Dogs were domesticated over 14,000 years ago, long before the development of agriculture. The earliest generally accepted remains of a domesticated dog date to about 14,223 years ago, discovered in Bonn-Oberkassel, Germany, where a dog was buried alongside humans. Genetic studies suggest that domestication likely began even earlier, around 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, from an ancient, now-extinct wolf population distinct from modern wolves. Recent literature reviews infer that dog domestication began in Siberia approximately 23,000 years ago by ancient North Siberians and then spread across Eurasia and into the Americas. There is some debate about the precise time and location, but genetic evidence points to a process that possibly started between 25,000 and 40,000 years ago, with domesticated dogs arising during the time of hunter- gatherers, well before the advent of farming about 11,000 years ago. In summary:

• Earliest confirmed domesticated dog remains: around 14,223 years ago.
• Genetic divergence and initial domestication process: probably between 20,000 and 40,000 years ago.
• Likely geographical origins include Siberia and parts of Eurasia.

Thus, dogs were the first species to be domesticated by humans, with the domestication process beginning tens of thousands of years ago during the late Pleistocene era.