Welcome to BrainStuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

Hey, Rain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here with another classic episode.

When this one first came out, research had just been published showing that keeping dogs as pets, leashes, and everything, is a practice way older than anyone previously suspected.

Welcome to BrainSt from How Stuff Works.

Hey Brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here.

Your dog might not like being on a leash.

He loves walks, of course, but could it be his

glances are sometimes a touch reproachful as he gazes at you over the pile of leaves he's

snuffling? The look might be saying, I am hurt by your distrust your ancestors let my ancestors

roam free and now hear I a noble beast and chained. If your dog lays that one on you your best recourse is to show him the world's oldest known dog art.

Ancient humans may have been primitive, but even 9,000 years ago they seem to have been wise to the ways of the canine.

A study published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology in November 2017

describes recently discovered rock carvings in the northwestern region of the Saudi Arabian Desert.

They illustrate prehistoric hunting practices using dogs as assistance.

The depicted dogs look much like modern Canaan dogs,

with erect ears, long feathery tails, and short snouts.

Each one has a distinctive coat pattern, suggesting the artists knew the dogs personally,

and similar to modern dogs, two are shown tethered to the waste of a human hunter.

The engravings were discovered as part of a project led by a research team from the Max Planck

Institute for the Science of Human History, in partnership with the Saudi Commission for Tourism

and National Heritage.

Over 1,400 rock art panels showing almost 7,000 animals,

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