It 's thousands of years since mankind won dominance over nature , and we 're still pretty proud . But a top researcher says we 've been giving ourselves too much credit - because we were helped by our oldest friends . Humans paired up with dogs as early as 40,000 BC , it is claimed , giving us such an advantage in hunting that it prompted the wipeout of our Neanderthal rivals . Man 's best friend : An early cave painting in Libya of dogs chasing a deer in the Akakus Mountains . A new theory claims humans teamed up with the ancestors of domestic dogs far earlier than was first thought . Left behind : While early humans hunted with wolves , their Neanderthal rivals in Europe continued using primitive tools without any help , according to anthropologist Dr Pat Shipman ( artist 's impression ) The controversial theory has been put forward in a new book by leading anthropologist Pat Shipman of Pennsylvania State University . She has challenged the common scientific view that wolves were only domesticated just over 10,000 years ago , after early humans had already asserted a strong foothold in Europe . No match : The theory claims Neanderthals ( model pictured ) were no match for the hunting technique . Instead , she said , humans began taming and breeding wolves - leading to the pets we know today - soon after they arrived on the continent from Africa up to 70,000 years ago . At the time , our close genetic relatives the Neanderthals were dominant in Europe , fighting for survival as they hunted creatures such as woolly mammoths with primitive tools . But soon afterwards the rival species died out , leaving a clear path for the homo sapiens that make up today 's humans . Strong rival theories of their demise include that Neanderthals , just like woolly mammoths , were unable to cope with the changing climate of the last ice age or that humans were better hunters . Dr Shipman , however , told The Observer : 'We formed an alliance with the wolf and that would have been the end for the Neanderthal . 'Early wolf-dogs would have tracked and harassed animals like elk and bison and would have hounded them until they tired . Then humans would have killed them with spears or bows and arrows . 'This meant the dogs did not need to approach these large cornered animals to finish them off – often the most dangerous part of a hunt – while humans didn ’ t have to expend energy in tracking and wearing down prey . Dogs would have done that . 'Then we shared the meat . It was a win-win situation . ' Dr Shipman 's theory , shared in her book The Invaders : How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction , was partly inspired by early dog remains . Crossing paths : Wolves and woolly mammoths co-existed for millennia , but only wolves survived in the end . Close relation : A Natural History museum employee examines a model of a Neanderthal during an exhibition last year . Neanderthals look similar to modern humans but were a distinct species with genetic differences . She examined 33,000-year-old fossils of dogs found in Siberia and Belgium , and looked at how the shapes of their jaws and skulls were different from wild wolves . Although they were far more similar to wolves than the pets of today , there were clear signs of domestication , she said - including shorter snouts , densely-packed teeth and wider jaws . The theory is the latest in a long line about our prehistoric ancestors , many of which contradict each other . Last year a study at the University of Tübingen in Germany claimed early humans emigrated from Africa far earlier than we first thought - and as many as 130,000 years ago . Another study at the University of Chicago said wolves began evolving into domestic dogs between 9,000 and 34,000 years ago , while a third study said dogs may not have evolved from wolves as we know them today at all .
Neanderthals were wiped out after ancient humans arrived from Europe . Scientists disagree on why - but top anthropologist may have the answer . Dr Pat Shipman said we paired up with wolves in symbiotic partnership . Wolves cornered prey and humans made the kill , sharing meat afterwards . Neanderthals were then 'no match ' for humans ' superior hunting tactics .