Everyone knows that dogs were domesticated from the wolf so long ago—as hard as it is to swallow that idea with the shivering Chihuahua in a pink rhinestone sweater. Yet while most everyone and all scientists agree that dogs all descend from the wild dog, no one was quite able to figure out where that first domestication occurred. Then DNA testing became involved in the latest research, and the results say Europe.

The research lead by Olaf Thalmann and his colleagues reported the investigation in Science magazine. They were able to point to Europe 18,000 years ago through genetic analysis of dog and wolf samples.

Instead of solving mysteries, this discovery only added more complexity to the dog genealogy story. Earlier DNA studies suggest man’s best friend originated around the Middle East or East Asia as late as 15,000 years ago. The problem with both these DNA studies is that fossils definitely belonging to dog-like animals date back to 30,000 years.

To try and better understand this conflicting evidence, Dr. Tahlmann from the University of Turku in Finland compared genetic sequences from ancient dogs and wolves to current dogs and wolves.

What this analysis found was that the DNA of modern-day dog most closely resembled that of the ancient European dog or wolf than any other wolf groups—including current ones—outside Europe.

The research also points to domesticated dogs older than 18,000 years, which means dogs were becoming domesticated before man had settled into agricultural communities. They were still hunting and gathering.

This knowledge lead the researchers to theorize that the ancient wolves followed the migratory men, probably from a distance, and lived off the people’s scraps. Before long, a mutual relationship began to form.

“You have to remember that 18,800-32,000 years ago, Europe had much bigger predators than even wolves, such as bears and hyenas. And you can imagine that having wolves living close to you might be a very useful alarm system,” Tahlmann told BBC News. “It’s a plausible scenario for the origin of the domestication of dogs.”

While illuminating, the latest study is anything but foolproof. Dogs have become very mixed over time, which complicates the genetic signal the researchers use to detect the connections among species. Another complication is that historically, dogs have back-bred with wild wolves, further muddying the genetic water.

Most of the studies look at the mitochondrial DNA, a deep, but incomplete look at the whole DNA structure. Scientists hope to add the core DNA of the nucleus into future studies.