Episode 1

Download Subtitles

Transcript

0:00:04 > 0:00:06We're a nation of dog lovers.

0:00:06 > 0:00:08Take this village in the middle of England.

0:00:08 > 0:00:10It's home to 1,500 people

0:00:10 > 0:00:13and over 120 dogs.

0:00:16 > 0:00:19Big dogs, small dogs, hairy dogs, speedy dogs,

0:00:19 > 0:00:23the dog is one of the most varied species on earth.

0:00:23 > 0:00:27But how did one wild wolf species become the tame companion

0:00:27 > 0:00:30we all know and love with all this dazzling diversity?

0:00:33 > 0:00:36To find out, we're putting these dogs through their paces.

0:00:36 > 0:00:38We'll investigate how the breeds compare

0:00:38 > 0:00:41and reveal what makes each one unique.

0:00:44 > 0:00:48'We'll find out what makes the greyhound the fastest breed of all.'

0:00:48 > 0:00:50From coming out of the trap up to the first bend

0:00:50 > 0:00:52they're reaching nearly 40 miles per hour.

0:00:52 > 0:00:56'Reveal what makes these dogs such good swimmers.'

0:00:56 > 0:00:59Oh, yes, you can really see that pulsing through the water.

0:00:59 > 0:01:03'Uncover why some dogs are so hairy,

0:01:03 > 0:01:04'and others hairless.'

0:01:04 > 0:01:07The origin of the hairless dog may have been just to make them

0:01:07 > 0:01:10a bit more oven-ready.

0:01:10 > 0:01:12'And historian Ruth Goodman will unearth

0:01:12 > 0:01:14'the extraordinary stories behind

0:01:14 > 0:01:17'some of the world's most iconic breeds.'

0:01:17 > 0:01:19This is one of your ancestors, look.

0:01:19 > 0:01:21She's not interested in family history, I don't think.

0:01:23 > 0:01:28We're celebrating the dog in all its spectacular and unlikely forms.

0:01:28 > 0:01:30Welcome to The Wonder of Dogs.

0:02:03 > 0:02:06BARKING

0:02:06 > 0:02:08Here in Brightwell in Oxfordshire

0:02:08 > 0:02:11we're carrying out a unique investigation

0:02:11 > 0:02:12into man's best friend.

0:02:15 > 0:02:17We've invited all the local dogs.

0:02:17 > 0:02:22We've got Labradors, labradoodles, pugs, Chihuahuas, mastiffs,

0:02:22 > 0:02:26collies, spaniels, plus some very special guests

0:02:26 > 0:02:28like this wonderful Komondor behind me.

0:02:28 > 0:02:33And down here I've got my three very excited dogs.

0:02:33 > 0:02:35This is Teg and Badger and Bella.

0:02:38 > 0:02:41In our big marquee over there we're conducting

0:02:41 > 0:02:43a census of the village dogs.

0:02:45 > 0:02:48Recording their every feature from the pads on their paws

0:02:48 > 0:02:50to the colour of their coats.

0:02:52 > 0:02:54In our anatomy tent we're going to explore

0:02:54 > 0:02:58that ingenious physiology hidden under all that fur.

0:02:58 > 0:03:02And in here we're delving into doggy DNA.

0:03:02 > 0:03:03'We want to find out

0:03:03 > 0:03:06'if there's something unique inside every domestic dog

0:03:06 > 0:03:11'that allows them to come in so many shapes and sizes,

0:03:11 > 0:03:13'and to reveal the surprising pedigrees

0:03:13 > 0:03:15'of some of Brightwell's dogs.'

0:03:15 > 0:03:17BARKING

0:03:23 > 0:03:25'Throughout the show we'll be uncovering

0:03:25 > 0:03:30'how such extreme differences between dogs came about.

0:03:30 > 0:03:34'Our first question - why are some dogs so much bigger than others?'

0:03:37 > 0:03:41What's really obvious watching these dogs racing back and forth

0:03:41 > 0:03:43is the sheer variety in size.

0:03:44 > 0:03:47And that's not surprising because domestic dogs

0:03:47 > 0:03:49display the biggest size range

0:03:49 > 0:03:52of any terrestrial mammal living or extinct.

0:04:06 > 0:04:10'Dogs vary from ten centimetres high to more than a metre.

0:04:12 > 0:04:14'In human terms that's the equivalent

0:04:14 > 0:04:18'of having a person a metre tall alongside a ten-metre giant.'

0:04:27 > 0:04:30I'd like you to meet Boris, here, who is one of the extreme ends

0:04:30 > 0:04:32of the dogs in the village in terms of size.

0:04:32 > 0:04:35Look at him, he's enormous! He's a mastiff.

0:04:35 > 0:04:37And to give you a sense of the other end of the scale

0:04:37 > 0:04:40I'm going to show you Dudley.

0:04:40 > 0:04:43Now, these two know each other. In fact, they are friends.

0:04:43 > 0:04:46They met at the local vet surgery and the receptionist there

0:04:46 > 0:04:49thought it was so bizarre that they played together,

0:04:49 > 0:04:53she took a photo and actually it made it onto the front of the local paper.

0:04:53 > 0:04:55I've got Boris's owner, Chris, here.

0:04:55 > 0:04:57Hello.

0:04:57 > 0:04:59Now, what made you pick Boris?

0:04:59 > 0:05:00I take it you thought long and hard

0:05:00 > 0:05:04about letting a dinosaur into your house.

0:05:04 > 0:05:07Well, we've had mastiffs before so we kind of knew

0:05:07 > 0:05:11what we were in for and apart from the fact that he takes up

0:05:11 > 0:05:13a whole settee to himself in the evening

0:05:13 > 0:05:15when we sit down and watch the telly,

0:05:15 > 0:05:17he's just like having any other dog, really, just bigger.

0:05:17 > 0:05:19But, Helen, you wanted something very different.

0:05:19 > 0:05:21What made you pick Dudley?

0:05:21 > 0:05:23Cos he is absolutely tiny.

0:05:23 > 0:05:27We sat for a neighbour's puppy, Chihuahua puppy,

0:05:27 > 0:05:29and they're just such huge characters

0:05:29 > 0:05:31that we decided to get one.

0:05:31 > 0:05:34Well, hopefully we can get some lovely photos taken.

0:05:37 > 0:05:41I think the most incredible aspect of both of these dogs

0:05:41 > 0:05:44is they are, believe it or not, the same species.

0:05:44 > 0:05:46If you want to see how that is possible you have to get

0:05:46 > 0:05:50under the skin and take a look at the bones, which we have over here.

0:05:52 > 0:05:57Now, this is a Chihuahua skeleton and look how tiny that is,

0:05:57 > 0:06:00especially when you put it next to a bigger dog.

0:06:00 > 0:06:03Now, unfortunately, this isn't a mastiff, this is a greyhound,

0:06:03 > 0:06:06and if you look at them they do look wildly different.

0:06:06 > 0:06:08But when you focus in on the bones,

0:06:08 > 0:06:10there aren't any more in the greyhound,

0:06:10 > 0:06:13they're just a different size and shape,

0:06:13 > 0:06:17resulting in two completely different-looking animals.

0:06:17 > 0:06:21'All dogs have 301 bones their bodies.

0:06:21 > 0:06:24'It's just the additional number of tail bones that varies.'

0:06:26 > 0:06:28Now, archaeologists have found bones

0:06:28 > 0:06:31of big and small dogs in ancient human settlements,

0:06:31 > 0:06:36highlighting the fact that we've been living with dogs of varying sizes

0:06:36 > 0:06:38across hundreds and thousands of years.

0:06:38 > 0:06:41And this is reflected well in the village today

0:06:41 > 0:06:45from 100 kilos of Boris at one end all the way down to Dudley here,

0:06:45 > 0:06:47who weighs less than a kilo.

0:06:47 > 0:06:51Now you may think that the Chihuahua is a recent invention,

0:06:51 > 0:06:52bred purely for fashion

0:06:52 > 0:06:56but they've got a surprisingly long and intriguing history.

0:07:02 > 0:07:04'Ruth Goodman is at the British Museum

0:07:04 > 0:07:08'to uncover the big story behind the world's smallest breed.'

0:07:14 > 0:07:18As an historian and a dog lover, I've always been fascinated

0:07:18 > 0:07:22by the way that people and dogs seem to have evolved together.

0:07:22 > 0:07:24In fact, if you start looking at

0:07:24 > 0:07:26that relationship throughout history,

0:07:26 > 0:07:29what you're really studying is us.

0:07:29 > 0:07:32I've come to see how Rhea, as a Chihuahua,

0:07:32 > 0:07:35is absolutely a perfect example of this relationship.

0:07:38 > 0:07:41'Scientists have found a DNA connection between modern Chihuahuas

0:07:41 > 0:07:45'and ancient Mexican dogs that lived 1,000 years ago.

0:07:47 > 0:07:51'Dr Elizabeth Baquedano has seen these small dogs

0:07:51 > 0:07:53'depicted by several lost civilisations.'

0:07:55 > 0:08:00Dogs were really essential companions of the Mexicans.

0:08:00 > 0:08:04The Aztecs represented them, the Toltecs, the Mayas, the Mixtecs.

0:08:04 > 0:08:08This lady, she's got a little tiny dog, holding it just like I am.

0:08:08 > 0:08:11I have to say it brings to mind Paris Hilton and handbags.

0:08:13 > 0:08:16But there's a more serious side to dogs in society.

0:08:16 > 0:08:21Absolutely. When somebody died, dogs were placed in burials.

0:08:21 > 0:08:23They were placed together with the deceased.

