0:00:02 > 0:00:05This is Teg, my beautiful soppy sheepdog.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08You are the best dog in the whole world!
0:00:08 > 0:00:11Teg is part of a rare breed.
0:00:11 > 0:00:13She's proper Welsh, isn't she?
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Yes, Teg is a Welsh Sheepdog,
0:00:16 > 0:00:19a breed brought back from the brink of extinction.
0:00:19 > 0:00:23We found 80 of them, but of the 80, 20 were too old to breed.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26I want Teg and I to contribute to this story,
0:00:26 > 0:00:30so, much to the joy of my husband Ludo, I've made the decision
0:00:30 > 0:00:31to breed from her.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34It's going to be a nightmare! It's going to be a nightmare!
0:00:34 > 0:00:36My logic is that her puppies
0:00:36 > 0:00:39could help the survival of these ancient working dogs.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43We need new blood lines, really, in Wales, in the Welsh dogs.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47But the path to the pitter-patter of puppy paws is not a simple one.
0:00:49 > 0:00:52She doesn't even seem too keen on puppies.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53SHE SNARLS
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Oh, Teg, that's not very maternal.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Should I help my quirky dog Teg
0:00:57 > 0:01:00deliver a basketful of pure Welsh puppies
0:01:00 > 0:01:03or will this all end up as a shaggy dog's tale?
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Earlier in the series, I went on a Wales-wide search
0:01:12 > 0:01:16for the perfect mate for my three-year-old Welsh Sheepdog, Teg.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19If she's going to have puppies, I wanted to make sure
0:01:19 > 0:01:23the father was the most handsome and suitable suitor in the land.
0:01:23 > 0:01:25There's another potential husband.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28Not Simon, obviously. He's married. I'm not...
0:01:28 > 0:01:30For Teg - Tango, I mean.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Ludo and I eventually settled on Tango,
0:01:34 > 0:01:37an intelligent, fine-looking fella who spends his working days
0:01:37 > 0:01:40flushing feral sheep out of the Welsh forests.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I can't wait for Teg and Tango to tie the knot,
0:01:46 > 0:01:49but whilst Teg takes her time to come into season,
0:01:49 > 0:01:51there's one thing I want to clear up.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55Whilst it's absolutely undeniable
0:01:55 > 0:01:59that Welsh Sheepdogs have a distinctive way of herding,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03throughout this journey I've had one nagging doubt about the breed.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07Rightly or wrongly, modern popular convention appears
0:02:07 > 0:02:10to associate a breed with the way a dog looks.
0:02:10 > 0:02:14Well, the Welsh Sheepdogs don't have a uniform look
0:02:14 > 0:02:17so can they truly be considered a breed of their own?
0:02:19 > 0:02:22There's one way to find out.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25We're teaming up with researchers from Aberystwyth University
0:02:25 > 0:02:26to get to the bottom of it.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Matthew Hegarty is a DNA scientist,
0:02:30 > 0:02:34and this morning he's collecting a sample of Teg's saliva.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36What we'll do now is take that into the lab
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and go through the process of extracting the DNA from that.
0:02:39 > 0:02:44Fantastic. It'll be fascinating, hey, Teg, to find out what you are.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48Hmm? Find out what you are instead of just a ginger monster.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Matthew and his team are studying the genetic markers
0:02:52 > 0:02:56of the Welsh Sheepdogs to do what they call a breed assignment.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59What we're aiming to do with the help of the Welsh Sheepdog Society
0:02:59 > 0:03:03is to get DNA from maybe 20 to 25 registered Welsh Sheepdogs,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05as well as as many Border Collies as we can,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08that we're going to then take through and compare.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11That should give us the basic information we need to tell
0:03:11 > 0:03:13if the two breeds are different.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16Using the latest technology, the DNA of all the dogs
0:03:16 > 0:03:20taking part in the study is captured on little slides like this.
0:03:20 > 0:03:24The complex job of analysing the DNA matrix of letters
0:03:24 > 0:03:26is done by Rob McMahon.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31As far as I understand it now, the Welsh Sheepdog is a tricky one.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34It doesn't have a particular look.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36They're different colours, they're different sizes,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39they're different shapes, and so
0:03:39 > 0:03:42they don't seem to have a breed type.
