Episode 3 10 Puppies and Us

We'll welcome a quarter of a million puppies into our homes this year.

Of all different shapes and sizes.

From the most popular...

to the very expensive...

to some of the smallest.

But new owners, be warned -

behind those puppy-dog stares lies a magnet for mischief.

Lola, walk!

Stop it!

No, no!

In this series, we follow a group of families and their puppies...

Oi!

..in those all-important first six months together.

I have to say, it's worse than having had a baby.

Puppy bite me!

DOG GROWLS

DOG BARKS

The puppies will need training, discipline,

and require a whole lot of patience.

They can more than quadruple in size...

..consume up to 80kg of food...

..and go to the toilet more than 1,000 times.

This series explores how the nation's favourite pet

adapts to their new world...

Aw!

..but also the profound effects they can have

on the lives of their owners.

Yeah!

This is the biggest commitment of my life.

Uh-oh!

I'm a girl who does not take failure very well.

Join us on an extraordinary journey,

as we follow ten very special puppies as they embark on a new life

with ten very different families.

DOG BARKS

In this episode, we'll catch up with nail salon resident Chloe,

as she finds a new victim...

I think Chloe is a very overbearing dog.

TOY SQEUAKS

..a Labrador pup begins life with a family

who have a very particular need.

-BABY GROWLS

-Is he nice?

And we meet the pet pooch hoping to become a star.

Oh, I like the look over the shoulder, that's good.

Good boy.

But we start with single lady Delia Lewis.

Today is the day. Today is the puppy day.

I'm going to be a puppy parent!

SHE SQUEALS

It's happening.

She's come to Peterborough to collect her new companion

from the breeder.

Is this the right thing to do?

Of course it's the right thing to do. I'm so ready for this.

Delia has always wanted a big dog.

Oh!

A professional clairvoyant, she had a glimpse of her own future

when she tried out different breeds in her London flat.

-A Great Dane....

-Oh, no!

..and a Leonberger.

You want your cuddles, do you?

I love big dogs.

DOG BARKS

I'm a lady in her 30s, and I don't have a partner.

And...I do wish that I had either a person or a dog here

to just kind of snuggle to.

Oh! Look at it. Oh, God!

-Oh!

-There you go.

-Hello!

-Hello, Delia.

And THIS is who she's picked.

Hello, Maple.

You already recognise me as your mother!

Maple is an eight-week-old Leonberger.

Called Leos for short, they are loyal but strong willed,

and due to their size, need disciplined handling.

"Oh," she said, "they're nice coloured shoes, I like them!"

I'm expecting collateral damage.

-Lovely for chewing.

-I know!

-Not ideal.

She loves cuddles.

Hi!

To get back to Delia's London flat, Maple now faces a four-hour journey,

on three separate trains.

WHIMPERING

Don't worry, honey.

When collecting a puppy...

Darling, thank you so much.

..it's recommended you have food, drink, a blanket, and a carrier.

Delia has none of them.

I'm trying to hold my baby and my bag and stilettos.

Not just any stilettos, five-inch stilettos.

The train at platform number six...

Terrified, but looking fine.

What's the best way to do this?

Now, honey, you need to be really good for me.

Good girl.

Such a good girl.

Lovely hairy paws.

I can't believe this is actually happening right now.

And it is a dream come true.

Right. Oh!

Too many people that way. We'll go that way.

Maple's been travelling for over two hours, and by train number two...

It happened.

God, there's so much pee.

You're such a small girl.

And there's so much pee.

Would you like to hold her while I wipe up?

There you go.

Puppies need to urinate every couple of hours...

Not enough tissue in this place.

..but they can also go spontaneously when they're nervous or anxious.

I still love you. Mama still loves you.

Right, this is where you're going to live.

Welcome home.

Maple! You're coming with me.

Yes, baby girl. Yep, here.

This is going to be your bed for now.

How is a puppy going to fit into Delia's life?

Well, I think it's going to actually calm me down.

Oi! No, no, no.

Oi!

Oi!

Come, come. Yes, baby.

Maple. No.

Put that over here. Oh, my God.

Oh! Maple!

It's time for food.

No.

-Right, you're going to have food.

-When picking up a dog,

it's best to support their weight from the bottom.

OK, she's really hungry.

Next, it's house training.

I'm putting down a training pad.

I want to keep up the good work the breeder's been doing.

Delia has to learn to recognise the signs that Maple needs the toilet

and move her to the designated spot.

Oh, my God, she peed!

And so it begins.

Look what you make me do.

Maple!

Why do I feel like you're going to pee?

Maple. Oh, my God, I knew it! I knew it.

I just knew it!

Oh, my God, what is she doing in the other room?

No!

Oh, my God! No!

She desecrated the holy space.

Oh, my goodness. Oh!

I'm just going to put paper everywhere.

I think, until she realises...

No!

God! On the...

Aw, now you've worn yourself out with all the pee.

You're lucky you're cute.