0:08:23 > 0:08:27They helped the deceased make the journey of afterlife.

0:08:28 > 0:08:30'It seems that ancient Mexicans believed

0:08:30 > 0:08:32'that if they were buried with their dogs

0:08:32 > 0:08:35'they'd have a spiritual companion in the afterlife.

0:08:36 > 0:08:38'What intrigues me is why they're so small.'

0:08:40 > 0:08:42They're all so tiny, aren't they?

0:08:42 > 0:08:47Absolutely. Mexican dogs were always small, a bit like this Chihuahua.

0:08:48 > 0:08:49'But why?

0:08:49 > 0:08:50'We don't know exactly,

0:08:50 > 0:08:55'but it could be that smaller dogs were useful hunters in dense jungle

0:08:55 > 0:08:58'or that they were simply easier to fatten up for eating.

0:09:00 > 0:09:03'What's most likely is that one unusually small dog

0:09:03 > 0:09:06'appeared in a litter of puppies, and the ancient Mexicans liked it

0:09:06 > 0:09:09'so much they bred thousands from that one line.

0:09:12 > 0:09:14'But when the Spanish invaded Mexico,

0:09:14 > 0:09:18'it seemed the miniature Mexican breed's days were numbered.'

0:09:19 > 0:09:21Big dogs, fighting dogs

0:09:21 > 0:09:24were introduced by the Spaniards in the 16th century.

0:09:24 > 0:09:26That must have been quite a shock, really.

0:09:26 > 0:09:29I mean, if the only dogs you'd ever known were tiny little things

0:09:29 > 0:09:31that you could carry on your shoulder,

0:09:31 > 0:09:35you get this huge great mastiff with big jaws and big teeth...

0:09:35 > 0:09:39Oh, yes, well you know the Mexicans, the Meso-American people,

0:09:39 > 0:09:43weren't aware that dogs like this ever existed.

0:09:43 > 0:09:48It was very frightening to see dogs fighting, killing people.

0:09:48 > 0:09:51Don't worry, you're much more cute than a mastiff. You are.

0:09:54 > 0:09:57'But the small Mexican dog survived.'

0:09:57 > 0:09:59MUSIC: "I Wanna Be Loved By You" by Marilyn Monroe

0:09:59 > 0:10:03'In the late 19th century, Americans visiting north Mexico

0:10:03 > 0:10:06'spotted this tiny native breed

0:10:06 > 0:10:09'and named it after the region where it was found - Chihuahua.'

0:10:13 > 0:10:18'Within decades this miniature pooch became a fashion accessory...

0:10:19 > 0:10:22'..and a true global icon.'

0:10:26 > 0:10:29BARKING

0:10:29 > 0:10:33'The Chihuahua's baby face may have allowed it to conquer the world

0:10:33 > 0:10:35'but most of the small dogs here in Brightwell

0:10:35 > 0:10:37'were bred to work for a living.'

0:10:42 > 0:10:45'To find out more about these feisty little dogs,

0:10:45 > 0:10:48'I'm meeting local dog trainer Jenny Fairweather.'

0:10:50 > 0:10:52Tell me about what's going on here this afternoon.

0:10:52 > 0:10:54Well, we've got an agility course

0:10:54 > 0:10:57which would be a typical one at any competition.

0:10:58 > 0:11:00So we've got this little dog, wow, going like a ro...

0:11:00 > 0:11:01SHE LAUGHS

0:11:01 > 0:11:03..a rocket behind us, here.

0:11:03 > 0:11:07What is the advantage of having a small dog?

0:11:07 > 0:11:10Why were these small breeds developed?

0:11:10 > 0:11:13Most of these were vermin exterminators.

0:11:13 > 0:11:16Right, so they wanted dogs that could get into little spaces

0:11:16 > 0:11:18and be quick and agile on their feet.

0:11:18 > 0:11:22Yeah, and be able to turn in a space so if they went down a fox's burrow

0:11:22 > 0:11:26they need to be able to turn on themselves to be able to escape

0:11:26 > 0:11:29if they decided the fox was too vicious, or the badger.

0:11:32 > 0:11:35'The perfect example of an underground hunting breed

0:11:35 > 0:11:39'is the dachshund, which means "badger dog" in German.

0:11:41 > 0:11:43'Their short legs and spade-like paws make them

0:11:43 > 0:11:46'perfectly adapted to burrowing into tunnels.

0:11:48 > 0:11:52'And it's thought that sturdy tail helped hunters pull them out

0:11:52 > 0:11:54'if they got into a tight spot with a badger.

0:11:58 > 0:12:00'As we bred for small, nimble dogs

0:12:00 > 0:12:03'we were selecting for genes with big impact.

0:12:05 > 0:12:10'Amazingly, just one gene is responsible for short legs,

0:12:10 > 0:12:16'and a dog's body size is largely down to another single gene.

0:12:16 > 0:12:20'In a human these features are influenced by hundreds of genes.'

0:12:23 > 0:12:25But when you look at these little dogs

0:12:25 > 0:12:28scurrying over the agility course,

0:12:28 > 0:12:30do they move differently from big dogs

0:12:30 > 0:12:33or does leg length actually make no difference at all?

0:12:39 > 0:12:41I could watch these dogs all day.

0:12:41 > 0:12:46It's such a lovely, fluid motion as they zoom across.

0:12:49 > 0:12:51The reason it looks so fluid

0:12:51 > 0:12:54is because dogs don't have a collar bone like humans,

0:12:54 > 0:12:56fixing their shoulder in place,

0:12:56 > 0:13:00so their whole shoulder blade moves fluidly up and down

0:13:00 > 0:13:03across their thorax, making their run look almost effortless.

0:13:05 > 0:13:08Now, the other thing they have to contend with is four legs.

0:13:08 > 0:13:09Coordinating those legs

0:13:09 > 0:13:13so you don't trip up means they have to have a very specific gait.

0:13:14 > 0:13:17'When dogs are walking or trotting, there's always at least

0:13:17 > 0:13:20'one front paw and one back paw on the ground...

0:13:21 > 0:13:24'..creating a front-back front-back rhythm.

0:13:27 > 0:13:30'When they start to run, their spine flexes

0:13:30 > 0:13:34'and their back legs swing further forward

0:13:34 > 0:13:37'and the pattern changes to front-front, back-back.

0:13:39 > 0:13:43'Big or small, nearly all dogs run with this same gait.'

0:13:47 > 0:13:51But there is one dog that does run in a different way.

0:13:51 > 0:13:52The greyhound.

0:13:57 > 0:14:00'Greyhound racing as we know it today

0:14:00 > 0:14:03'actually began in the Elizabethan era with hare coursing...

0:14:04 > 0:14:09'..a sport that saw dogs chase a hare across open ground.

0:14:09 > 0:14:11'The first dog to catch it was the winner.

0:14:17 > 0:14:18'To find out how the sport

0:14:18 > 0:14:22'and the dogs have transformed over the last 400 years,

0:14:22 > 0:14:25'I've come to Sheffield to meet the former owner of this stadium,

0:14:25 > 0:14:27'John Carter.'

0:14:27 > 0:14:30So how did we get from hare coursing to greyhound racing?

0:14:30 > 0:14:34Now, that is the great question.

0:14:34 > 0:14:36An inanimate hare conveyor

0:14:36 > 0:14:42was patented by a Mr Owen Patrick Smith in Oklahoma, of all places,

0:14:42 > 0:14:47and that changed the whole of greyhound racing and coursing.

0:14:47 > 0:14:50It was the lateral-thinking Americans who invented

0:14:50 > 0:14:52the idea of an oval circuit.

0:14:52 > 0:14:56The people could see the full circle and it tested the greyhounds then

0:14:56 > 0:14:59more for their agility as well as their speed.

0:14:59 > 0:15:00TRAPS BANG OPEN

0:15:03 > 0:15:05'With the arrival of oval track stadiums,

0:15:05 > 0:15:07'professional greyhound racing took off.

0:15:10 > 0:15:13'By 1946, gate attendance reached more than

0:15:13 > 0:15:15'190 million across Britain.

0:15:17 > 0:15:22'An entire industry was built on this dog's remarkable speed.

0:15:22 > 0:15:25'But why is it so fast?

0:15:28 > 0:15:32'Greyhounds are masters of what's called the double suspension gallop.

0:15:32 > 0:15:35'They're airborne twice in every cycle.

0:15:37 > 0:15:40'Their unusually flexible spines allow such a long stride

0:15:40 > 0:15:43'that their back legs overtake their front legs.

0:15:45 > 0:15:49'This powerful gait and long history of being bred for speed

0:15:49 > 0:15:53'has made greyhounds the fastest dogs on the planet.'

0:15:57 > 0:15:58That's my girl, good girl.

0:15:58 > 0:15:59'Breeder Elaine Parker

0:15:59 > 0:16:03'is enjoying a proud moment with her dog who's just won a race.'

0:16:03 > 0:16:05Hello!

0:16:05 > 0:16:07- Oh, my goodness. - Didn't she do well?

0:16:07 > 0:16:09Hello, you. She won!

0:16:09 > 0:16:11She did. I didn't really fancy her tonight

0:16:11 > 0:16:15but she's just pulled out all the stops, she's done brilliant.

0:16:15 > 0:16:16We're all pleased.

0:16:16 > 0:16:19You train an awful lot of dogs, don't you?

0:16:19 > 0:16:22I do, yeah, about 80 race dogs and 20 puppies.

0:16:22 > 0:16:24Oh, my goodness.

0:16:24 > 0:16:27I find it absolutely amazing, that such a tiny, slender,

0:16:27 > 0:16:29- delicate-looking dog... - Yes, yup.

