re: Research notes
It is not surprising archaeological findings do not support DNA evidence; as you point out, the lifestyle of nomadic hunter gatherers on a savanna does not lend itself to leaving lots of evidence. I've also felt the wolf was not the ideal candidate for a proto-dog. There are already wild dogs and a variety of other canids, both extant and extinct, which might have filled that role.
Although I don't deny the importance of the "Awwwww..." factor, I suspect the prime motivator for the domestication of dogs was the fact that with a dog in the hominid band, it was no longer possible for predators to sneak up on us at night. That's why domestic dogs bark, and wild ones don't. We selected for dogs that served the alarm role.