I'm terrified for tonight.

I'm actually terrified.

Any new puppy will have a lot to learn if they're to fit in

with their new family.

Right, ready?

But some owners need much more than just companionship

from their pet pooch.

Make you smart. I know, don't like your hair being done, I know.

Our seventh puppy will be joining the Lowe family in Lancashire

as a therapy dog.

Meet mum Emma, and her five children.

Mum, I can't find my milkshake.

Harry, 12, Ben, 11,

four-year-old twins, Arthur and Alfie...

-Woo! Yay!

-..and one-year-old Elsie.

You did it!

Our house, it is busy.

Get him!

Oh, don't smack him. Gentle!

But it's an organised busy.

-One more.

-Emma's partner works away on the family farm,

so during the week, it's Harry who helps her care for the twins,

who both have Down's Syndrome.

I think Down's Syndrome is normal, cos it's just the way they are,

so you can't really moan about it either.

As well as Down's syndrome, Alfie also has autism.

Alfie will sit in one place, and no matter how many times you go over

and try to interact with him, he gets in such a little bit of stress.

His development's under 12 months, and he's four years old,

and that's just simply because he's got autism.

Emma's hoping a puppy will aid Alfie's development

and calm his anxiety.

A dog coming into his life would help him a lot because I do believe

if he lies with a dog and strokes a dog, that it will calm him down.

Young carer Harry is also keen.

I would look after it and feed it, like I do with the cat.

And then I'll take him on walks. I can't take the cat on walks.

Right, we're ready to rock and roll.

The family have been searching for the right puppy for 18 months,

but have been hesitant to take the plunge.

Let's go.

So we don't necessarily know exactly what we want.

We just need a dog that's going to suit us.

It is a very big deal for us to get the right dog,

especially for the twins.

Good boy. Come on, Ryder.

On hand to help is dog behaviourist Louise Glazebrook.

She's brought along a puppy she hopes will aid Emma's decision...

..11-month-old trained assistance dog, Ryder,

with his owner, Caroline.

-Hi. All right?

-How are you? I'm Louise.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

-Come on in.

-Come on, good boy.

Have the boys had much exposure to dogs previously?

-Have you got any experience?

-They have. We did buy one dog.

We made a bit of a mistake, really, because it turned out to be

quite boisterous and kept knocking them over.

-Right.

-So we ended up having to find another home for that dog,

which broke the boys' hearts.

And that's something I don't want to do again.

Is there anything that you do feel anxious about,

given previous experience?

Yes. My worry is, if I go to the toilet or make a cup of tea,

is the dog doing biting?

-OK.

-I just want a dog to be able to sense Alfie's anxieties, that will

go up to him and he can then stroke, and hopefully settle him down.

So, do you think they might like to come in and meet Ryder?

I do definitely, yeah.

Will we go see the doggie?

Come on, then. Hello.

-Say hello. Oh!

-Is this Alfie?

-Hello.

-Oh! Look, who's that doggie?

-Is that nice, Alfie?

Ryder's got a strong bite, but a year of training has taught him

not to snap.

Yay, we like Ryder.

Aw!

Yeah. A nice dog.

I've never seen him like this around an animal before!

Just seems so relaxed and excited.

And his anxiety's just totally disappeared.

Labradors are an ideal breed for therapy dogs, as they're intelligent

and tolerant, and have a strong desire

to please their human companions.

How do you sort of feel about moving forward with getting a dog?

-Feel more relaxed. A lot more relaxed.

-Do you?

Yeah, and I just feel I could get a dog that's going to develop

the children. And how Ryder is,

this is just perfect for what I need for the boys, this dog.

-See you later.

-Bye. Say, "Bye, Ryder."

It was lovely seeing Alfie interact with Ryder. And I think, for her,

that sort of made it all feel really worthwhile and that it was

definitely the step that she should take.

If she can get the right dog with the right temperament from the

right breeder, I think this could be brilliant for the family.

Go and get Raa Raa.

Millions of puppies will find themselves thrown into the

rough and tumble of family life.

But not all.

-In Watford...

-Hurray!

..our eighth puppy will be moving in

with young film industry professionals, Lee and Bella.

-So, to new ventures, baby.

-Yeah.

-It's exciting.

-New beginnings.

-Yeah.

The couple have just celebrated their first wedding anniversary.

If we lived in a massive house in the country,

-what dog would you have?

-I'd probably go...a St Bernard.

A St Bernard, like Beethoven?

Yeah, like Beethoven.

As soon as we got married,

people immediately assume you're going to have a child.

They'd be like, "Oh, you'll be hearing the pitter-patter

"of tiny feet." We just doubled the number of tiny feet.

Yep.

Lee works in PR, and Bella as a graphic designer.

They're hoping to use their connections to turn their new pup

-into a doggie superstar.

-We're so project driven in our jobs,

-so...

-I thought you were going to say in our personal life then.

-We have Project Marriage. Now we have Project Puppy.