0:16:29 > 0:16:32..can just this whoomph of speed.

0:16:32 > 0:16:35They're a marvellous animal, a marvellous machine.

0:16:35 > 0:16:37When you think, from coming out of the trap, there,

0:16:37 > 0:16:38up to the first bend,

0:16:38 > 0:16:41they're reaching up to speeds of nearly 40 miles per hour.

0:16:41 > 0:16:44And I have to say, watching them run is very beautiful.

0:16:44 > 0:16:45It is, it is.

0:16:45 > 0:16:47Aren't you gorgeous, eh?

0:16:47 > 0:16:50I don't think I've every stroked a champion before.

0:16:52 > 0:16:53She wouldn't be quite a champion

0:16:53 > 0:16:57but she's done the business tonight, that's for sure, yeah.

0:17:01 > 0:17:04Right, so we've got Cookie, who's nine months,

0:17:04 > 0:17:07Nutmeg, who's four and a half and Tosca, who's five.

0:17:07 > 0:17:10'From Chihuahuas to Great Danes...'

0:17:10 > 0:17:11Gross.

0:17:11 > 0:17:13'..and everything in between...'

0:17:13 > 0:17:14Yeah, that's a good girl.

0:17:14 > 0:17:17This is Poppy, she's a Springer spaniel.

0:17:17 > 0:17:18This is Match.

0:17:18 > 0:17:19This is Missy.

0:17:19 > 0:17:22'..the dogs of Brightwell come in all shapes and sizes.'

0:17:22 > 0:17:25We call her Betty and she's a pug.

0:17:25 > 0:17:26BETTY SNORTS

0:17:26 > 0:17:28Yeah, you're a pug.

0:17:33 > 0:17:37'It's hard to believe that this diverse range of dogs

0:17:37 > 0:17:39'all came from the same ancestor.'

0:17:42 > 0:17:45HOWLING

0:17:45 > 0:17:47'How did we get from the wolf,

0:17:47 > 0:17:50'a wild predator that could attack humans,

0:17:50 > 0:17:53'to the tame companions that share our homes?

0:17:55 > 0:17:58'Dr Greger Larson from Durham University

0:17:58 > 0:18:00'has studied this remarkable transition.'

0:18:00 > 0:18:02- You're an evolutionary biologist... - I am.

0:18:02 > 0:18:05- ..which is quite a cool thing to be. - It's not bad.

0:18:05 > 0:18:08And you've been charting this extraordinary journey...

0:18:08 > 0:18:10- Mmm.- ..from wolf

0:18:10 > 0:18:11to pet dog.

0:18:11 > 0:18:13- That's right.- The domesticated dog.

0:18:13 > 0:18:18Let's start with what evidence there is that all our domestic dogs

0:18:18 > 0:18:23really are related to that one common ancestor.

0:18:23 > 0:18:25- It's the DNA.- OK.

0:18:25 > 0:18:26- It's open and shut.- Right.

0:18:26 > 0:18:27There's no question.

0:18:27 > 0:18:31People have speculated about other wild species, maybe coyotes,

0:18:31 > 0:18:34maybe wild dogs or these kinds of things from South Africa.

0:18:34 > 0:18:37It's all the wolf, it's the grey wolf, done deal.

0:18:37 > 0:18:43It's quite a leap to go from this very wild, fearsome pack animal,

0:18:43 > 0:18:46to something that will sit on your knee and watch television with you.

0:18:46 > 0:18:48It's an amazing transition.

0:18:48 > 0:18:51The general school of thought is that it's at least about 15,000,

0:18:51 > 0:18:53maybe 16,000 years ago.

0:18:53 > 0:18:56What we think was happening was that there was a pack of wolves

0:18:56 > 0:18:58or several packs of wolves that were attracted to human camps.

0:18:58 > 0:19:00The waste products that we were producing.

0:19:00 > 0:19:03And these wolves that could take advantage of that human niche

0:19:03 > 0:19:06were the ones that put themselves on a track toward domestication.

0:19:06 > 0:19:11But it is still a big leap from an animal that's taking advantage

0:19:11 > 0:19:15of a few waste products to an animal that we have been able

0:19:15 > 0:19:18to manipulate and train to serve our own purposes.

0:19:18 > 0:19:21- It is, but it's also a very long time frame.- OK.

0:19:21 > 0:19:24I mean, the first couple of hundred or thousand years, perhaps,

0:19:24 > 0:19:29it was a very kind of romantic dance between the two species.

0:19:29 > 0:19:31And then, very slowly, as they come closer and closer,

0:19:31 > 0:19:34then humans start deliberately selecting for traits.

0:19:34 > 0:19:35So, maybe the most tame ones

0:19:35 > 0:19:37or the ones that were the best at warning them

0:19:37 > 0:19:39when other things were around.

0:19:39 > 0:19:41And then once you start taking over their reproduction

0:19:41 > 0:19:43and YOU start deciding who survives

0:19:43 > 0:19:46- and who doesn't rather than the wild deciding that...- Right.

0:19:46 > 0:19:48..that's when the domestication really kicks off

0:19:48 > 0:19:50and we become true partners at that stage

0:19:50 > 0:19:52and everything just goes from there.

0:19:57 > 0:19:58'At first, by chance,

0:19:58 > 0:20:03'then by choice, we created the wolf that doesn't bite.

0:20:07 > 0:20:12'And over the next 15,000 years, dogs followed in our footsteps

0:20:12 > 0:20:14'as we moved into new environments.

0:20:18 > 0:20:22'There are clues to this shared journey within their anatomy,

0:20:22 > 0:20:24'especially in their paws.'

0:20:30 > 0:20:32Give me your paw, give me your paw, give me your paw,

0:20:32 > 0:20:34give me your paw, good boy.

0:20:34 > 0:20:37Kai, here, is an Alaskan Malamute so was actually bred

0:20:37 > 0:20:40to exist in a very similar situation as the early wolves.

0:20:40 > 0:20:42So when we look at his foot,

0:20:42 > 0:20:44he's still got some of those classic wolf features

0:20:44 > 0:20:48and the main one being, look at that hair between his toes.

0:20:48 > 0:20:50That's a fantastic insulator.

0:20:50 > 0:20:52He's got so much resistance to cold

0:20:52 > 0:20:57that he can stand on ice for hours and hours during the day

0:20:57 > 0:21:01without any risk of frostbite, which, certainly, I couldn't do.

0:21:02 > 0:21:04But if we think about other aspects of dogs' feet,

0:21:04 > 0:21:08one of the classic things that we'll see are obviously nails.

0:21:08 > 0:21:11And we've got Hettie, here, who's our beagle cross.

0:21:11 > 0:21:14The anatomy of her front foot is very similar to my hand.

0:21:14 > 0:21:16She's got four digits at the front, here,

0:21:16 > 0:21:19and she's even got a thumb which is the dewclaw.

0:21:19 > 0:21:21They use it to grasp hold of things.

0:21:21 > 0:21:23If you watch your dog with a toy or a bone,

0:21:23 > 0:21:25quite often you'll see that move.

0:21:25 > 0:21:28And claws are not only used just for running spikes,

0:21:28 > 0:21:30cos that's what they're used on most dogs.

0:21:30 > 0:21:34They're also, in the terrier breeds, these little dogs, here.

0:21:34 > 0:21:36They're very good excavators.

0:21:36 > 0:21:39And that's why terriers, when you look at their tiny, wee feet,

0:21:39 > 0:21:43they've got enormously strong and very long, powerful claws

0:21:43 > 0:21:45because they do use them for digging

0:21:45 > 0:21:48- and making a mess of your garden, no doubt.- She does.

0:21:48 > 0:21:49HE LAUGHS

0:21:49 > 0:21:54And, finally, Dexter is a classic water-loving breed,

0:21:54 > 0:21:56which is the Labrador retriever,

0:21:56 > 0:21:59a chocolate Lab with big, beautiful feet.

0:21:59 > 0:22:01And, obviously, when you've ever met a Lab before,

0:22:01 > 0:22:04you'll notice they've all got massive feet

0:22:04 > 0:22:08and if you look between his toes you can see that classic web.

0:22:08 > 0:22:09It connects all of his toes together

0:22:09 > 0:22:13and if you can imagine that under the water, spreading his feet out,

0:22:13 > 0:22:15using them as paddles and that's why,

0:22:15 > 0:22:17whenever you get a water-loving dog,

0:22:17 > 0:22:20they've got huge feet like a Newfoundland as another example.

0:22:20 > 0:22:23So it's almost a bit like palm reading.

0:22:23 > 0:22:27You can look at the shape and size of the feet,

0:22:27 > 0:22:29the nails, the pads, how much hair's there,

0:22:29 > 0:22:34and you can understand where these dogs were bred to live and exist,

0:22:34 > 0:22:36whether that's in the Arctic,

0:22:36 > 0:22:38whether that's digging holes in your garden

0:22:38 > 0:22:41or even in Oxfordshire swimming pools.

0:22:43 > 0:22:46MUSIC: "Beyond The Sea" by Bobby Darin

0:22:50 > 0:22:52'Dogs love to make a splash.

0:22:54 > 0:22:58'But what is it that makes some dogs such great swimmers?

0:23:00 > 0:23:04'Local veterinary hydrotherapist Emma Barnard encourages dogs

0:23:04 > 0:23:07'to swim for exercise and recuperation.

0:23:08 > 0:23:12'Although dogs like these don't need much encouragement.'

0:23:15 > 0:23:19It's very interesting seeing a dog like Treacle move in the water.

0:23:19 > 0:23:21She seems very comfortable.

0:23:21 > 0:23:23Yeah, absolutely, yeah.