0:03:42 > 0:03:47It may be that Welsh Sheepdogs behave the way they do
0:03:47 > 0:03:49- because of their training.- Right.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52But it may be that they behave the way they do
0:03:52 > 0:03:54because of their genotype.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57The problem is that we don't have
0:03:57 > 0:04:03- a scientifically agreed definition of what a breed is.- Right.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06A breed is something that the breeders say it is.
0:04:06 > 0:04:12It's a human construct, so if we can persuade the breeders that
0:04:12 > 0:04:18what we are looking at represents a unique mixture of genes,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22then there would be good reason for defining that as a breed.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26Before Victorian times, a breed was defined by what a dog could do
0:04:26 > 0:04:29and not what a dog looked like.
0:04:29 > 0:04:31Its behaviour was everything,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34and so if the herding behaviour of the Welsh Sheepdogs is marked
0:04:34 > 0:04:37in their DNA, then the Welsh dogs
0:04:37 > 0:04:41could challenge the modern concept of what a breed is.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45As for my ginger monster, Teg, by throwing her DNA into the mix,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48the scientists will hopefully be able to tell me
0:04:48 > 0:04:50how Welsh she really is
0:04:50 > 0:04:53and whether her puppies can make a difference to the breed.
0:04:55 > 0:04:57So before I get her in the family way,
0:04:57 > 0:05:01I head to Llangurig in mid Wales to meet Veronica Morgan.
0:05:03 > 0:05:06Veronica has bred and registered more Welsh Sheepdog puppies
0:05:06 > 0:05:08than anyone else in the country
0:05:08 > 0:05:13and I'm hoping she can calm my last-minute nerves.
0:05:13 > 0:05:15PUPPIES YELP
0:05:15 > 0:05:17Now, you see, Veronica, I have to admit that
0:05:17 > 0:05:20I don't have a maternal bone in my body, but now...
0:05:22 > 0:05:25- Puppies are so much more fun, aren't they?- Yes.
0:05:25 > 0:05:26Do you tend to find that
0:05:26 > 0:05:30if you have a bitch that is calm and good-natured like Teg,
0:05:30 > 0:05:33will they tend to be good mothers or again, is there no rule of thumb?
0:05:33 > 0:05:36- It's a hard call, that.- Is it?- Yes.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38Dogs are usually very good mothers.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40- Yeah.- Ideally, for her first litter,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44it'd be nice if she just had five, you know. Tell her only to have...
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Well, if she has more than five, I'm going to have you on speed dial.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50"Veronica! Help me!"
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Is there such a thing as a standard litter?
0:05:53 > 0:05:56Well, a bitch only has eight tits to feed off,
0:05:56 > 0:06:01- so any more than eight is, you know, they haven't got a tit each.- Right.
0:06:01 > 0:06:03And what do you think, Teg?
0:06:03 > 0:06:06What do you think? Gently now.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08Hmm? Just be gentle.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10SHE GROWLS SOFTLY
0:06:10 > 0:06:13- Oh!- Teg, that's not very maternal.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15- No. - THEY LAUGH
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Oh, dear. I hope she connects with her maternal instincts
0:06:18 > 0:06:19when the time comes.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25But to become a mother, she first needs to come on heat.
0:06:25 > 0:06:26That's when a female dog
0:06:26 > 0:06:29is hormonally preparing her body for breeding.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32Most female dogs come into season every six months,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35but obviously, Teg, being a diva, had to be different.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39Now, Teg, look at the diary.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Your last season was then, was in May,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48which means that by now,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52you shouldn't just be in season, you should have had sex.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59I was slightly expecting her to come into season late October,
0:06:59 > 0:07:04or early November, probably the most likely. It's now early December.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06Still hasn't come into season.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08I check every morning.
0:07:09 > 0:07:13Which is really frustrating because I was hoping for Christmas puppies
0:07:13 > 0:07:17but it's not going to happen, so I'm just going to have to be patient.
0:07:18 > 0:07:22But at least my wait to hear from the scientists is over.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26The researchers studied the genetic markers of the Welsh Sheepdogs
0:07:26 > 0:07:28against the Border Collies.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31The Borders became popular in Wales some 80 years ago
0:07:31 > 0:07:34and were interbred with the Welsh dogs,
0:07:34 > 0:07:37threatening their genetic integrity.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41Is there something that makes the Welsh Sheepdog distinct?
