What does the dog represent beyond man’s friend?

The dog represents hundreds of years of evolution. The dog has developed instincts that are in tune with nature. Unlike the man, It feels when it is too cold to travel. The narrator repeatedly mentions the dog's reluctance to go forward. The dog's instincts tell him that it is too cold outside. Although the man is aware that he should stop and make camp, he forges along. The man little notices the dog. He has no relationship with him and does not attempt to have one. This is similar to the man's relationship with nature. Like his failure to understand the dog, the man fails to recognise the rhythms and signs that nature gives. He asserts his dominance over both nature and dog. In the end the man is humbled, alone and dying in the frozen tundra while the dog heads for camp and the security of fire.