0:23:23 > 0:23:26We tend to find that dogs will happily keep themselves

0:23:26 > 0:23:29fairly buoyant and afloat just using their front legs,

0:23:29 > 0:23:32and their back legs tend to be their driving force, so as they go

0:23:32 > 0:23:35to retrieve a toy, that's when they really engage their back legs.

0:23:35 > 0:23:38Oh, yes, you can really see that pulsing through the water.

0:23:38 > 0:23:40And is the tail a useful tool for them as well?

0:23:40 > 0:23:42Yeah, they use that as a rudder so for helping them steer

0:23:42 > 0:23:44and manoeuvre around the water.

0:23:44 > 0:23:46- And you can see that they really splay their toes out.- Yeah.

0:23:46 > 0:23:49And she's using her feet very much like paddles, isn't she?

0:23:49 > 0:23:50Absolutely, yeah.

0:23:55 > 0:23:58But, generally, the Labradors, the flat-coat retrievers,

0:23:58 > 0:24:00the golden retrievers, the spaniels, they all love water.

0:24:00 > 0:24:02Particularly this one. Do you want to go in again?

0:24:02 > 0:24:04Here you are, Treac, ready, go.

0:24:08 > 0:24:14'Unlike cats, most dogs love water and we've selectively bred

0:24:14 > 0:24:19'some dogs to be strong swimmers to help us retrieve game from water.

0:24:22 > 0:24:24'But breeds with squat bodies...

0:24:25 > 0:24:26'..or long backs...

0:24:28 > 0:24:30'..often find it difficult to swim.'

0:24:31 > 0:24:34But there's one breed that's a particularly accomplished swimmer

0:24:34 > 0:24:37and it's not the first one that would come to mind.

0:24:39 > 0:24:41'I've come to Surrey...

0:24:42 > 0:24:45'..to meet one of the hardest working breeds in history.

0:24:47 > 0:24:52'A strong swimmer, prized for its hunting ability

0:24:52 > 0:24:54'and killer instinct.

0:24:56 > 0:24:57'The poodle.'

0:24:58 > 0:25:01This one's called Breeze and isn't he lovely?

0:25:01 > 0:25:02All dressed up for a party.

0:25:02 > 0:25:05How long has this taken you, Anita?

0:25:05 > 0:25:06Three to four hours.

0:25:06 > 0:25:09And he'll stand for that length of time?

0:25:09 > 0:25:11Well, with wine and coffee breaks, yes.

0:25:11 > 0:25:14I bet you don't get the coffee, do you? No.

0:25:14 > 0:25:16They're done from the time they're three or four weeks of age

0:25:16 > 0:25:17so they get used to it.

0:25:17 > 0:25:20And what's the most difficult part about doing it?

0:25:20 > 0:25:22I think getting both sides to match.

0:25:28 > 0:25:32'The poodle is often best known for its distinctive style.

0:25:32 > 0:25:37'But this breed's first role made an even bigger splash.

0:25:37 > 0:25:39'The poodle was originally a hunting dog,

0:25:39 > 0:25:42'bred to retrieve waterfowl and other game from rivers.

0:25:43 > 0:25:46'And that has shaped the classic poodle hairstyle.'

0:25:49 > 0:25:52This is a really practical cut as well as a decorative one.

0:25:52 > 0:25:55It's designed to help the dog work.

0:25:55 > 0:25:58It's also a cut with a very long history.

0:25:58 > 0:26:03Roman coins from 100 BC show an image of a dog that also has

0:26:03 > 0:26:06a similar pattern in its fur.

0:26:06 > 0:26:10It's very, very leanly haired, perhaps even shaven at the back,

0:26:10 > 0:26:14with a really big, rough mane at the front of the dog.

0:26:14 > 0:26:17Later on in history, in the 16th and 17th century,

0:26:17 > 0:26:23we find fantastic woodcuts and printed descriptions of water dogs

0:26:23 > 0:26:26and they describe why they're cut like this.

0:26:26 > 0:26:30The big mane here is for keeping the vital organs warm

0:26:30 > 0:26:33when the dog is retrieving in the water.

0:26:33 > 0:26:37Even the topknot here, the ribbon, had a practical purpose.

0:26:37 > 0:26:39That was to allow the hunters to differentiate

0:26:39 > 0:26:42between different dogs in the water.

0:26:42 > 0:26:44So what do you think, Breeze. Mmm?

0:26:44 > 0:26:47Duck hunting, you and me, down the muddy river, yeah?

0:26:47 > 0:26:49THEY LAUGH

0:26:49 > 0:26:50Look at the look you're giving me.

0:26:50 > 0:26:52Mind you, if I'd spent that long in a hairdresser's

0:26:52 > 0:26:54I don't think I would have been that keen either.

0:27:01 > 0:27:04And dogs that love swimming also...

0:27:04 > 0:27:05SHE LAUGHS

0:27:05 > 0:27:06..love to shake.

0:27:06 > 0:27:10But there's more to that doggy shake than meets the eye,

0:27:10 > 0:27:12as Steve is finding out.

0:27:12 > 0:27:13Go on, in you go.

0:27:14 > 0:27:16Toes, just your toes.

0:27:16 > 0:27:18MUSIC: "Peppermint Twist" by Joey Dee & The Starliters

0:27:18 > 0:27:22'Surprisingly, not all dogs shake in the same way...

0:27:23 > 0:27:26'..as we hope to see if we can persuade enough wet dogs

0:27:26 > 0:27:29'to shake in front of our slow-motion camera.'

0:27:29 > 0:27:31HE LAUGHS

0:27:31 > 0:27:33You keep shaking it off as fast as I can put it on.

0:27:35 > 0:27:36Good boy.

0:27:38 > 0:27:39Not just yet.

0:27:39 > 0:27:42We need you to... Starring role! Get ready.

0:27:44 > 0:27:46Go on, this way.

0:27:46 > 0:27:49HE LAUGHS

0:27:49 > 0:27:51Oh, I'm sorry, I know.

0:27:51 > 0:27:54Shake it out, shake it out.

0:27:54 > 0:27:56HE LAUGHS

0:27:56 > 0:27:59Ah! Give it some beans, well done.

0:28:04 > 0:28:07Don't fight it, you know what you want to do.

0:28:10 > 0:28:12HE LAUGHS

0:28:12 > 0:28:13Very dainty.

0:28:13 > 0:28:15Very dainty, Stanley.

0:28:16 > 0:28:19'We can play back the footage eight times slower,

0:28:19 > 0:28:22'allowing us to see the shake in all its glory.'

0:28:24 > 0:28:26Oh, very nice.

0:28:26 > 0:28:29It really always starts with the head

0:28:29 > 0:28:33and they throw those ears, then it transfers down the back

0:28:33 > 0:28:37all the way along the spine and onto the bum, and finally the tail.

0:28:37 > 0:28:40It's really reliant on the very mobile skin

0:28:40 > 0:28:42flicking from side to side

0:28:42 > 0:28:44and that's what gives the fur the momentum

0:28:44 > 0:28:46to really fling that water away.

0:28:46 > 0:28:49Right, we need to start timing some of these now

0:28:49 > 0:28:51and just seeing how fast they're moving.

0:28:54 > 0:28:57'The slow-mo camera reveals that the smaller the dog

0:28:57 > 0:28:59'the faster the shake.

0:29:01 > 0:29:03'They need to get dry to avoid hypothermia.

0:29:05 > 0:29:09'Evolution has tuned each dog shake rate to lose the most water

0:29:09 > 0:29:11'with minimum effort.

0:29:13 > 0:29:18'The bigger bodies of large dogs generate more centrifugal force

0:29:18 > 0:29:22'and that's why they shake slower than the small dogs.'

0:29:27 > 0:29:32So, big or small, it's an efficient process, except for one breed

0:29:32 > 0:29:35because it doesn't matter how much this dog shakes

0:29:35 > 0:29:37it's never going to get dry.

0:29:44 > 0:29:48'Meet the hairiest dog breed of all - the Komondor.

0:29:52 > 0:29:56'Their thick dreadlocks are formed as a soft undercoat grows

0:29:56 > 0:29:58'and entwines with a rough outer coat.

0:30:02 > 0:30:06'With up to 2,000 tassels that can grow to more than a metre,

0:30:06 > 0:30:08'they need regular trims.'

0:30:12 > 0:30:14'And some serious washing.'

0:30:22 > 0:30:25MUSIC: "We Have All The Time In The World" by Louis Armstrong

0:30:26 > 0:30:29'The epic hair drying process begins

0:30:29 > 0:30:32'with an hour of vacuuming off as much water as possible.'

0:30:38 > 0:30:41MUSIC: "Too Darn Hot" by Ella Fitzgerald

0:30:41 > 0:30:44'Next, three hours under the hairdryers.'

0:30:47 > 0:30:51'And finally, after 24 hours in a towelling onesie...

0:30:54 > 0:30:56'..we have a clean, dry dog.'

0:31:03 > 0:31:06'So how did these dogs become so hairy in the first place?'

0:31:08 > 0:31:10We're very lucky to have Julie and her dogs here.

0:31:10 > 0:31:12So we've got Daz, we've got Oz

0:31:12 > 0:31:15and we've also got Dennis hiding down there.

0:31:15 > 0:31:16And this is actually a first for me

0:31:16 > 0:31:18cos I've never met a Komondor before.

0:31:18 > 0:31:20How many are actually in country?

0:31:20 > 0:31:22- We reckon about 40, 50 at the most. - Yeah.

0:31:22 > 0:31:24Wow, yeah, so pretty rare.

0:31:24 > 0:31:28And this incredible hair is their characteristic feature.

