0:00:06 > 0:00:11We're celebrating the great diversity of dogs.
0:00:11 > 0:00:17This village in Oxfordshire is giving us a unique insight into the dog breeds of Britain.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20And today we'll be looking at how we've not only bred
0:00:20 > 0:00:23different shaped dogs, we've harnessed their innate abilities
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and trained them to do remarkable things.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29We've put their skills to the test to find out
0:00:29 > 0:00:33if there really is a limit to what you can train a dog to do.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37We'll meet a dog whose bite is worse than its bark,
0:00:37 > 0:00:39and one who has learned to drive a car.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45We'll compare the intelligence of different breeds
0:00:45 > 0:00:48and see if we can teach them to read.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50Oh!
0:00:52 > 0:00:57And Teg, my Welsh sheepdog, gets her first taste of working life.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59That will do!
0:00:59 > 0:01:02Welcome to The Wonder Of Dogs.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44Welcome back to Brightwell.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48So far, we've seen the remarkable physical differences between dogs,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52but now we want to show you just how versatile they are.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55We'll be investigating vision, hearing and smell,
0:01:55 > 0:01:59contrasting their impressive physical abilities across the breeds.
0:01:59 > 0:02:03And I'll be uncovering how our own history has shaped these breeds,
0:02:03 > 0:02:06turning them into the finely-honed hunters,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09herders and guard dogs we know today.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17We're setting up a series of experiments
0:02:17 > 0:02:20to assess each breed's highly acute senses,
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and how these have led to some extraordinary abilities.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28But first we want to chart how these senses develop in the first place.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32Come here, darling, come on.
0:02:32 > 0:02:34Meet Jessie, the cocker spaniel
0:02:34 > 0:02:38who's about to give birth to a litter of puppies.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Jessie's owners are the Green family from Droitwich.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Never having bred a dog before,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46in fact never having had a dog before until Jessie,
0:02:46 > 0:02:49the whole concept of breeding and the birth and everything
0:02:49 > 0:02:51is really quite scary.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55But I think I'm quite clued up on it,
0:02:55 > 0:03:00and I fancy myself as a midwife so I'm quite looking forward to it!
0:03:04 > 0:03:07One by one, Jessie's puppies enter the world.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Get you dry, little one.
0:03:10 > 0:03:12Little girl!
0:03:12 > 0:03:14Come on, gorgeous.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19When they're born, they are completely deaf and blind.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Three girls and two boys, and they're all black,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26apart from one little boy who has got a lovely white nose.
0:03:26 > 0:03:30The newborns have to rely on just two senses -
0:03:30 > 0:03:35touch and, even more importantly, smell - to find Jessie's milk.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39For the rest of their lives, smell will be their dominant sense.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45But just how powerful is this sense of smell in different breeds?
0:03:48 > 0:03:52Back in Brightwell, biologist and author John Bradshaw
0:03:52 > 0:03:55is about to put one of our village sniffers to the test.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01So we've got Dexter the Labrador here.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04Just talk us through the tests and how this works.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Well, it's a very simple test.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10All I've done is to lay a trail of chicken smell across there,
0:04:10 > 0:04:14round the back of the tree and then back into a bale of hay here,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17and the dog should be able to track it.
0:04:18 > 0:04:22Now, are you surprised that he seems to be completely on the trail instantly?
0:04:22 > 0:04:24Not at all, no.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26I mean, these are dogs which do this all the time.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28They will follow any kind of odour,
0:04:28 > 0:04:30I think, which leads them towards food.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34And it seems like he has found his quarry. He has found it!
0:04:35 > 0:04:38Comparing their sense of smell to ours,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40is it much, much more acute?
0:04:40 > 0:04:44It's almost unimaginably more acute.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47At least 1,000 times, even things that smell really strongly to us
0:04:47 > 0:04:49like onions or garlic,
0:04:49 > 0:04:51and up to 100,000 times for the best dogs
0:04:51 > 0:04:54for things which really don't smell of anything much to us.
0:04:54 > 0:04:56And why is that?
0:04:56 > 0:04:59Is a dog's nose so different from our own, and the way that it works?
