Study pinpoints genetic marker that makes dogs social

While the bond between humans and dogs now seems a natural part of life, a look at their closest living ancestor is a reminder that things weren't always that way. A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable. According to the researchers, this marker is the same found in people with Williams-Beuren syndrome – a condition which essentially causes people to love everyone. A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs may have developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable. A genetic analysis of the world's oldest known dog remains has revealed that dogs were domesticated in a single event by humans living in Eurasia.