-Yeah.

I think it's going to be great that we now have this pet project.

Yay!

I love how much stuff we have here. This is epic.

Let's break out one of his activity balls.

Just trying to make it look homely.

Mum's on holiday until tomorrow,

so today, Dad will be in sole charge of the new arrival.

Bella did me a very comprehensive

to-do list last night. So we've got 1,000 words on food.

Toilet training cycle. I think that's his rather than mine.

So, yeah, there's a lot to take in.

And this is what I've interpreted as essentially, pick up puppy,

bring puppy home, don't kill puppy.

This is your new home.

Here we go. Right.

Freedom!

Here we go.

It's a momentous step.

There we go. Come to Daddy.

Aw, look at that. Aw, that's really touching.

He's come straight to me.

Meet Butch Cassidy, an 11-week-old pug.

Originally bred to be decorative lapdogs, pugs are playful,

confident, and curious, but can be strong willed.

Coveted for their cuteness,

they are the UK's fourth-most-popular dog breed.

Wow. Wow, this boy can lick.

I think we struggled for a little while because pugs are a little

ridiculous. I don't want to be the hipster who goes to Shoreditch with

their dog and everyone else is in Shoreditch with their dog.

But then I think, we just went, "Let's just admit that

"that's what we want, that's who we are, and accept it."

And then had a great idea - let's call him Butch.

Whole new room to discover!

I literally just want to wallow in the novelty of him

running around the flat.

There may be only three steps in the whole apartment,

but to tiny Butch, it's a massive challenge.

Butch, you've got to remember one fundamental rule,

is what happens on bachelor weekend stays on bachelor weekend, OK?

See you later, Butch.

It's been a big day for him. And me.

Oh!

I'm going to attempt sit-ups. Let's have a go.

Day two, and Butch Cassidy is making himself at home.

Hey, Butch. Hey, Butch.

Hello. Daddy's just doing some exercises.

Oh! Oh!

-Hello.

-Argh!

After a tough first day, the cavalry's arrived.

Bella's back from holiday.

-Oh, hello!

-There we go.

-Yeah, he remembers you.

-Oh, hello, little man.

-Hey.

-What do you think?

-He's beautiful. Aren't you?

What's that? What's that?

Oh, I missed you, too. Missed you too, little guy.

Oh! It looks like you were born to do this.

You look like a natural already.

Well, he makes it easy, don't you, Butch?

Right, going to love you and leave you.

With Lee off the leash and back to work...

OK, I'll follow your man chore rules - try not to kill him.

-See you.

-Bye, good luck.

Bella's left holding the baby.

Right, Butch, just you and me now.

Oh, good boy, Butchy.

OK.

Oh, no, he's torn the carpet.

No! Oh, no, I'm going to have to admit that to Daddy, aren't I?

Or we could just cut it off.

And then he would never know.

OK. So, let's have a look at that.

So, you want to know, does he have feelings towards this woman?

In Croydon, Delia's now had Maple for two weeks,

and is trying to balance puppy parenthood with working from home

as a telephone psychic.

So, what are his intentions?

Oh, God.

Since her 11-week-old Leonberger keeps christening the carpet,

Delia's decided to rechristen HER.

I thought Maple is far too sweet a name for this dog.

I mean, don't get me wrong, she is sweet, but, like,

she's not THAT sweet.

Shiva, leave it.

So, meet Shiva.

Shiva is the Hindu god of destruction,

and this young pup is living up to the name.

She'll chew anything that she can get her mouth on.

Leave it, Shiva!

Shiva!

Leave it!

SHE SHRIEKS

Leave it! Leave it!

Leave it! Argh! Leave it!

BARKING

This is one of her favourite spots, and if I call her away,

or if I pick her away...

..that doesn't necessarily stop anything.

Like humans, puppies have baby teeth and adult teeth.

-Leave it.

-When their adult teeth start to come through,

pups will chew anything that helps with the pain.

Come here, come on!

Come here, you little terror, terrorising me.

Getting out the door is never a quick thing.

Shiva.

Leave it, leave it, leave it.

This is the daily struggle of trying to get the puppy harness

onto this little madam.

So, yeah, right, we're going to go out. Come, come!

My experience of owning a puppy...

Tiring.

Fun.

Tiring.

DOG BARKS

Oh, don't be scared, your bark's going to be just as big.

Look at my baby girl!

Yeah, I love her.

With giant breed puppies like Leonbergers, it's especially

important to limit their exercise to protect their growing joints.

But short walks can leave big puppies in a boisterous mood

when they get home.

SHE SHRIEKS

Leave it!

Leave it.

SHE SHRIEKS

I kind of feel like I have a glimpse

of what it's like being a parent now.

No, no, no.

Just a glimpse.

Like Delia, all of our ten owners will need to work hard to master

the incredibly complex relationship between dog and owner.

Puppies are social animals with a pack mentality inherited from their

wolf ancestors. It's up to every owner to gain their dog's respect

through positive reinforcement.