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Well, the way that it works is fundamentally the same,
0:05:02 > 0:05:05it's a mammalian nose just like ours is,
0:05:05 > 0:05:09but there's a lot more tissue devoted to actually picking up smells.
0:05:09 > 0:05:11They've got very fine bones inside...
0:05:11 > 0:05:14Oh, yes, I can see that. ..the nose. Almost like a honeycomb.
0:05:14 > 0:05:17Like a very complicated mesh which first of all conditions the air
0:05:17 > 0:05:19and then at the back of the skull, here,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22is the bit where the chemicals are actually picked up,
0:05:22 > 0:05:24detected and analysed. Right.
0:05:24 > 0:05:25It varies a great deal from breed to breed.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Obviously, a dog with a big skull is going to have a much bigger area
0:05:29 > 0:05:32than a dog with a tiny skull. So a German shepherd, for example,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34would have something like the area of the palm of my hand.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35A little Chihuahua,
0:05:35 > 0:05:38it's probably more like the size of a 50 pence piece.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41But whichever, it seems to be good enough,
0:05:41 > 0:05:45and certainly a lot better than our own smell, even the tiniest dogs.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Because the scent detection area of Labradors is so large,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and their long noses channel the air more efficiently
0:05:53 > 0:05:56than snub-nosed dogs, they are world-class sniffers.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02We're finding new and surprising ways
0:06:02 > 0:06:04to put these super noses to work.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10We're really lucky to have a truly remarkable dog
0:06:10 > 0:06:12with a fantastic nose here today,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15cos believe it or not, she can sniff out cancer.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Lou, come on. Good girl! Rob Harris from Medical Detection Dogs
0:06:19 > 0:06:22is going to give us a demonstration.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Right, Rob. You're all set up and ready to go.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27What have we got here for her to work with?
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Well, what we've got set up are two urines
0:06:29 > 0:06:33that are from healthy patients. OK, completely normal?
0:06:33 > 0:06:35So they should be cancer-free. Yep.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37And then one of the samples is from a patient
0:06:37 > 0:06:39that's diagnosed with kidney cancer.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Right, so just for my knowledge,
0:06:41 > 0:06:43which of these samples should she react to?
0:06:43 > 0:06:46So it's the third one down. OK. That's the one with the cancer in.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48Let's see how she does. You ready? Lou, see-see.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56That's it. That's the, that's the signal!
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Good girl! What a good girl!
0:06:59 > 0:07:01That, that is... Clever girl!
0:07:01 > 0:07:04..that's insane, that, you know, that... It was really clear.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06She locked on to that so quickly,
0:07:06 > 0:07:10because you literally have only got a drop of urine in each of those pots.
0:07:10 > 0:07:120.5ml. Very small amount.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14And is it...
0:07:14 > 0:07:15And I take it... Obviously,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18if somebody who unfortunately has renal cancer or kidney cancer,
0:07:18 > 0:07:19they're going to be shedding
0:07:19 > 0:07:22different organic components into their urine,
0:07:22 > 0:07:23and that's what she's picking up?
0:07:23 > 0:07:27That's what the research is showing so far, and that's the feeling.
0:07:27 > 0:07:31It's not yet clear whether this apparent ability to sniff out cancer
0:07:31 > 0:07:34will ever be reliable enough for clinical diagnosis.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Obviously this isn't going to replace, you know,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42all the standard tests, but if we can train dogs to do this,
0:07:42 > 0:07:43it maybe will aid us, will it,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46in some way to speed up screening of people?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Yeah, exactly that. That's exactly what we're hoping for.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51It's amazing how far we've come.
0:07:51 > 0:07:54We've now got dogs that can sniff out medical conditions.
0:07:54 > 0:07:58Throughout history, as our needs have evolved,
0:07:58 > 0:08:01dogs have taken on all sorts of different roles to help us.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08Nowhere has the dog's sense of smell been honed more spectacularly
0:08:08 > 0:08:11than in the creation of the gundog breeds.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Ruth's on her way to Heathfield Farm in Oxfordshire to find out more.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20Over the last couple of hundred years,
0:08:20 > 0:08:24hunting styles and gun technology have changed quite a bit in Britain,
0:08:24 > 0:08:29and that's led to a huge variety of breeds by our side.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31Whoo-hoo!