0:07:41 > 0:07:44They are very specific herding dogs.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48- Is that something you can see in the DNA?- Very clearly.- Really?
0:07:48 > 0:07:52The Border Collies, shown in red squares,
0:07:52 > 0:07:57- split out from the Welsh Sheepdogs. - Right.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00Where are those differences occurring in the DNA?
0:08:00 > 0:08:02The predominant message is one of neurological.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04So, sticking my neck out on this,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07it looks like the main difference
0:08:07 > 0:08:11between the Borders and the Welsh Sheepdogs is down to behaviour.
0:08:11 > 0:08:15If I were to bring you two samples,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18one from a Border, one from a Welsh,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21but I didn't tell you, and said,
0:08:21 > 0:08:25"Test those, and tell me what you think",
0:08:25 > 0:08:26would you be able to tell me
0:08:26 > 0:08:29which one came from a Welsh and which came from a Border?
0:08:29 > 0:08:34With approximately a 95% to 98% probability of being right, yes.
0:08:34 > 0:08:35So are you saying,
0:08:35 > 0:08:38in a groundbreaking moment,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41that Welsh dogs...
0:08:41 > 0:08:45could be described as a breed?
0:08:47 > 0:08:49That depends on how you determine breed.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54We've talked in the past about what it is that makes a breed.
0:08:54 > 0:08:58- They are an incipient breed. - And what does incipient breed mean?
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- They are genetically distinct.- Yeah.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06And if they were line bread they could be made into a separate breed.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08So is it because they haven't been
0:09:08 > 0:09:10selectively bred to be a particular look?
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Yes, and perhaps more to the point,
0:09:13 > 0:09:17it is maybe because in the past they were bred to look differently.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20- Right.- Because some of them were used for herding sheep.- Yes.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23- Some of them were used for herding cattle.- Yes.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25- And some of them were used on Welsh mixed farms.- Yes.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31And therefore they kept components of the ancestral herding behaviour
0:09:31 > 0:09:34that the Border Collies have lost,
0:09:34 > 0:09:36because they become specialised Sheepdogs.
0:09:36 > 0:09:39Right. How Welsh is my dog?
0:09:39 > 0:09:43It looks like Teg is about 75% Welsh Sheepdog.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Welsh, right. OK.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- So she is more Welsh than Border? - Yes.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56There is a definite and obvious distinction
0:09:56 > 0:09:59between the Welsh dog and the Border Collie.
0:09:59 > 0:10:06He could absolutely tell which DNA came from which type of dog.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11But the Welsh dog cannot be called a breed,
0:10:11 > 0:10:14certainly as far as Rob is concerned,
0:10:14 > 0:10:20because it has never been selectively bred for it looks.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23It has been selectively bred for its behaviour.
0:10:23 > 0:10:25To be recognised as a breed,
0:10:25 > 0:10:28the Welsh Sheepdogs would have to be bred to look alike
0:10:28 > 0:10:30and to specialise in herding one type of animal.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32In other words,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35all the dogs would have to share the same characteristics.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39But for me the beauty of the Welsh Sheepdogs
0:10:39 > 0:10:41is that they are all different.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44And this DNA research scientifically validates
0:10:44 > 0:10:47everything the Welsh Sheepdog is.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51These dogs are unique and that is something to be truly proud of.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54I am certainly proud of my 75% Welsh dog,
0:10:54 > 0:10:58and with Tango's 100% pure Welsh blood backing us up,
0:10:58 > 0:11:02Teg's puppies will be around 7/8ths Welsh.
0:11:02 > 0:11:04That is, if she ever comes into season.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10It is the New Year and we are still waiting for Teg to come on heat.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13Unfortunately, I have to go to Asia filming,
0:11:13 > 0:11:15and I am forced to leave Ludo in charge.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21As it turns out, it is bad timing.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24Absolutely bloody typical that the moment Kate goes
0:11:24 > 0:11:25is the moment it all kicks off
0:11:25 > 0:11:28and suddenly I am left holding the baby,
0:11:28 > 0:11:30or holding the mother, as it turns out.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Poor Ludo. Mother Nature finally visits Teg. She is in season.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39And with it comes the mess.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43I just noticed a couple of little spots of blood behind Teg
0:11:43 > 0:11:46as she was moving around the kitchen.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48The joys of fatherhood, eh, Teg? Urgh!