0:31:28 > 0:31:30When we see the length of some of it...

0:31:30 > 0:31:32Look at that!

0:31:32 > 0:31:34This is probably hair he would have shed if it hadn't have tangled.

0:31:34 > 0:31:37Well, I've actually cut probably that much off...

0:31:37 > 0:31:38Have you really, as well?

0:31:38 > 0:31:39Over a few years.

0:31:39 > 0:31:41But it does serve a purpose

0:31:41 > 0:31:43and the reason that they've been bred in this way is thought

0:31:43 > 0:31:47that it's really fantastic defence against being bitten.

0:31:47 > 0:31:49Because back in their native Hungary,

0:31:49 > 0:31:51their job was to defend livestock such as sheep

0:31:51 > 0:31:54and if you can imagine a wolf's jaws like this coming in

0:31:54 > 0:31:55and wallop like this,

0:31:55 > 0:31:59all I've got here is hair, so it's a fantastic, lightweight body armour.

0:31:59 > 0:32:03But I also think it's probably a bit of camouflage as well.

0:32:03 > 0:32:06You could imagine a wolf turning up and suddenly one of the sheep

0:32:06 > 0:32:08rushing at him and barking its head off!

0:32:08 > 0:32:12Oh, hello, I'm sorry, yes, we are still interested in you as well.

0:32:12 > 0:32:13A fantastic dog.

0:32:13 > 0:32:15We think so.

0:32:15 > 0:32:17- I bet you do. - We're biased though, aren't we?

0:32:18 > 0:32:20And next to these Komondors

0:32:20 > 0:32:23we've got the other end of the spectrum - a hairless dog.

0:32:23 > 0:32:24Thanks very much, guys.

0:32:24 > 0:32:28This is the Chinese crested and they look so unusual.

0:32:29 > 0:32:32Little bit grumbly today are we, madam?

0:32:32 > 0:32:34But they are naturally like this.

0:32:34 > 0:32:37They're born without any hair on their bodies

0:32:37 > 0:32:41so they do have this very unusual look of just the extremes

0:32:41 > 0:32:45like the ears, the head, the tips of the feet and tips of the tail

0:32:45 > 0:32:49and then the rest of the body is this very fine hair, if any hair at all.

0:32:49 > 0:32:52What's really interesting about this breed, though,

0:32:52 > 0:32:54is that this is one as well.

0:32:54 > 0:32:56This is a powder-puff.

0:32:56 > 0:32:57Hello, gorgeous!

0:32:57 > 0:32:59I'll pop you down cos you seem to be quite settled there.

0:32:59 > 0:33:03So some of the Chinese crested in the litter will have hair.

0:33:03 > 0:33:05You don't know always what you're going to get.

0:33:05 > 0:33:08You may get some, like you, very beautiful,

0:33:08 > 0:33:11and you may get some, like our examples over here,

0:33:11 > 0:33:14that have no hair on their bodies at all.

0:33:14 > 0:33:15And this skin is remarkable.

0:33:15 > 0:33:17It's very, very warm

0:33:17 > 0:33:20and that's one of the things that people really do notice.

0:33:20 > 0:33:22Dogs have a higher internal temperature than us

0:33:22 > 0:33:26so their skin does naturally feel warmer than ours.

0:33:26 > 0:33:27We put sun cream on them as well.

0:33:27 > 0:33:30Yeah, absolutely, on a day like today, very important.

0:33:30 > 0:33:32- Quite high factor.- Mmm.

0:33:32 > 0:33:35Now, the origin of the hairless dog may have been just to make them

0:33:35 > 0:33:38a bit more oven-ready because we believe that they were hairless

0:33:38 > 0:33:41because they were good to pop into the oven,

0:33:41 > 0:33:42which is a bit of a gruesome thing.

0:33:42 > 0:33:47I've been told that the reason that they had them to be hairless,

0:33:47 > 0:33:49because they were given to princesses

0:33:49 > 0:33:52as hot water bottles in their day.

0:33:52 > 0:33:55That's a much nicer story than the one I've heard, so...

0:33:55 > 0:33:57And they are bed warmers because mine

0:33:57 > 0:34:00do actually sleep in the bed and on the bed with me,

0:34:00 > 0:34:03and they are wonderful, they are the most beautiful breed to live with.

0:34:03 > 0:34:05Yeah, thank you very much.

0:34:07 > 0:34:10'From curly hair to smooth, thick to wiry,

0:34:10 > 0:34:13'dog coats vary enormously

0:34:13 > 0:34:17'and since the dog genome was decoded eight years ago,

0:34:17 > 0:34:23'we've found out that just three genes control 95% of this diversity.

0:34:23 > 0:34:25'But it's not just the type of hair,

0:34:25 > 0:34:30'another three genes also control the underlying colour of the coat,

0:34:30 > 0:34:34'including one of the most prized colours - a coat of gold.'

0:34:42 > 0:34:43BARKING

0:34:46 > 0:34:50'Every few years hundreds of golden retrievers from around the world

0:34:50 > 0:34:54'descend on the Guisachan Estate in the Scottish Highlands,

0:34:54 > 0:34:57'the ancestral home of this much-loved dog.'

0:35:17 > 0:35:22'It was here in 1865 that Lord Tweedmouth set out to produce

0:35:22 > 0:35:25'a new breed of hunting dog.'

0:35:25 > 0:35:28Now, you may have heard the saying that gentlemen prefer blondes

0:35:28 > 0:35:31and I think, in Lord Tweedmouth's case, that was true.

0:35:38 > 0:35:41Lord Tweedmouth wanted a golden-haired retrieving dog,

0:35:41 > 0:35:43so he set about creating one.

0:35:43 > 0:35:47He started with a puppy called Nous,

0:35:47 > 0:35:50a yellow puppy from a litter of black retrievers

0:35:50 > 0:35:53and he crossed him with a Tweed water spaniel,

0:35:53 > 0:35:55a breed that's now extinct.

0:35:55 > 0:35:57Their offspring he crossed with a red setter

0:35:57 > 0:36:00and again back to the Tweed water spaniel.

0:36:00 > 0:36:04And so it went on until he began to see those golden puppies

0:36:04 > 0:36:05that he was really after.

0:36:07 > 0:36:10'They didn't start out being called golden retrievers, though.

0:36:12 > 0:36:16'They were known as the yellow retriever right up until 1910.'

0:36:17 > 0:36:20The nickname came when a notorious peer

0:36:20 > 0:36:24said that they all were the same colour as a golden guinea.

0:36:24 > 0:36:27So, no, you're definitely too red.

0:36:28 > 0:36:30You're a bit paler.

0:36:31 > 0:36:32You're quite golden.

0:36:32 > 0:36:34I think you must be Goldilocks.

0:36:37 > 0:36:42'Amazingly, every golden retriever in the world is descended

0:36:42 > 0:36:46'from the original dogs of the Guisachan Estate,

0:36:46 > 0:36:50'a classic example of the power of selective breeding.'

0:36:50 > 0:36:51Right, on the count of three...

0:36:51 > 0:36:53One, two, three...

0:36:53 > 0:36:56THEY CHEER

0:36:59 > 0:37:04'Here in the village, we've got dogs of every shade and tone.

0:37:04 > 0:37:06'But how did so many colours emerge?

0:37:08 > 0:37:10'We might find a clue

0:37:10 > 0:37:12'by looking at which of these different-coloured puppies

0:37:12 > 0:37:14'people choose.'

0:37:14 > 0:37:17We've got a fantastic litter of gorgeous puppies here,

0:37:17 > 0:37:19all different colours.

0:37:19 > 0:37:22So which one would you take home? Which one is your favourite?

0:37:22 > 0:37:26Yeah, I like this one because I've already got a golden dog,

0:37:26 > 0:37:27so I want a black one.

0:37:27 > 0:37:30MUSIC: "(How Much Is) That Doggie In The Window?" by Patti Page

0:37:30 > 0:37:33Eileen, faced with these guys,

0:37:33 > 0:37:36which strikes you as the one that you would take home?

0:37:36 > 0:37:37I'd go for that one.

0:37:37 > 0:37:38This one here?

0:37:38 > 0:37:40Yeah, because it was underneath.

0:37:40 > 0:37:41THEY LAUGH

0:37:41 > 0:37:43- Oh, well. - We won't hold you to it.

0:37:43 > 0:37:46- No, don't do that. - The one that's sleeping.

0:37:47 > 0:37:49- Snap decision, come on. - Snap decision...

0:37:51 > 0:37:54- Well, they're all lovely.- Mmm.

0:37:54 > 0:37:58This one. I like the colour and I think it's curious.

0:37:58 > 0:38:00- Very good.- It might be that one in the top left corner.

0:38:00 > 0:38:02- This one, here?- Yeah.

0:38:02 > 0:38:04I like the colours on its face and back.

0:38:05 > 0:38:06The dark one here.

0:38:08 > 0:38:09Think I'd take that one home.

0:38:09 > 0:38:10Why did you go for that one?

0:38:10 > 0:38:12Well, the colouring's very appealing.

0:38:12 > 0:38:14Good, very good.

0:38:16 > 0:38:19So there was some variation

0:38:19 > 0:38:20but we did have a clear winner

0:38:20 > 0:38:22and it's this one, the only black one,

0:38:22 > 0:38:26and I think the most common reason is because he stands out.

0:38:26 > 0:38:29There's something in the human psychology, I think,

0:38:29 > 0:38:32that makes us select that one that's a little bit different

0:38:32 > 0:38:36and if you take that over many, many generations

0:38:36 > 0:38:40you're going to end up with this huge variety of dogs that we see today.