But adding another pet into the mix can upset the balance,

as the puppies try to establish their place in the social order.

In East London, the Tran family are about to welcome another pup

into THEIR pack.

Well, I definitely prefer being around my dogs.

People sometimes annoy me.

Hannah Tran's feisty Chihuahua pup, Chloe, is now 22 weeks old,

and still terrorising elderly Rocky, previously top dog in the house.

I really wanted Rocky and Chloe to get on.

I wanted him to have a companion.

But it kind of backfired.

To help fix the problem, expert Louise prescribed a large increase

in hyperactive Chloe's exercise routine.

But unbeknownst to Louise,

Hannah hatched her own plan to improve the situation.

-Don't be angry.

-Oh, no, what are you going to tell me?

I'm getting another puppy, in a week's time.

They're struggling with two, so bringing a third in,

it doesn't make sense to me.

I know Louise said it's not ideal, but Chloe's going to be so happy,

she'll have a friend, she'll have a playmate.

I think she's definitely going to love her.

Here we go!

This is Susie, the third dog to join the nail bar.

You're not nervous.

Having come from the same Chihuahua breeder, she's Chloe's half-sister,

but this is no guarantee Chloe will react well to her tiny sibling.

Chloe.

Oh, you're a good girl, aren't you?

She really does have big eyes, doesn't she?

Yeah, so cute.

-Aww!

-Aww!

That's your sister! Your sister.

-Sister.

-Why are you bringing another puppy into the mix?

I've got to be honest - it is mainly for me!

I just want another dog.

So far, Hannah's bold plan is paying off.

DOG YAPS

But 12 hours later, it's a different story.

Chloe. Where's Susie?

DOG YAPS

She's being a bit rough with her.

When a new dog is coming into an established pack...

..it's important to prevent one from trying to bully the other.

Well, I think she's quite jealous, actually.

Hannah will need to help Susie find her confidence,

and stand up for herself.

You're not a pushover, are you?

No, don't let Chloe bully you.

I think Chloe is a very overbearing dog.

Still to pick their one, and definitely ONLY, puppy,

are the Lowe family.

That's fine, I'll sort it out,

you want to go round the other way, then?

We need to call it an easy name that the twins are going to pick as well.

OK, I've got Lola, Roxy.

Yeah.

Today, they're on their way to Worcestershire,

to visit a litter of Labradors.

-I've got more names.

-Oh, my gosh...

-Rusty.

-Yeah.

-Shadow.

-Yeah.

Zeus.

Hunter.

Hunter's nice, I like Hunter.

For this family, picking the perfect pup couldn't be more important.

..Buster, or Coco.

-All right?

-So Louise has come to meet them, to help out.

The litter have been bred at this care farm, where adults with

learning difficulties work, and help rear them.

For her situation, which is quite unique, it's about the right puppy,

the right breeder, the right type of dog,

and this family deserve to have a great puppy.

Oh, my goodness!

Look! Oh, my!

WHIMPERING

At six weeks old,

this litter of ten are entering a key socialisation period.

During these formative weeks, puppies will pick up crucial skills,

through play with their siblings and mum.

Learning how to control their bite, develop social skills

and boundaries, and improve coordination.

At this stage, individual character will start to develop,

and roles established in the litter, with leaders and followers.

That's it, keep your hand underneath his bottom, as well.

That's it.

Amazing!

This dog knows me already.

Louise's first tip is to meet the parents.

-So this is Sophie.

-Yep.

-She's the mum of the litter.

She's beautiful.

If you go and see a breeder, and you're looking at the mum,

and you would be happy to take her home,

then you know that's a great sign of a litter.

And you can see, she's ever so gentle,

her tail doesn't stop wagging. She's very calm,

so you're looking for the same from a puppy for your family.

It's time for Louise to initiate a tough but fair game of elimination.

We've got ten puppies in here. I think what we need to start

to look at is, in the nicest possible way,

-removing the ones that we think are not...

-OK.

-..are not

going to be viable, just because they're not right for your family.

They're right somebody else, but not for you.

Yeah.

This one is lovely,

but was slightly full-on earlier with some of the other puppies,

and now we're getting barking.

Louise dismisses puppies that are boisterous,

and ones that seem nervous of the children.

When we had all the kids round here, there were a few that definitely

came up here and were more interested,

-and there were more that kind of tried to stay away.

-Yeah.

-So shall I just move a couple out that I know tried to stay away?

-OK.

She's looking for an inquisitive, yet calm and confident, nature.

So I'm going to move this one, too.

It's come down to a choice of two black Labrador boys.

Hello. Oh, why did they both have to do that?

-They both went into me.

-I know.

So maybe what we should think about doing with these two is getting

the children involved, and just seeing how they interact.

Oh, I think he can smell your food.

-Come here, angel.

-I don't have milk.

I like this one, because it's quite confident.

-OK.

