of genetic variation. They have also resulted in a higher incidence of deleterious mutations, as well as a high prevalence of inherited diseases, which varies specifically between dog breeds.

Apparently, the human hand has also played a less direct role in the modern dog’s appearance. Scientists, by comparing the morphology of domestic animals with their wild counterparts, have postulated the theory of the “domestication syndrome”.

In the last hundreds of years, a great variety of breeds were formed from the ancestral set of genes of dogs. According to this theory, domesticated animals undergo morphological changes that include the appearance of floppy ears.

From the origins of a dog to its typology

According to evidence obtained from fossil remains, at the beginning of the Bronze Age (around 4500 BC) there were already five different types of dogs. Such were:

• Mastiffs.
• Wolf-type dogs.
• Hunting dogs (such as the Saluki or the greyhound).
• Show dogs ( pointers ).
• Shepherds

Dog ears shape

The early breeds had erect ears and pointed or wedge-shaped snouts, similar to the northern breeds common today. Today, dog ears come in many different shapes – small, long, wide, or V-shaped – but they are generally classified into three main groups:

1. Flexible or drooping (for example, dogs in the hound group such as the Dachshund ),
2. Upright (for example, West Highland White Terrier , Pinscher or Yorkshire Terrier , German Shepherd, or Siberian Husky )
3. Semi-upright (For example, the Collie or Shetland sheepdog ).

There are lists of dog breeds that illustrate each of these three ear shapes.

Does genetics dictate the shape of the dog’s ears?

Several scientific studies have identified a region on chromosome 10 that has high levels of genetic differentiation between dog breeds. This region of DNA appears to be associated with body mass and the shape of the ears.

According to these studies, this chromosomal region contains genetic variants that affect ear type and body mass. Thus, experts suggest that small mutations are responsible for these traits.

Other recent research analyzed a catalog of canine genomes of 1,417 dogs corresponding to 193 breeds and 9 wild canids. In this study, genes that determine the shape and size of canine ears were investigated.

The authors discriminated between breeds with pricked ears (101 dogs) and lop-eared (113 dogs) and identified a significant association between the presence of a specific gene (with regulatory function over other genes) and lop-ear morphology.

Similarly, they were able to identify an association between the expression of two specific genes and the shape of large, round ears (for example, Spaniel , Beagle and Corgi breeds ). Such genes are not detected in dogs with standard-sized triangular ears (such as the Eurasier or Miniature Pinscher ).

In conclusion, knowing the origins of a dog according to the ears is possible. The genetic variability that results in the shape of your dog’s ears will no longer be a secret.