0:38:40 > 0:38:44'Puppies born with unique features are often the ones

0:38:44 > 0:38:48'that catch our eye, and by breeding from such dogs we've created

0:38:48 > 0:38:51'the eclectic creatures we know and love today.'

0:38:51 > 0:38:54BARKING

0:38:54 > 0:38:58'Modern breeds originated in the 19th century when experimenting

0:38:58 > 0:39:01'with selective breeding became something of an art form.'

0:39:03 > 0:39:06Here at the Natural History Museum at Tring

0:39:06 > 0:39:08is the animal collection of Walter Rothschild,

0:39:08 > 0:39:10a keen Victorian naturalist.

0:39:10 > 0:39:12And proudly displayed amongst

0:39:12 > 0:39:15some of the most exotic specimens on earth

0:39:15 > 0:39:17is a case of domestic dogs.

0:39:21 > 0:39:25These offer a rare snapshot into the Victorian era,

0:39:25 > 0:39:27the very foundation of the modern dog.

0:39:29 > 0:39:32'This was a time of Darwin, of classification

0:39:32 > 0:39:35'and a new way of looking at dogs.

0:39:36 > 0:39:39'They were not just working animals.

0:39:39 > 0:39:43'Now they were also being bred to be elegant pets and good companions.

0:39:44 > 0:39:48'Professor Michael Warboys has studied this change of attitude.'

0:39:49 > 0:39:52The dogs here are reflecting the Victorian interest

0:39:52 > 0:39:54in the actual beauty of the dog.

0:39:54 > 0:39:57So the dogs in here are being catalogued and classified

0:39:57 > 0:40:00but they're also reflecting fashion.

0:40:00 > 0:40:03Oh, yes, they were almost kind of consumer items

0:40:03 > 0:40:06and with that went a whole consumer culture.

0:40:08 > 0:40:09That's a pointer too, you know.

0:40:09 > 0:40:12That's supposed to be a pointer like you, it is.

0:40:17 > 0:40:20So is it true to say that the Victorians

0:40:20 > 0:40:22were the fathers of the modern dog show?

0:40:22 > 0:40:26There were dog shows held mainly in working class areas in pubs,

0:40:26 > 0:40:27but where it really took off

0:40:27 > 0:40:29was when the dog shows became urban events

0:40:29 > 0:40:34and the middle classes joined and toy dogs and pet dogs came in.

0:40:34 > 0:40:37So who was it who brought all this together?

0:40:37 > 0:40:38It was a man called John Henry Walsh

0:40:38 > 0:40:41who was the editor of the weekly newspaper, The Field,

0:40:41 > 0:40:44which published the results of all the dog shows,

0:40:44 > 0:40:47and what he wanted to do was to have a standard

0:40:47 > 0:40:48that judges could refer to

0:40:48 > 0:40:51and that would work for dog shows across the whole country.

0:40:51 > 0:40:54So I'm going to ask you now what was the first dog to be standardised

0:40:54 > 0:40:56but I think I've got a clue, here.

0:40:56 > 0:40:59Yes, OK,

0:40:59 > 0:41:00as you see, here,

0:41:00 > 0:41:04the first one he published was of a pointer and he chose a particular dog

0:41:04 > 0:41:09called Major who had won the recent show at Birmingham.

0:41:09 > 0:41:11He calls this a model.

0:41:11 > 0:41:14The two do still look quite similar, though, don't they?

0:41:14 > 0:41:16- They are very similar.- Yeah.

0:41:16 > 0:41:19MUSIC: "Who's That Guy?" by The Kolettes

0:41:22 > 0:41:26'The Victorians had invented the concept of a standardised breed.

0:41:28 > 0:41:31'Up till now, breeds hadn't existed.

0:41:31 > 0:41:33'Dogs had been defined by the jobs they did.

0:41:34 > 0:41:38'Now, owners strived to produce the perfect pooch.

0:41:40 > 0:41:43'And the dog show became a national institution.'

0:41:44 > 0:41:47The myriad of types of dogs that we know and love today

0:41:47 > 0:41:53and, indeed, the very idea of breeds is all thanks to the Victorians,

0:41:53 > 0:41:56and to one man who took the time to write down the shape

0:41:56 > 0:41:59and size of a pointer named Major.

0:42:00 > 0:42:01Hello, gorgeous.

0:42:05 > 0:42:07'Almost every breed here in Brightwell

0:42:07 > 0:42:10'was defined in the Victorian era.

0:42:10 > 0:42:12'But the Victorians weren't the first

0:42:12 > 0:42:15'to turn dogs from work to play,

0:42:15 > 0:42:17'as Greger Larson has discovered.'

0:42:17 > 0:42:22- We know that for the first 10,000 or more years dogs did jobs.- Yeah.

0:42:22 > 0:42:24You had a job to do and a dog did that job.

0:42:24 > 0:42:25You kept that dog.

0:42:25 > 0:42:27As soon as that job disappeared the dog disappeared

0:42:27 > 0:42:29and we have lots of examples of that.

0:42:29 > 0:42:33The first evidence we have for dogs maybe not really doing jobs

0:42:33 > 0:42:35but just kind of hanging out were the Romans.

0:42:35 > 0:42:38About 2,000 years ago very small dogs - you could make the argument

0:42:38 > 0:42:41that maybe they were bed dogs, they were keeping the beds warm,

0:42:41 > 0:42:43but it looks like the fashion thing is kind of kicking in a little bit.

0:42:43 > 0:42:48But, really, 150 years ago with the Victorians, really hits its stride.

0:42:48 > 0:42:50- Right.- And now that has accelerated to the point now

0:42:50 > 0:42:55where virtually all dogs in the UK are just for companionship.

0:42:55 > 0:42:57We have completely gone 180 degrees away from

0:42:57 > 0:43:01the whole point of dog domestication which was to do stuff.

0:43:01 > 0:43:05So, dogs, the breeding of dogs, has gone from, you know,

0:43:05 > 0:43:08picking a trait that would mean a dog was good to go down a hole

0:43:08 > 0:43:11- or flush prey or point out prey... - Mmm-hmm.

0:43:11 > 0:43:12..to something that can lie around

0:43:12 > 0:43:14on a velvet cushion looking gorgeous.

0:43:14 > 0:43:16Looking gorgeous, which they do very well.

0:43:16 > 0:43:18- DOG BARKS - Shh!

0:43:19 > 0:43:20Ah, ah, ah, ah. That's enough.

0:43:20 > 0:43:22This is Ewok

0:43:22 > 0:43:25and he's a four-year-old Australian labradoodle.

0:43:25 > 0:43:28This is Hector. He's a miniature schnauzer.

0:43:28 > 0:43:30He's an Alaskan Malamute.

0:43:30 > 0:43:32Nine-month-old Harlequin Great Dane.

0:43:32 > 0:43:38I love all dogs but I like something a little bit different.

0:43:38 > 0:43:42'Selective breeding is a powerful tool in any animal.

0:43:43 > 0:43:46'But our long history of intentionally selecting

0:43:46 > 0:43:51'extreme features in dogs has led to some extraordinary changes.'

0:43:51 > 0:43:52Stop!

0:43:55 > 0:43:58'We can see just how much they vary

0:43:58 > 0:44:01'by looking under their skin at their skulls.'

0:44:01 > 0:44:05So we've got a fantastic array of skulls from different breeds,

0:44:05 > 0:44:07and you can see that,

0:44:07 > 0:44:10when we look at where they all started, which is our wolf,

0:44:10 > 0:44:14and if I show you, in comparison, a Labrador,

0:44:14 > 0:44:17one of the most remarkable things is how similar they are.

0:44:17 > 0:44:18Strip away the flesh

0:44:18 > 0:44:23and get down to the bare bones, what we've got is basically a small wolf.

0:44:24 > 0:44:26'This ancestral wolf-like appearance

0:44:26 > 0:44:28'that's still visible in some breeds

0:44:28 > 0:44:31'has been radically changed in many others.'

0:44:31 > 0:44:34So if we look at our collie here, we've been able to

0:44:34 > 0:44:38selectively elongate the nose for our fast running breeds

0:44:38 > 0:44:40who are catching small, agile prey.

0:44:40 > 0:44:44So dogs like collies, greyhounds, those sorts of long noses.

0:44:44 > 0:44:45But we can also shorten the noses

0:44:45 > 0:44:49and we've had some dramatic shortening of some faces.

0:44:49 > 0:44:50This is the Pekingese, here,

0:44:50 > 0:44:53and when you see there's hardly any nose there at all.

0:44:53 > 0:44:54It's tipped up, it's compressed

0:44:54 > 0:44:58and it's cramped all of those teeth in there.

0:44:58 > 0:44:59Why would you do that?

0:44:59 > 0:45:02Well, one reason is, like this Chihuahua skull here,

0:45:02 > 0:45:04it's got that flattened, short nose.

0:45:04 > 0:45:07Obviously, it doesn't look that cute when it's just the skeleton,

0:45:07 > 0:45:10but here we go. I'll show you Nutmeg.

0:45:10 > 0:45:14You can understand why people have selectively bred

0:45:14 > 0:45:19for these very cute big eyes, short little sort of nose.

0:45:19 > 0:45:21Looks very like a human baby.

0:45:21 > 0:45:25You're very, very gorgeous, aren't you, Nutmeg? Thank you very much.

0:45:25 > 0:45:29But it's not just short noses in cute dogs.

0:45:29 > 0:45:32One of the classic ones is this one.

0:45:32 > 0:45:34Doesn't that look monstrous?

0:45:34 > 0:45:35It's the bulldog.

