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 Africa . 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 .