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Great. It's all over the bloody wall as well.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Kate obviously gave me a great long list of stuff, you know,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02what to do when Teg comes in season.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06So then, panicking, sending e-mails left right and centre to her,
0:12:06 > 0:12:08saying, "Oh, what do I do now?"
0:12:08 > 0:12:11If Kate starts going away filming quite a lot and I am left,
0:12:11 > 0:12:14you know, with an armful of puppies, like 100 Dalmations,
0:12:14 > 0:12:18or something, and they are all peeing everywhere, and then...
0:12:18 > 0:12:20No, thank you, very much.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22How many puppies are you going to have?
0:12:22 > 0:12:27Will you do the decent thing and have about four then stop?
0:12:27 > 0:12:30Good girl.
0:12:30 > 0:12:35We're going to take you to see the vet. See if you can have puppies.
0:12:35 > 0:12:40At the clinic in Usk, Ted has her blood taken.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43This is to look at her progesterone levels,
0:12:43 > 0:12:45indicating where she is in her cycle,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48and when her and Tango can get it on.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50Good girl, perfect.
0:12:50 > 0:12:52I will get this running, give it 10 minutes or so,
0:12:52 > 0:12:54and then we will have a result.
0:12:54 > 0:12:56Cool. Thank you.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58We are giving her the best chance to get pregnant
0:12:58 > 0:13:02and believe it or not, Ludo can't wait for it.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05Let's hope this doesn't go on for too much longer.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I'm kind of hoping that if we can get her pregnant
0:13:07 > 0:13:09then I won't be doing this anymore.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Don't want to be mopping blood up for the rest of my life, eh, Teg?
0:13:14 > 0:13:17Luckily for Ludo, the vet comes back with good news.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19The sample is the one nearest my thumb here,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and we've got two controls, and what that means is
0:13:23 > 0:13:25she's coming close to ovulation,
0:13:25 > 0:13:28but we are not actually there yet.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30So we think about three days away roughly?
0:13:30 > 0:13:33We are probably roughly three days or so away, I would expect.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37And how do I persuade the dog to only produce about four puppies?
0:13:37 > 0:13:40Haha! That is the challenge!
0:13:40 > 0:13:45So it is down to her, actually, in terms of how many eggs she produces.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50- But, fingers crossed for a nice, medium-sized litter.- All the best.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53- Fingers crossed for her.- Thanks. - OK, take care. Bye.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00Simon Mogford and his feral sheep catching Tango have been on standby.
0:14:01 > 0:14:05Because bitches can be territorial, I asked Ludo if he could take Teg
0:14:05 > 0:14:09to the Mogfords so she and Tango can hopefully mate without a fight.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12- Are you Simon? - How are you doing?
0:14:12 > 0:14:15Ludo. Nice to meet you. So, this is the boy?
0:14:15 > 0:14:16Hello, you can smell Teg on my...
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Tango, knows that you've brought someone to see him.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- His nose is telling him everything. - I think so.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28- Well, shall we get Teg out and see? - Yeah.- Shall we see what happens?
0:14:28 > 0:14:31Teg! Teg! Come here. Out you come. Stay there. Stay there.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Good girl, Teg. Hello! He knows exactly what's going on, doesn't he?
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Yeah.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39It seems like they remember their first encounter
0:14:39 > 0:14:41when they danced on a Welsh hillside.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- He knows what it's about. - He knows what to do then, yes.- Yeah.
0:14:46 > 0:14:47TEG BARKS
0:14:47 > 0:14:50She's a combination of excited and nervous, I think, isn't she?
0:14:50 > 0:14:52Yeah, she's not far away though.
0:14:52 > 0:14:55- No, you recognise these sorts of signs, do you?- Yeah.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Ludo hasn't been too keen on the idea of puppies,
0:15:02 > 0:15:05but Simon has a surprise for him.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07Oh, look at this!
0:15:08 > 0:15:10This is Tango's latest litter.
0:15:10 > 0:15:15Oh, my word! Oh, they're adorable! Look at this.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18Hello, little puppy dogs.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Tango is a bit of a ladies' man and Teg
0:15:20 > 0:15:23won't be the only girl he's got knocked up.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Are you going to come and say hello?
0:15:28 > 0:15:31Am I a convert? Um...
0:15:31 > 0:15:33Partly.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36Steady now, Ludo. This qualifies as a change of heart.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38I always grew up with dogs.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40Puppies are quite sweet. So, you know...