0:45:35 > 0:45:40'Sometimes the extreme ways we've changed the shape of our dogs

0:45:40 > 0:45:42'ends up causing problems.

0:45:42 > 0:45:46'And nothing illustrates this more than the story of the bulldog.'

0:46:01 > 0:46:03I'm here on London's South Bank to find out how

0:46:03 > 0:46:08that most British of breeds, the bulldog, got its name.

0:46:08 > 0:46:12The story starts back in Elizabethan times when here in the back streets

0:46:12 > 0:46:18of Southwark, large, raucous crowds gathered, hungry for entertainment.

0:46:18 > 0:46:20And I'm not talking Shakespeare.

0:46:27 > 0:46:30Julian, you're an archaeologist with the Museum of London archaeology

0:46:30 > 0:46:34and you've made a study of this area.

0:46:34 > 0:46:36How do dogs like Coco fit in?

0:46:36 > 0:46:39Well, happily for Coco, she doesn't.

0:46:39 > 0:46:40She's alive and well today.

0:46:40 > 0:46:44I don't think she would have liked being here 400 years ago.

0:46:44 > 0:46:45This area, the South Bank,

0:46:45 > 0:46:48was the traditional place for animal baiting.

0:46:48 > 0:46:51They baited bears, they baited bulls.

0:46:51 > 0:46:53So there were rings

0:46:53 > 0:46:56and you put a bull in and then you send in one dog, two dogs?

0:46:56 > 0:46:57Oh, you send three or four.

0:46:57 > 0:47:00Are there any contemporary accounts of what it was like

0:47:00 > 0:47:03to actually be at the bull-baiting?

0:47:03 > 0:47:07There's a very good one by John Evelyn, the famous diarist

0:47:07 > 0:47:09that you might like from

0:47:09 > 0:47:11the 16th June 1670.

0:47:11 > 0:47:12Oh, my goodness.

0:47:12 > 0:47:17"One of the bulls tossed a dog full into a lady's lap as she sat

0:47:17 > 0:47:20"in one of the boxes at a considerable height from the arena."

0:47:20 > 0:47:22So it must have been extremely violent.

0:47:22 > 0:47:26It was very bloody, not only in the arena, but the poor lady

0:47:26 > 0:47:29sitting up in the boxes who gets a dog carcass on her...

0:47:29 > 0:47:31It's hard to really see that as entertainment these days.

0:47:31 > 0:47:35It is but, yes, it was a very popular afternoon out.

0:47:35 > 0:47:39So it was dogs like Coco, then, who were baiting these bulls?

0:47:39 > 0:47:40Well, not really.

0:47:40 > 0:47:43Today's bulldogs are really rather a different breed.

0:47:43 > 0:47:47Our excavations have uncovered the kind of dogs they had

0:47:47 > 0:47:48and they're very, very different.

0:47:48 > 0:47:51It's a very typical Elizabethan mastiff.

0:47:51 > 0:47:53It's a very big, powerful brute

0:47:53 > 0:47:57that's actually about twice the size as Coco.

0:47:57 > 0:48:00It is completely different isn't it?

0:48:00 > 0:48:02I mean, particularly the snout here,

0:48:02 > 0:48:03I mean, a modern bulldog

0:48:03 > 0:48:07- has a much, much shorter muzzle. - It's completely different, yes.

0:48:07 > 0:48:11So this is a real Elizabethan bulldog skull.

0:48:12 > 0:48:16What do you think, Coco? This is one of your ancestors, look.

0:48:18 > 0:48:21She's not interested in family history, I don't think.

0:48:24 > 0:48:25'In the Elizabethan era,

0:48:25 > 0:48:29'a bulldog was any kind of dog used to fight bulls.

0:48:29 > 0:48:31'It wasn't until the Victorians

0:48:31 > 0:48:34'that a single breeding line was defined

0:48:34 > 0:48:37'and the bulldog became a show dog.

0:48:37 > 0:48:41'Over the next 150 years we exaggerated its defining features

0:48:41 > 0:48:43'by selective breeding.

0:48:43 > 0:48:47'The nose was made shorter, the jaws wider

0:48:47 > 0:48:50'and the back of the body smaller.

0:48:50 > 0:48:53'The bulldog turned into a caricature of itself.'

0:48:55 > 0:48:57In time, the bulldog became a real symbol

0:48:57 > 0:48:59of the British fighting spirit,

0:48:59 > 0:49:04and in World War II it became synonymous with Winston Churchill,

0:49:04 > 0:49:07which is ironic, really, because Winston never owned a bulldog.

0:49:07 > 0:49:09He had a poodle called Rufus.

0:49:11 > 0:49:14BARKING

0:49:14 > 0:49:17SNORTING AND SNORING

0:49:17 > 0:49:20'Over the years the changes in the bulldog's shape

0:49:20 > 0:49:22'have had unfortunate consequences.'

0:49:22 > 0:49:24Sit, sit, good boy.

0:49:24 > 0:49:27'The flatter nose and shorter legs have caused health problems,

0:49:27 > 0:49:31'something bulldog breeder Derek Mullet is working to correct.'

0:49:32 > 0:49:37So, here we have Lily, who's our classic standard bulldog

0:49:37 > 0:49:40and next to her we've got Boatswain.

0:49:40 > 0:49:45Quite clearly looks like a bulldog but very, very different.

0:49:45 > 0:49:49So, Derek, explain to me, what is Boatswain?

0:49:49 > 0:49:51Boatswain is a Mullet bulldog.

0:49:51 > 0:49:53It's something that my late brother started.

0:49:53 > 0:49:55He had a kennel club bulldog

0:49:55 > 0:49:58- which unfortunately died at a very young age.- OK.

0:49:58 > 0:50:00So he wanted bring the bulldog back

0:50:00 > 0:50:03to what it used to be - a healthier animal.

0:50:03 > 0:50:06What sort of traits have you been trying to breed

0:50:06 > 0:50:07back into the bulldog?

0:50:07 > 0:50:10- Well, we wanted more length in the leg.- Yeah.

0:50:10 > 0:50:12And also a little longer muzzle.

0:50:12 > 0:50:14Yes. Lily, as you can hear,

0:50:14 > 0:50:17has got that classic narrowing of her airways

0:50:17 > 0:50:19which comes along with this concertina'd face,

0:50:19 > 0:50:21and, you know, this noise that she's making.

0:50:21 > 0:50:23She's really struggled with the heat today.

0:50:23 > 0:50:26- Exactly.- Whereas he has, you know, he's panted like a normal dog,

0:50:26 > 0:50:28he doesn't make any excessive noise

0:50:28 > 0:50:30and he's been able to sort of cope with these conditions.

0:50:30 > 0:50:31Exactly, exactly.

0:50:31 > 0:50:35So how did you go about changing from this to this?

0:50:35 > 0:50:37Well, obviously, we had to use other blood.

0:50:37 > 0:50:39- Yeah.- And we've used the bull mastiff.

0:50:39 > 0:50:41- OK.- And the Staff.

0:50:41 > 0:50:42Right, yeah.

0:50:42 > 0:50:43And, you know, this is the result.

0:50:43 > 0:50:46So you're breeding again, like they did originally,

0:50:46 > 0:50:48the breeding for performance.

0:50:48 > 0:50:50They make a good, healthy family pet

0:50:50 > 0:50:51that can be taken for a nice long walk

0:50:51 > 0:50:53and not have to be carried home.

0:50:53 > 0:50:56What's striking to me is that he is starting to look

0:50:56 > 0:50:58a lot more like the bulldogs

0:50:58 > 0:51:01- that we saw back in those Victorian paintings.- Exactly.

0:51:01 > 0:51:04- Yeah, it's a bit of living history. It's lovely to see.- It is, thank you.

0:51:05 > 0:51:09'The power of cross-breeding to make a dog like Boatswain healthier,

0:51:09 > 0:51:10'is clear.

0:51:10 > 0:51:13'Mixed breeds are becoming increasingly popular.

0:51:14 > 0:51:19'But a dog's ancestry may not always be what it first appears.

0:51:19 > 0:51:22'Each breed has a telltale genetic signature.

0:51:22 > 0:51:26'So to reveal the true family history of some of the village dogs

0:51:26 > 0:51:29'we asked canine geneticist, Dr Neale Fretwell,

0:51:29 > 0:51:31'to carry out DNA tests.'

0:51:32 > 0:51:35Well, let's start with you, Anna.

0:51:35 > 0:51:37Tell me a little bit about your dog.

0:51:37 > 0:51:39We got Charlie when she was a four-month-old puppy

0:51:39 > 0:51:42from a dog rescue centre in Stokenchurch

0:51:42 > 0:51:45and the paperwork said she was a Jack Russell cross.

0:51:45 > 0:51:49Well, Neale, what did you discover when you analysed her DNA?

0:51:49 > 0:51:51They were definitely right about the parents.

0:51:51 > 0:51:53- There was a pure bred parent that was a rat terrier.- Right.

0:51:53 > 0:51:56Very closely-related breed to the Jack Russell terrier.

0:51:56 > 0:51:58However, on the other side of the family tree

0:51:58 > 0:52:00was a grandparent that was a German shepherd.

0:52:00 > 0:52:03- Wow.- And I think you can see the saddleback a little bit here

0:52:03 > 0:52:05- with the black colouration.- Right. - Which is just coming through

0:52:05 > 0:52:08but it's much more diluted than the normal German shepherd.

0:52:08 > 0:52:10But also the ears, of course, are characteristic.

0:52:10 > 0:52:13But you're getting the size from the Russell terrier

0:52:13 > 0:52:16obviously taking that down to the medium size dog you're seeing there.