0:08:37 > 0:08:40Throughout history,
0:08:40 > 0:08:44hunters have used dogs' super sensitive noses to sniff out prey,
0:08:44 > 0:08:49and they've then married that to three very different dog behaviours.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52Pointing, flushing and retrieving.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56First up were the pointers, dogs that would sniff their prey
0:08:56 > 0:09:00but then, instead of hunting it down, they would freeze on the spot.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03Gun historian Mike Yardley has studied
0:09:03 > 0:09:08how the evolution of gundogs and guns go hand in hand.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11In this era, it would be very much a partnership
0:09:11 > 0:09:13between the shooter and his dogs.
0:09:15 > 0:09:18The pointers would pick up the airborne scent of the bird,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21they'd come in behind it and they'd point where it was.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24If there are two, sometimes they'd back each other up,
0:09:24 > 0:09:27and you might shoot it or might even throw a net over it.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30So the dogs are finding the birds for you?
0:09:30 > 0:09:31The dogs are finding the birds for you
0:09:31 > 0:09:33and they're fundamental to the whole process.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36They had to have a good nose, they had to be steady,
0:09:36 > 0:09:39and they had to have stamina.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40Those were the vital qualities.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44So you need to get your gun loaded before... Yes.
0:09:44 > 0:09:47..you found anything really, cos that's quite a long process.
0:09:52 > 0:09:54Not quick this, is it?
0:09:54 > 0:09:56It certainly isn't quick.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03And now we're ready.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07Margaret, would you actually let the, let the dogs slip now?
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Oh! Interested straightaway.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13They seem to be sniffing, don't they?
0:10:13 > 0:10:20They're great, they're trying to sense anything their incredible powers of smell can pick up.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And the thing about pointers as a breed
0:10:25 > 0:10:27is that you can see they almost look like greyhounds.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31They're quite lanky dogs, they can run far and wide,
0:10:31 > 0:10:33trying to find that one bird in the field
0:10:33 > 0:10:36that you won't be able to see as a human being.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42And when they do actually go on point, yeah, look at that. Yeah.
0:10:42 > 0:10:45Now we've, yeah, we're coming up to a classic point.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47And you've got to be very alert,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49as soon as you see the dog pointing,
0:10:49 > 0:10:50you walk up straight into it,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53through it to the bird. The bird, you hope, will be flushed.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55Up. GUNSHOT
0:10:57 > 0:11:03But how do you get a dog to go against its natural hunting instincts and freeze?
0:11:05 > 0:11:09Back in Brightwell, Kate met up with vet Bruce Fogle to find out.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Now Bruce, tell me what is particularly special with pointers.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16Well, any dog that is predating,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20that is looking for something to capture, will,
0:11:20 > 0:11:22when it sees something, freeze,
0:11:22 > 0:11:26work out, "What's my best angle, how am I going to catch it?"
0:11:26 > 0:11:30The difference between this dog and others
0:11:30 > 0:11:36is we've artificially, selectively bred them to stop at the point.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Very balletic! SHE LAUGHS
0:11:39 > 0:11:41Will Otto literally point?
0:11:41 > 0:11:46If there's something to point at, he will point at it. Right.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49Well, he's not a trained, he's not a trained pointer
0:11:49 > 0:11:54but he has the instinct of his type of breed of the pointer group,
0:11:54 > 0:11:58that if he sees something he is going to go into the freeze
0:11:58 > 0:12:01and stop there, rather than going through for the actual kill. OK.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03And here's another pointing breed,
0:12:03 > 0:12:07the Hungarian vizsla, actually perfecting this freeze.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14But the story of the gundog doesn't end here.
0:12:14 > 0:12:17With the arrival of the shotgun,
0:12:17 > 0:12:21a very different type of behaviour was needed, as Ruth found out.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24This is the sort of gun where you can load it like that,
0:12:24 > 0:12:26close it, and now you're off.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29Gosh, that is so much faster. So much quicker, yeah.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32And it also encourages the development of the new driven
0:12:32 > 0:12:36style of shooting, where the birds are driven to the guns in a line.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Let's have a go. GUNSHOT
0:12:42 > 0:12:46By the early 20th century, hunters could shoot much faster
0:12:46 > 0:12:49and wanted dogs that could not only find the birds
0:12:49 > 0:12:52but could flush them out of long grass,
0:12:52 > 0:12:56driving them towards the waiting guns.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59One of the best at this task was the springer spaniel.