0:15:43 > 0:15:47Its just the mess, isn't it? All that poo, isn't it?
0:15:47 > 0:15:50As for Teg, this is a reality check.
0:15:50 > 0:15:53No, no, don't growl at them!
0:15:53 > 0:15:57Don't growl at them. You'll have your own to look after soon.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00What's going on, hey?
0:16:00 > 0:16:01HE LAUGHS
0:16:01 > 0:16:03Come on!
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Come on! Pretend to be interested! Come on, pretend.
0:16:07 > 0:16:08Just for the telly.
0:16:10 > 0:16:15So, be nice to Tango, won't you, Teg? Don't beat him up, eh?
0:16:15 > 0:16:17And try and make sure you ovulate.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Good.
0:16:21 > 0:16:24At least she seems to be interested in the meeting side of the process.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Some of that behaviour there is quite sweet.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Some of the nose to nose and just talking to each other.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32A bit of kissing behind the bushes, yeah. Well, I'll, erm...
0:16:32 > 0:16:35- I'll bring the stuff in and then we'll leave her to it.- Yeah.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37See if she can get Tangoed!
0:16:37 > 0:16:38THEY LAUGH
0:16:38 > 0:16:41I wish I could have been there for Teg.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44Oh, no. She's going to follow me down the drive.
0:16:44 > 0:16:45But I know she's in good hands.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50And although I'm on another continent,
0:16:50 > 0:16:53thanks to technology, I haven't been left out.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57- Hello.- Hello. Oh, hang on! - I can't see you.- There you go.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02- Can you see me?- I can. Hello, can you see me?- I can. Hello.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04Actually, I can't. I'm lying.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06HE GIGGLES
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Love technology!
0:17:08 > 0:17:12- I took Teg to go and see your lovely friends, Simon and Emma.- Oh, yeah.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16- We went to the vet first to see if she's definitely fertile.- Yup.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20And... You've disappeared. Tilt the... Tilt your...
0:17:20 > 0:17:22That's better.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25The good news is that the blood test says she's definitely fertile.
0:17:25 > 0:17:29Brilliant. OK. So, is she now with Simon and Emma, is she?
0:17:30 > 0:17:31She is now, yes.
0:17:31 > 0:17:33When I went away with the other dogs in the van
0:17:33 > 0:17:36she tried to get in the van and come with me, obviously.
0:17:36 > 0:17:38When Teg got out of the car,
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Tango was out with Simon in the howling gale
0:17:41 > 0:17:46and he went straight to Teg's back end and had a good old sniff.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47A good Welshman!
0:17:47 > 0:17:49HE LAUGHS
0:17:49 > 0:17:51What about her? Because, you know, that's the thing
0:17:51 > 0:17:53I've been a little bit nervous about.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55Sort of, foisting...
0:17:55 > 0:17:58..sex onto my little girl. Did she do all right?
0:17:58 > 0:18:03Well, it's natural. It's how dogs have survived up to now, isn't it?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06I think after two or three sniffs from Tango at her back end,
0:18:06 > 0:18:08she went, "OK, that's enough now", and just curled her lip.
0:18:08 > 0:18:11Quite right!
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Just curled her lip a little bit and said...
0:18:13 > 0:18:14"That's my girl!"
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Maybe. Then he came back and she didn't reject him,
0:18:17 > 0:18:21so I think it looks quite promising, I'd say.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24We did go and have a look at a very sweet litter of Tango's puppies
0:18:24 > 0:18:25around the back there.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30- Oh, really?- And they were quite cute.- Mmm...- No!
0:18:30 > 0:18:34- Did you tell Graham? - No, not necessarily.
0:18:34 > 0:18:36All right. Brilliant.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39- Well, if you hear anything else let me know.- All right. Good luck.
0:18:39 > 0:18:44- Tanks!- Ni hao.- Ni hao. See you later.- Bye.- Bye.
0:18:50 > 0:18:54Five weeks later and I'm back from the other side of the world.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00Just in time for an exciting moment. That was really good.
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Teg is getting an ultrasound. I'm getting a bit...
0:19:05 > 0:19:06A bit nervous really.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09It's sort of feels like a very big moment this, finding out
0:19:09 > 0:19:12whether you're going to be a granny or not.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14I don't know how you read these things.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19- So, generally speaking, black is fluid.- Right.
0:19:19 > 0:19:24And then the white, or something, is the more sound it reflects. So...
0:19:24 > 0:19:26So, that sort of wriggly...
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- That round fluid filled sack there...- Yeah.
0:19:29 > 0:19:34..is probably a foetus. What I might have to do...
0:19:34 > 0:19:36I might just pop the lights off for a second.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38OK, can you just see in the middle of that,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40in the centre of the screen...
0:19:40 > 0:19:45- Yes.- There's that little fluttering just to the left, below centre?- Yes?
0:19:45 > 0:19:50- That's a little heartbeat. Yeah. - Wow!- Oh, my goodness!
0:19:50 > 0:19:52It's amazing! Tick, tick, tick.
0:19:52 > 0:19:54As things look, there's probably looking like
0:19:54 > 0:19:55five or six at the moment.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- Really?- Yeah.- Good girl!
0:19:59 > 0:20:01She's definitely, definitely pregnant.
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Everything has gone very much according to plan.
0:20:03 > 0:20:08- Well done, Teg!- Well done, Teg. Well done, Tango!- Yeah, definitely.- Yes!
0:20:08 > 0:20:13- Your Welsh beau. - Are you proud?- Yes. I am.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16- Did you want some pictures to take home?- Yes, of course!
0:20:16 > 0:20:18You know, I've never had baby pictures.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21I'd much rather have puppy pictures, that's much more fun!
0:20:21 > 0:20:22I'll get some in a second.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- It's great. I'm glad there aren't ten.- Yes.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32I think she's probably glad there's not ten.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35- I don't think she knows an awful lot about it quite yet.- No.
0:20:35 > 0:20:37I think it's very, very exciting.
0:20:39 > 0:20:42For a dog, the gestation period is about nine weeks.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46Halfway through it and her mammary glands begin to enlarge.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50We still have a few weeks until her due date, so, reluctantly
0:20:50 > 0:20:55I take another job filming abroad hoping that I'll be back in time.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57The main thing is I hope that Kate will be back from America
0:20:57 > 0:20:59when the puppies are born.
0:20:59 > 0:21:01Kate really wants to be there when Teg starts whelping.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04I've been slightly dreading the possibility that Teg
0:21:04 > 0:21:06might start suddenly giving birth
0:21:06 > 0:21:09when I'm around or in the middle of the night when I'm fast asleep.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11What can you do?
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Eight weeks into the pregnancy and Teg's lost interest in sheep...
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Look at her! I mean, is this a dog that wants to be chasing sheep?
0:21:21 > 0:21:27..is stocking up on food... And showing the extra baggage.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30I felt a head in there the other day, I think,
0:21:30 > 0:21:31or a skull or something.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35Come on, Teg. Let's go!
0:21:39 > 0:21:42Then, literally, two hours after I arrived home from the States,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45a week ahead of schedule, the magic happened.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51PUPS SQUEAK
0:21:51 > 0:21:58I got back this afternoon about four o'clock and I hadn't seen Teg for
0:21:58 > 0:22:04just over a week and she just seemed very restless and quite clingy.
0:22:04 > 0:22:06She wanted to be with me.
0:22:06 > 0:22:09And she couldn't settle anywhere
0:22:09 > 0:22:14and I thought, "I think she's going to have puppies... now."
0:22:14 > 0:22:19And we weren't really expecting them, possibly, for another week.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22I sort of left her in here and left her quiet and went
0:22:22 > 0:22:27and unpacked my bags and then I came back in here to hear this sound.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29PUPS SQUEAK
0:22:29 > 0:22:33And Teg licking the first of her two puppies
0:22:33 > 0:22:35that she's now given birth to.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40So, the first one was born at about six o'clock this evening.
0:22:40 > 0:22:42It's now ten o'clock and she's only had two
0:22:42 > 0:22:45and she might be having five or six.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48So, having not had any sleep at all last night or, indeed,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52the night before, I was quite looking forward to an early night!
0:22:52 > 0:22:57I don't think that's going to happen tonight, is it, Teggy?
0:22:58 > 0:23:01Ludo was the proud dad on camera duty whilst
0:23:01 > 0:23:06I played the role of excited and slightly anxious midwife.
0:23:09 > 0:23:10It's normal, I think.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14They were expecting that she would give birth every half an hour
0:23:14 > 0:23:17to an hour between puppies, sort of thing.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20And this had been already two hours so Kate was getting quite anxious.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23So, she called the emergency vet number.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Would you come out or would I bring her in?
0:23:27 > 0:23:31He said sometimes, if everything sort of appears to have
0:23:31 > 0:23:37ground to a halt, it's a good idea just for him to check her over
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and maybe give her an injection of something called oxytocin
0:23:40 > 0:23:43which gets everything kind of moving again.
0:23:43 > 0:23:47So, we're going to wait another hour and see and then call him back.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52And make a decision. She might need to go down to the surgery.
0:23:52 > 0:23:54I think we'll leave her in peace now.
0:24:00 > 0:24:04An hour later, we popped in to check and, thankfully,
0:24:04 > 0:24:06she's had her third puppy.
0:24:06 > 0:24:08You clever girl!
0:24:08 > 0:24:10Clever girl!
0:24:12 > 0:24:14She's had another one?
0:24:14 > 0:24:18Clever girl.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21She says, I'm just doing it in my own sweet time.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25Is that number three Tegan Jones?
0:24:25 > 0:24:26If you're in the lambing shed,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29ewes don't like to give birth in front of you.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33They like to do it sort of discreetly and at their own time.
0:24:33 > 0:24:37So, we'll just leave her in peace now and then pop in and out.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41It was a rough night.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44This is where I spent the night.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47Bella and Badger keeping me company on Teg watch.
0:24:47 > 0:24:52I checked her again at about two o'clock and she'd had another three.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56So, I don't know if that was an indication that actually
0:24:56 > 0:24:57I'd been a bit overzealous
0:24:57 > 0:25:00and she just wanted to be left in peace to get on with it.
0:25:00 > 0:25:04Two of those three puppies are absolutely healthy, fine,
0:25:04 > 0:25:06suckling along with the other three.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08But the other one, sadly, was dead
0:25:08 > 0:25:12and I can't see any discernible reason why that was.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16It was all cleaned up, not in a bag.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Erm... But not...
0:25:19 > 0:25:22It was just sort of at the side of the whelping box.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25Of course, you're incredibly upset at losing a puppy
0:25:25 > 0:25:28and it's very cute and it's more than a sheep or a pig.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30It's something that lives with you.
0:25:30 > 0:25:31It's a dog and it's one of your companions,
0:25:31 > 0:25:33or one of your companions.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35So, losing puppies is very sad,
0:25:35 > 0:25:39but, you know, it's nature and it just happens sometimes.
0:25:39 > 0:25:40You sort of go, "Damn!"
0:25:40 > 0:25:42You know, "What a shame they didn't make it."
0:25:44 > 0:25:47It's not uncommon for a dog to lose puppies in her first litter,
0:25:47 > 0:25:51but, happily, we've got five very healthy ones.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52Four girls and a boy.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Three weeks later, they've opened their eyes and they're beginning
0:26:00 > 0:26:03to look a lot more like dogs and a lot less like jelly babies.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09They'll stay with their mum for another five weeks.
0:26:13 > 0:26:16And I grab every moment I can with them.
0:26:20 > 0:26:26It's hard to imagine that it was almost exactly a year ago
0:26:26 > 0:26:33that I started thinking about the possibility of breeding Teg.
0:26:33 > 0:26:34It wasn't a straightforward decision,
0:26:34 > 0:26:42but now that she's healthy and she's turned out to be such a good mum
0:26:42 > 0:26:47and we've got five absolutely captivating,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49healthy puppies,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52I kind of couldn't have wished for more really.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58These dogs are rare and I think they are important
0:26:58 > 0:27:04and I think they have a very crucial role in farming today.
0:27:04 > 0:27:08Being able to contribute to the future of that breed
0:27:08 > 0:27:11was always the reason why I considered breeding Teg.
0:27:11 > 0:27:18And now there are five beautiful puppies. Four bitches and one dog.
0:27:18 > 0:27:23My wish would be that they go to really good working homes
0:27:23 > 0:27:26and they fulfil their wonderful potential.
0:27:26 > 0:27:31But also that they, too, become part of the breeding programme
0:27:31 > 0:27:35that will contribute to the future generations of Welsh Sheepdogs.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43She says, "What do you want to hug those puppies for
0:27:43 > 0:27:45"when you've got me?!"