0:52:16 > 0:52:17Wow. Are you surprised?

0:52:17 > 0:52:20Yes, yeah, really. Um...

0:52:20 > 0:52:25- But if we now go to this dog. Who's this?- This is Bertie.

0:52:25 > 0:52:28Hi, Bertie. Now, what do you think Bertie is?

0:52:28 > 0:52:30- He's a cockapoo.- He's a cockapoo. - First generation.

0:52:30 > 0:52:32So a first generation cockapoo

0:52:32 > 0:52:35is a mixture between a poodle and a cocker spaniel.

0:52:35 > 0:52:36- Yes, exactly.- OK

0:52:36 > 0:52:38And that's what you bought.

0:52:38 > 0:52:40- That's what we bought, yes.- Did he?

0:52:40 > 0:52:43So when we tested Bertie, what we found was definitely

0:52:43 > 0:52:45- first-generation parent poodle.- Yup.

0:52:45 > 0:52:46But on the other side of the family tree

0:52:46 > 0:52:49we found an English Springer spaniel, not a cocker spaniel.

0:52:49 > 0:52:53So not a cockapoo at all, in fact, but a springerpoo.

0:52:53 > 0:52:55Is there such a thing?

0:52:55 > 0:52:57Well, it is an unusual name but, yes.

0:52:57 > 0:52:59It's not something we were aware of.

0:52:59 > 0:53:01So the only hint of the Springer spaniel

0:53:01 > 0:53:02is in the chest of Bertie.

0:53:02 > 0:53:04- You can see a little white chest flash.- Yeah.

0:53:04 > 0:53:07That's obviously consistent with the English Springer spaniel.

0:53:07 > 0:53:09Oh, right, I see, right. OK.

0:53:09 > 0:53:10He's a very good-natured dog

0:53:10 > 0:53:13so as regards the dog, no complaints, thank you.

0:53:13 > 0:53:16Now we come to my two. Both rescue dogs.

0:53:16 > 0:53:20Both most definitely mongrels. Let's start with Bella. Bell, come here.

0:53:22 > 0:53:28Now, this little dog, we think that she is almost certainly Border,

0:53:28 > 0:53:30maybe with something like a Lakeland.

0:53:30 > 0:53:32Well one of the parents was a pure bred,

0:53:32 > 0:53:34- a pure bred Parson Russell on one side.- Right.

0:53:34 > 0:53:37- The other side was a Border terrier cross.- Was a Border terrier cross.

0:53:37 > 0:53:39There was a little bit of Australian shepherd way back

0:53:39 > 0:53:42- at the great grandparent level as well.- Really?

0:53:42 > 0:53:43Not seeing that.

0:53:43 > 0:53:46So, actually, although she hasn't shown any sign of being

0:53:46 > 0:53:50a brilliant sheepdog yet, that might be a latent ability that she has.

0:53:50 > 0:53:51Potentially.

0:53:51 > 0:53:54Ah, Bell, we're going to have to practise on the sheep at home.

0:53:54 > 0:53:56Right, now let's get to my little boy.

0:53:56 > 0:53:58Now, Badger is a complete mystery.

0:53:58 > 0:54:01Some people think that he must have collie in him.

0:54:01 > 0:54:03My neighbour,

0:54:03 > 0:54:07a vet, thinks he's Parson's Jack Russell crossed with lurcher.

0:54:09 > 0:54:12- Can you reveal his true roots? - Certainly, yes.

0:54:12 > 0:54:14So Badger actually had a parent that was a Russell terrier again.

0:54:14 > 0:54:16- Right.- So you've got a Jack Russell.

0:54:16 > 0:54:18Some of the guesses were right there.

0:54:18 > 0:54:21But also on the other side of the family tree we found a grandparent

0:54:21 > 0:54:23- that was a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.- No way!

0:54:23 > 0:54:25Badge! You're royalty.

0:54:27 > 0:54:28I'm a bit disappointed,

0:54:28 > 0:54:30I thought he was a proper kind of working-class,

0:54:30 > 0:54:32none of this sort of namby-pamby royalty.

0:54:32 > 0:54:34- The long hairs have got to come from somewhere.- Yes.

0:54:34 > 0:54:36Obviously, that's quite consistent with having

0:54:36 > 0:54:39a long-coated Russell terrier on one side of the family tree.

0:54:39 > 0:54:42And then the long hair from the Cavalier on the other side.

0:54:42 > 0:54:44There's a lot of mixed breed on his bit, isn't there?

0:54:44 > 0:54:46On that side with the Cavalier, definitely.

0:54:46 > 0:54:48Badge, I think we just have to accept

0:54:48 > 0:54:49that you're 100% proper mongrel

0:54:49 > 0:54:51and I'm delighted by that.

0:54:51 > 0:54:53Neale thank you very, very much indeed.

0:54:53 > 0:54:54It's a delight.

0:54:59 > 0:55:02'As we've bred and cross bred our dogs

0:55:02 > 0:55:05'we've dramatically altered their appearance.

0:55:07 > 0:55:09'But what about their underlying genetics?

0:55:11 > 0:55:15'Is there any hint of wolf still left in modern dogs?'

0:55:18 > 0:55:22We've heard a lot about genes being responsible

0:55:22 > 0:55:25for particular traits or looks in dogs.

0:55:25 > 0:55:30Has the DNA of the wolf changed now almost beyond recognition

0:55:30 > 0:55:32with our modern dogs?

0:55:32 > 0:55:34We now have a very, very few handful of traits

0:55:34 > 0:55:36of very powerful genes

0:55:36 > 0:55:40that are controlling most of that ridiculous diversity that we see.

0:55:40 > 0:55:42So there's lots of places where it's pretty much the same.

0:55:42 > 0:55:45You wouldn't really even tell the difference between a dog and a wolf.

0:55:45 > 0:55:48- Right.- But there are certain genes that we have selected,

0:55:48 > 0:55:49for size for example, for coat colours,

0:55:49 > 0:55:53that are radically different than anything that you see in the wild,

0:55:53 > 0:55:56and are the things that are really determining

0:55:56 > 0:55:58all that variation that we see in modern breeds.

0:56:02 > 0:56:05'Our unnatural selection of dogs with novel features

0:56:05 > 0:56:09'has promoted rare genetic mutations causing traits

0:56:09 > 0:56:13'such as short legs or a stubby nose,

0:56:13 > 0:56:16'traits that would otherwise have disappeared in the wild.

0:56:17 > 0:56:21'And by favouring features seen in puppies within one generation

0:56:21 > 0:56:25'we've unwittingly selected for particularly powerful genes.

0:56:28 > 0:56:32'In the human genome, hundreds of genes affect body size.

0:56:35 > 0:56:40'In the dog genome, it's largely controlled by a single mutated gene

0:56:40 > 0:56:42'that has an exaggerated effect.

0:56:44 > 0:56:48'Amazingly, almost all the other variation between breeds

0:56:48 > 0:56:51'comes from just 50 genes.

0:56:54 > 0:56:57'There's one for small bodies,

0:56:57 > 0:56:59'another for short legs,

0:56:59 > 0:57:01'one for long hair,

0:57:01 > 0:57:03'one for no hair,

0:57:03 > 0:57:05'one for curly hair,

0:57:05 > 0:57:07'one for floppy ears,

0:57:07 > 0:57:09'and even one for a moustache.

0:57:10 > 0:57:14'It's this unique set of high-impact genes that's enabled us

0:57:14 > 0:57:17'to produce so much variety.

0:57:17 > 0:57:21'Our shared history has left an astonishing legacy.'

0:57:21 > 0:57:25We have taken the wolf, which is pretty stable and pretty normal,

0:57:25 > 0:57:26and we've created the dog,

0:57:26 > 0:57:29which is the most diverse land mammal on earth.

0:57:29 > 0:57:31It's huge, it's very tiny, it's very big,

0:57:31 > 0:57:32it's got lots of weight,

0:57:32 > 0:57:34it's got nothing, it's got crazy colours,

0:57:34 > 0:57:36it's just... It's absurd.

0:57:36 > 0:57:38So, looking at the genome of a modern dog now

0:57:38 > 0:57:41basically tells its history.

0:57:41 > 0:57:44You've got that absolute solid wolf ancestry

0:57:44 > 0:57:48and then all the quirky bits that we humans have effectively made happen.

0:57:48 > 0:57:50Without question, and that history is

0:57:50 > 0:57:52our relationship history with the dog.

0:57:52 > 0:57:54So the entire thing over 15,000 years

0:57:54 > 0:57:56is evident in the genome of the dog, exactly.

0:57:56 > 0:57:59That's fascinating. Greger, thank you very much.

0:58:02 > 0:58:05'Here in Brightwell, we've uncovered the origins

0:58:05 > 0:58:09'of the extreme differences we see in modern dogs.'

0:58:09 > 0:58:11Say "sausages".

0:58:11 > 0:58:12IN GRUFF VOICE: Sausages!

0:58:14 > 0:58:17'Next week, we'll investigate the remarkable abilities

0:58:17 > 0:58:19'of different breeds.

0:58:19 > 0:58:23'We'll explore how they smell, see and think.

0:58:23 > 0:58:27'We'll see how these senses emerge in a litter of puppies.

0:58:27 > 0:58:32'And we'll reveal how we've trained dogs to herd, hunt

0:58:32 > 0:58:33'and drive.

0:58:35 > 0:58:37'To discover more about genetics

0:58:37 > 0:58:40'and the changing roles of dogs in our everyday lives,

0:58:40 > 0:58:42'go to...

0:58:44 > 0:58:47'..and follow the links to the Open University.'

0:58:50 > 0:58:53Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd