A wolf in sheep’s clothing: The development of livestock guarding dogs in the Adriatic region of Croatia

•Dog size and physical proportions may provide clues to the role they play within human societies.•Increasing dog size, and changes in dog diet and treatment in the Adriatic regions of Croatia from the Neolithic to the Iron Age correspond to the increasing importance of transhumant livestock management strategies.•These data suggest that dog size in Adriatic Croatia, and other parts of Europe across this period may track selection for large dogs capable of guarding livestock kept at greater distances from human settlements.