-I think we're going to have to decide.

-Which one?

-Red. No, purple. Purple. Got mixed up then.

Oh, there was a slip then.

Which one are you naturally drawn to, which is the one

that you feel like you can imagine yourself with the most?

I love them both, but I am drawn to the... I am drawn to the purple one.

-That's your decision, then.

-Yeah.

As 11-year-old Ben preferred the other pup,

he gets the honour of naming the dog.

And remember, you're going to have to say this for maybe, like,

-the next 15 years.

-All right, Hunter, yeah.

-Hunter!

-Yeah?

-Yeah.

-Decision made!

-Hunter will be joining Emma and her busy brood

at home in two weeks' time.

I have to do some work. You're going to come? OK.

I'll put you on your pillow, so you can stay there.

Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, am I getting in your way?

In Watford, 18-week-old pug, Butch Cassidy,

is being introduced to the world of freelance graphic design.

Come on, work with me here!

Massive hindrance, but I can't say no to this little guy.

You can't substitute the endorphins you get from cuddling

such a beautiful little creature. He is just wonderful, and I love him.

Shake hands.

Thank you! Good boy!

So smitten are Bella and husband Lee with their new addition,

they're convinced an online audience will fall for Butch's charms, too.

Look, he's already gone there. You're such a good boy!

Lee and I have been taking loads of photos,

as you do when you have a really cute puppy.

We both like our photography,

so we decided to get a couple of props and costumes and silly things.

The online world is awash with hundreds of dogs

who've achieved fame and fortune on social media.

Batman the Batpug regularly garners thousands of likes,

and superstar Suki And The City can make up to £100 an hour

in modelling or sponsorship.

-Is it shooting?

-Rolling.

Over here, Butch, over here!

-He looks so cute!

-One more time, Butchy.

We do the Instagram stuff with him, putting some fun pictures of him up.

Our goal is to maybe make a few people laugh.

OK, we're looking here, and then were looking there...

Oh, Butchy!

You just love showing him off, you're proud of him.

He's got a real sort of bounce, a little spring in his step.

Oh, my God, his little trot.

He's got such a little swagger.

He knows it, he knows everyone's looking at him.

High five. Yeah!

Boom.

Most of his pictures get about 200 likes and stuff,

and even that feels quite good.

Here we go, oh, look at him!

#Redcarpet, #Oscars.

-Done.

-Done.

He's in his trailer, exhausted.

-Shall we take him in?

-Yep.

-Put you in?

-Ready?

To help build Butch's profile and get him noticed...

Well, hello! This is Bella, this is Butch.

..his showbiz parents have arranged a meeting

with Lee's social media team.

We set him up with a bit of an Instagram profile,

just kind of keen to show him off,

so we just kind of wanted to get some advice,

because we're just complete novices, and you guys know your onions.

Dogs, cats, any kind of pet are massively relevant.

I think, give him a bit of a unique selling point,

and give people a reason to engage.

He's far too clever to be silly and not taken seriously,

-but he's still very fun.

-Yeah.

-I think this one's great.

-That, to me, says Alfred Hitchcock.

So I saw the recent image that you did,

of him looking up at the camera,

which I think is your best-performing one so far.

I just think the eyes just speak to the camera.

The fat pug.

-Yes.

-No.

-Fat cats.

-No, very bad.

-No, that's not good.

He's a stuntman. Do you see any fat stuntmen?

He's a stuntman, he's going to ride little horses and things.

-Oh, yeah, if you can get a tiny horse involved.

-Yeah.

Yeah. That's awesome.

I feel like this chat has helped us solidify

-what we're trying to do here, this is good.

-Yeah.

-Do it, get it out there.

-Fist bump, fist bump?

Ooh. Fist bump.

-Do you want a hand?

-Nope.

-Got him in?

While Bella and Lee are on the hunt for publicity...

..in another part of town, someone else is desperate

for a bit of privacy.

No, no...

DOG BARKS

OK!

She's quite vocal with me just stepping out the door,

or leaving her outside the bathroom.

She is literally with me everywhere.

I'd like to have a private moment, however, you know...

..get on with it.

When puppies first arrive home,

they should learn independence buying being left for short periods,

even just to go the toilet.

What, what, what, what?

Time and distance should be gradually increased

over the first few months,

until you're happy to leave them home alone for a few hours.

Delia hasn't left 13-week-old Shiva's side once.

She's killing me. I'm so tired.

I feel like I'm tired all the time.

Because I can't leave her on her own.

Get back inside.

In, in.

I am a little bit restricted.

DOG BARKS

I'm housebound with my dog.

I think I'm a prisoner!

I think I'm a prisoner! But, no, seriously,

my dog's separation anxiety is pretty bad.

WHIMPERING

Whilst most puppies would prefer company...

I'm here, I'm here. I'm here.

..an unwary owner can reinforce the desire for attention

by not establishing boundaries.

Is this what happens when I leave you?

Even a trip to the shop presents challenges -

how to get what you want when you can't leave your dog home alone.

Is somebody there?

Vina, can I have black bin bags?

Brown sugar, if you have it.

If I was a young baby, I wouldn't want to be left on my own,

and you probably wouldn't leave toddlers on their own.

Thank you so much.

So, for now, until she grows up,

definitely I will just take her out with me wherever she goes.

If Delia doesn't solve the problem, she may need a bigger bathroom,

as Shiva is doubling in size every month.

I think I've got about one more week of her being small,

before she shoots into this beast of a dog.

YELPS

And I'm quite scared, actually.

DOG BARKS

OK. I'll open the door now.

As Delia's finding out, puppies love nothing more

than being the centre of their owner's attention.

But on the other side of town,

media-savvy Lee and Bella have higher ambitions for their pooch,

and are preparing him to take on the world.

That was the best photobomb ever!

They've used their work connections to hook up with celebrity pooch

Batman the Batpug...

..and together make a video,

in the hopes of attracting some of Batpug's 90,000 followers.

But with so much fun to be had during the day...

..he's becoming overexcited at night.

DOG WHIMPERS

So, it's 3:30am...

..and the beast is stirring.

At six months old, Butch is now entering puberty,

a classic time for adolescent problems to develop.

Over the last two weeks, he's been refusing to go to bed.

I just got woken up to Butch crying, and...

DOG WHIMPERS

Oh!

He sounds quite upset.

So I'm going to go to him in a second and try and calm him down.

No, no, Butch, come on.

YELPING

Why not give us four hours' more sleep?

I'm going to try and ease him to sleep by his bed.

The crying is... It's like a little, like, stab in my heart.

It's a horrible noise. It sounds like a baby.

YELPING

And I think I've gone through the entire range of emotions.

Like, I'll go to him and be worried about him, and coo to him,

and I'll go to him and I'll yell at him and I'll tell him

to go back into his room!

-Hello, lovely to make you!

-Nice to meet you.

Hi. This is Butchy.

If you could just bring him back in a week or so...

Look, pop him in here, pop him in there.

Desperately seeking a good night's sleep,

Bella and Lee have called on Louise to advise.

People try lots of different things, and they don't do things

consistently, and actually, whether it's a baby,

a dog, when you're making changes,

you do need to do something consistently, so you can see, like,

an accumulative effect.

Do you feel like he is attention seeking?

The fact that he has cried so much makes me think that there might be

attention seeking to it.

I think once he realised we were just there, he really started

acting out and crying and trying to get our attention.

OK, and when you were crating him, or had him in a pen,

did you have these same problems when he was in that?

Well, he didn't actually cry through the night at all

-for the first few months.

-So why did you get rid of it?

Because...

I think because I felt like he was ready to...leave it.

Sometimes, by us trying to increase space and give them more room and

a bit more freedom, actually,

it makes it a little bit more frightening for them.

-OK.

-Because if you were to think of it in human terms,

it's a little bit like he's sort of been in a Moses basket,

and he's nice and cocooned, and then all of a sudden,

you've moved him into a double bed on his own,

and it's a bit like, "Oh, I don't quite know, this is a bit too much."

-OK.

-And sleeping arrangements -

where you actually want him to be long-term?

That's an excellent question, because we never really, like,

talked about that.

And when you had the pen, the pen was...

The pen was across here, and his bed was there.

To restore a happy family life,

Louise recommends reinstating Butch's puppy pen.

So that you have this area, which is, like, his.

-Yeah.

-Kind of like his bedroom.

Because I think, psychologically, humans,

we probably think of it as a prison, because it's got bars,

but I feel like dogs quite like that.

Yeah, well, dogs like boundaries,

and dogs just like to know what to expect.

-Yeah?

-Yep, sounds good.

-OK.

Louise also recommends upping Butch's mental and physical exercise

so he's tired out at bedtime.

So if he wakes up at 1am, we call you, yeah?

-Right then and there.

-Please do.

My phone will be on answer machine, but definitely ring me.

The main thing with Butch is that everything's being done out of love,

so they are doing what they think is best for him,

but they can make some really simple changes to get them

to where they want to be, but they need to be consistent with it.

One of the most interesting things,

which I think is something we've discussed before, is the pen.

It seems like dogs quite like the containment,

and to have a roof over their head, even though it hasn't got a roof.

There we go, all done.

And by hook or crook, we'll cure our insomniac pug!

And failing all of that, we'll just give him sleeping pills.

Joke.

Careful he doesn't pull you over, careful.

In Lancashire, the Lowe family have at last

welcomed their new puppy home.

He's slotted in quite well.

He's definitely got the right personality for us as a family,

because he's just... He's cheeky.

Hunter is eight weeks old.

At this age, he's curious about the world around him,

ready to seek out human companionship, and eager to learn.

The perfect foundation for a pup

the family hope will become a therapy dog.

-Eat!

-He ate Harry's homework!

Mum, it just ate my maths homework.

Now you can say your dog ate my homework.

Right.

But before she can begin therapy training,

Emma's discovering one of the pitfalls of puppies at dinner time.

Ah-ah-ah! No, no, no, no!

He just pinches things, and eats things.

He eats like a Hoover.

Whenever, like, Elsie throws something on the floor, he gets it.

No, no!

No! No!

You're not having any. No, no, you're not having it now.

-You're naughty.

-Like all dogs, Labradors are natural scavengers.

We should have called him Hoover, not Hunter.

But this urge can be reduced by making sure a dog's dinner is

high-quality and nutritious, so he prefers HIS food over yours.

I'm not going to lie, five kids and a young puppy in the house

is mayhem, but my friends all said to me, "Are you mad?"

Hunter! No!

Hunter! Time-out.

What's the matter? What are you worried about?

But for Emma, the effort is all worth it,

for the promise of what Hunter might bring to Alfie's life.

Do you want a drink? Look at Mummy. Do you want a drink?

Yeah, do you want a drink?

Let's get you a drink.

ALFIE YELLS AND CRIES

What's up, what's the matter?

What's the matter?

I don't like seeing Alfie distressed.

I hate seeing him so upset.

He's my little boy, and I'm his mum,

and I want to stop him crying and stop him getting so distressed,

and stop him... But he can't tell me.

Hunter!

Hunter, Hunter, Hunter.

He has actually calmed down now.

The aim is to train Hunter to recognise Alfie's emotional cues

when he's getting distressed, so he can offer him comfort.

Dogs are brilliantly designed to do this, and it's all down to

the remarkable similarity between their brains and ours.

Alongside primates,

they're the only animals that can use a combination of sensors

to interpret emotion.

By reading facial expressions and body language,

and listening to verbal cues, some dogs are able to evaluate our mood,

and respond to us.

Does he feel nice?

I was hoping for a dog that would be able to calm Alfie down

with his autism, and to see it actually developing

so soon and so quickly

is actually quite nice.

-ALFIE LAUGHS

-Is he nice?

-PHONE RINGS

-Hello, American Nails. Can I help you?

At the Tran family nail salon...

Oh, one o'clock, two, three, or later?

..Chihuahua Chloe is up to her usual tricks.

But the next day, you just feel so horrible.

She's replaced her favourite play toy, Rocky,

with an unsuspecting Susie.

BARKING

Please be more gentle.

In the hopes of restoring peace,

Hannah's following Louise's advice...

Oh, God, she is adorable, though.

..lots of exercise.

Oh, sorry!

Chloe, up, in.

But Hannah's taking no chances -

separate walks, to give Susie a break.

Come on, Susie, good girl.

As well as releasing pent-up energy,

short walks help Chihuahua puppies' muscles to develop.

Come on, Susie, come on, Susie, jump.

But for a little pup like Susie, the great outdoors poses big challenges.

Good girl!

Oh, it's a very profound moment in her life.

Come, Chloe.

Chloe's also facing a profound moment of her own.

Now seven months old,

Hannah has booked her into the vet's to be spayed.

Once you've lost a dog under anaesthetic, it is very difficult

to decide to put another dog under again.

The decision to go ahead is bringing back memories for Hannah

of her dog, Lucky, who died during a routine operation.

We called her Lucky because we thought she was lucky.

She wasn't lucky.

Today's operation to remove Chloe's ovaries

should take less than two hours.

-Goodbye.

-Bye, Chloe!

Come with us. All right. Good girl.

I feel quite emotional.

It just sort of reminds me of that day.

Here you go. Oh, dear.

Oh, dear.

I was waiting to finally get that phone call to say,

"You can come in and collect her now, bring her home."

And when they did call me, I was really excited, but...

..the news they gave me wasn't the news I wanted to hear.

Just going into the abdomen now.

Dogs can suffer from many of the same complaints as humans,

from arthritis to dementia.

Another one is cancer.

Spaying can help reduce the risk of breast cancer,

as well as stopping unwanted pregnancies.

So, ovary's there, where my thumb is,

and the ovarian ligament attaching to the uterus,

that's one uterine horn,

so the right uterine horn, and then ovary two, left uterine horn,

and that's the body of the uterus.

It's now three hours since she went into theatre,

and Hannah's had no news.

I'm feeling a bit tense,

because I'm just about to call the vet to ask them how Chloe's doing.

RINGING TONE

Veterinary surgery. How can I help?

Hi there, this is Hannah, I'm just calling regarding Chloe.

-Yes, just bear with me one moment.

-Yep.

Yeah, she's doing fine, she's a little bit sleepy still,

but she should be OK to go at four o'clock.

Four o'clock, that's fine. Thank you very much.

-OK, bye-bye.

-I'll see you soon, bye.

YELPING

OK, OK, OK.

Hi. Oh, look, she's up and well.

So I'm sure that's a huge relief for you to have her back with you.

-It is a relief. She's very alert.

-Yeah.

She just sighed there as well. A sigh of relief!

A few days later, and it's business as usual...

The colour, number 18?

..upstairs, as well as down.

-Susie.

-Well, with one small but significant difference.

14-week-old Susie is growing in confidence...

She's definitely not a pushover.

..and now more than happy to join in Chloe's games.

As for elder statesman Rocky...

Rocky now, he is very happy.

Chloe forget Rocky.

Here you go, Rocky, you stay here.

I'm so pleased for him.

He's kind of just set in his own ways.

He's just happy to be on his own.

Getting two puppies was the best decision I've ever made.

They've brought so much happiness into our household,

and I feel like I can finally move forward.

Chloe, beg. Beg.

Chloe and Susie has mended Hannah's broken heart, definitely.

At the moment, I don't want any more dogs.

No, three is enough.

Three is a good number.

Maybe I'll get a cat.

In Watford, Butch is now 8½ months old.

He's back in his puppy pen,

as he wasn't ready to move into a grown-up bed.

We have just had another semi-decent night's sleep, which is a win.

We tend to go to him at about 5am, and then for the last

couple of hours, Butchy gets his little treat.

Up you come. Hello!

Hello, darling!

And then we all get to cuddle up and sleep until you need to get up.

And there's another reason to celebrate.

Butch is well on his way to becoming a social media sensation.

Oh, I like the look over the shoulder, that's good.

He's got about 3,500 followers, which I think is incredible.

I have 80, so I think he's amazing.

He's got probably ten times as many as both of us combined.

-Yeah.

-Which is embarrassing, if anything, but...

For Lee and Bella, life has transformed

since they welcomed the pitter-patter of tiny paws.

It's like a teaser for having a child, I suppose, isn't it?

It's definitely a dry run, yeah.

We sit there at night and cuddle him, and we tell him we love him,

-and it's true.

-SHE CHUCKLES

-So I'm just...

-She used to do that to me!

Aw!

Don't touch me.

Has she gone under the bed?

Delia's playmate is somewhat less cooperative.

Shiva the diva, as she's now known, is 15 weeks old...

Shiva.

Oi! Come on!

..has tripled in size since she arrived...

Look, I don't like this backchat.

..and isn't listening to a word Delia says.

Come on, baby, come on, baby!

In a bid to take back control...

..Delia's enrolled in weekly puppy classes.

As you're learning to kind of be a good dog owner, parent, whatever,

um, sometimes going to puppy class shows your flaws, but we'll see.

You can tell I'm anxious, right?

SHE SIGHS

Hiya.

Puppy classes teach obedience and socialisation.

Well done. Well done, beautiful.

Regular interaction with other dogs and people is vital for a puppy,

and helps them grow into a well-adjusted adult.

OK, so go to the end of the hall.

We'll do some puppy recalls.

OK, ready?

Good girl, beautiful.

Well done. That's excellent.

Delia's task is to get her puppy to come to her when she calls.

Shiva, Shiva, come on.

Shiva.

But Shiva's having none of it.

Just one time, for me.

Just one time! Good girl, come on.

So let's see you playing with your puppies,

so keep that toy nice and low, let them win it.

Come on, come on, come on!

There you go, Shiva. Go on, Shiva.

-Come on, baby.

-What problems are you having?

It's hard to not want to kind of pull her to you,

but I'm not sure if that's the right thing to do.

Come here, good girl.

OK. So just try...enticing her.

Come on, Shiva.

Come on.

No.

OK, so one at a time, all I want you to do with you and your puppies

is just come up to this gate, walk through, call them through,

and reward them as you go off.

Good girl.

All right, let's have Shiva.

Come on, Shiva. Come on, come on, come on.

Come on, come on, come on.

So, look, your hand's here, she's there.

Shiva. Come on.

Does she want to do a poo?

-Oh, that is a possibility.

-Do you want to go and take her out,

-and just see if she wants to do a poo?

-OK.

Come, come, let's go poo-poo outside.

Make sure you take your poo bag with you.

Yep, yep. Hold your tail, hold your tail, hold your tail.

That's it,

she wanted to do a poo.

Oh, God...

CHUCKLING

I'm really, really sorry.

I just really can't go back in there for now.

-I just think, "For

-BLEEP

-sake, you've got to poo as well?"

I don't know, I just feel like I'm just doing a bad job.

And, you know, when she's going to be so big,

I'm just going to keep messing up.

Yeah, you can't blame the puppy, really,

you've got to blame the owner.

Oh, I am a girl who does not take failure very well.

It's horrifying having a puppy right now.

It's horrifying.

High five.

Next time...

..we meet our final two puppies -

a rescue looking for a second chance...

Oh, what have you done? What have you done?

..and a cockapoo looking for trouble.

Oh, Russell, no!

It's really nice having someone who's naughtier than I am.

Argh! No!

And we catch up with Delia,

as she tries to take charge.

No!