0:13:01 > 0:13:04Now Bruce, tell me what is special in this particular breed of dog?
0:13:04 > 0:13:06With the springer,
0:13:06 > 0:13:09the springer has inherited something that we've accentuated. OK.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13And that is a wound-up ability to bounce around and have
0:13:13 > 0:13:16tremendous amount of energy, probably more than the average dog.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21I mean, she's got wonderful muscles and she's short. Yeah.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25She hasn't got a great big body that she has to carry around,
0:13:25 > 0:13:26like a pointer for example.
0:13:26 > 0:13:31So a pointer would get more tired faster than a springer will. Right.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35And then we've altered the brain very slightly.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38These have a little bit of obsessive compulsive behaviour in them.
0:13:38 > 0:13:41Right. And these in fact are much calmer in that sense.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44OK. Well shall we see if Poppy will demonstrate
0:13:44 > 0:13:47all these fantastic springer attributes?
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Josephine, over to you. Poppy, go find, find, find!
0:13:52 > 0:13:54Oh, look at...
0:13:54 > 0:13:56Well, you can see the springer immediately!
0:13:56 > 0:13:59You see the way she's springing up above the grass level,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03looking around. She's looking for Josephine as well. Yeah.
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Rabbit!
0:14:05 > 0:14:08But Josephine's giving the codeword "rabbit". Yeah.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11I personally use "squirrel" with my dog, but it does the same thing,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14and you can see the excitement with what she's doing.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17And you see her ears flipping around?
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Yeah. They're actually stirring up scent at the same time.
0:14:20 > 0:14:22So it might look like those long ears are just for show
0:14:22 > 0:14:23but they're not for show,
0:14:23 > 0:14:27she'll pick up scent with those ears and she'll be better as a springer.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Springers are an energetic and popular breed
0:14:34 > 0:14:37but you can't suppress that hunting instinct.
0:14:39 > 0:14:43This is Zilla and she's a working English springer spaniel.
0:14:43 > 0:14:46This is Bailey, he's an English springer spaniel as well
0:14:46 > 0:14:47and he's seven years old.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51Likes rabbits. He likes eating rabbits.
0:14:51 > 0:14:53He eats the head and leaves the rest of it.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01As shooting became increasingly fashionable,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04one more type of gundog was needed
0:15:04 > 0:15:07to meet the insatiable demands of shooting parties.
0:15:07 > 0:15:11There could be up to ten guns shooting hundreds of birds,
0:15:11 > 0:15:16so they needed a gundog that could pinpoint where they all landed.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18So you've flushed your bird, you've shot your bird,
0:15:18 > 0:15:22it's fallen out of the sky and it's up to this chap to bring it back?
0:15:22 > 0:15:26Yes, and a Labrador used to be Newfoundland fishermen's dogs.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28They're a water dog and they go and retrieve
0:15:28 > 0:15:32whatever it might be in the water - a rope, anything you like -
0:15:32 > 0:15:35and British aristocrats saw them working
0:15:35 > 0:15:40and brought them back here and bred them into a specific shooting dog.
0:15:40 > 0:15:43What they created was a breed that could sniff out birds
0:15:43 > 0:15:47from hundreds of paces, but would bring them back
0:15:47 > 0:15:49and present them like a well-trained butler.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52It's fascinating how the technology, the dogs, the sport,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55they're all evolving at the same time.
0:15:55 > 0:16:00We have here the Olympic champion of retrievers,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03the Labrador retriever, the world's most popular breed,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06four times more popular than any other breed,
0:16:06 > 0:16:09and it's because of that initial retrieving ability. Right.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12They were trained to bring things back,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16that in turn meant that they were wonderful in responding to people,
0:16:16 > 0:16:19that in turn means that they're wonderful as family dogs.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23And is Poppy a family dog? Yes, very much so.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25Hello, Poppy!
0:16:25 > 0:16:29But Penny, is she an excellent retriever? She can be!
0:16:30 > 0:16:32So, let's see what you do, Poppy.
0:16:38 > 0:16:40Wow! Straight for it like an arrow.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44OK, now she's sniffing around. Yeah. And instantly! Good Poppy!
0:16:45 > 0:16:47Well done.
0:16:47 > 0:16:50Now she brought it back and what's wonderful about Labradors
0:16:50 > 0:16:55is that it's easy to selectively breed them to have a soft mouth.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58The opposite of that would be almost any terrier.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00Terriers will have a hard mouth. A hard mouth.
0:17:00 > 0:17:03They would get something, they would grip it... They'd grab it.
0:17:03 > 0:17:04They would shake it? Yes.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07But a Labrador will literally just scoop it up
0:17:07 > 0:17:09and use the mouth as a receptacle to bring it back to you?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11That's right, but you still have to train. Yeah.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15It's the genetics underlying it, and then training to reinforce the fact
0:17:15 > 0:17:17that you don't chew it when you bring it back.
0:17:17 > 0:17:21And it only takes seven generations to dramatically change
0:17:21 > 0:17:24the behaviour of a line of dogs,
0:17:24 > 0:17:29and that's what we've been amazing in doing in the last 200, 250 years,
0:17:29 > 0:17:31to create specialised gundogs.
0:17:33 > 0:17:38This grass is dog's delight cos you can run through it easily.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41Yeah. You have the feeling of speed with all the grass
0:17:41 > 0:17:45against the dog's body, they love it, they just love it.
0:17:45 > 0:17:47It's just classic doggie heaven.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52Penny, Poppy, Bruce, thank you very much indeed.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54Now, although many of us don't really hunt any more,
0:17:54 > 0:17:57those retrieving abilities haven't gone to waste
0:17:57 > 0:18:00because it turns out that retrievers
0:18:00 > 0:18:03are wonderful for people who have disabilities.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07Over time we've exploited dogs' innate behaviours
0:18:07 > 0:18:09as much as their senses.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12Charities such as Dogs For The Disabled
0:18:12 > 0:18:14have harnessed the retriever's skills
0:18:14 > 0:18:16to help people with physical disabilities.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Tolly, ready? Can you fetch phone?
0:18:19 > 0:18:22'Emma Belcher has been training Tolly for 18 months.'
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Now, can you dial for pizza as well?
0:18:25 > 0:18:27Good girl. Yeah, we're getting there! Yeah.
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Can you pull? Pull.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33Pull, pull, pull, keep pulling.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36Do you end up with lots of holes in your socks?
0:18:36 > 0:18:39Yes, a few. Go on, keep pulling.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41Yey! Very good. Thank you. There we go.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44That's absolutely brilliant, that's great.
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Obviously those pull and the retrieve are really innate behaviours,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51as we've seen, is there anything new you can teach it?
0:18:51 > 0:18:53Yeah. So we teach them a push,
0:18:53 > 0:18:57so they can help with foot plates, push buttons, light switches.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01Push. Good girl. Oh, look at that! Push.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03So this is a completely new trick for a dog.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05You know, this is not one that a normal gundog would do?
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Absolutely. And that, that is amazing.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11Tolly, come round, good girl. Come along.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15Turn. Good girl, well done.
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Good girl, come on. Can you pull? Pull? Pull, pull. Good.
0:19:20 > 0:19:22Can you fetch it? Look at that!
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Good girl! That's absolutely brilliant.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28Thank you. Come round. Good. Can you push? Push.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31Yeah, there we are.
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Now that is absolutely astounding,
0:19:34 > 0:19:36and I think the amazing thing is that it's not just
0:19:36 > 0:19:38happening in people's homes, but all across the UK,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41there are dogs like this out and about,
0:19:41 > 0:19:43helping people with their lives.
0:19:43 > 0:19:45They can even go to the bank.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52Whereas Labrador retrievers are prized for their soft mouths,
0:19:52 > 0:19:55other breeds are valued for the exact opposite.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Ruth has gone to meet another hunter whose stubborn determination
0:20:01 > 0:20:06not to let go made it the perfect candidate for an unusual job.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10I've always loved Yorkshire terriers,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14but why is such an iconic toy breed associated with Yorkshire?
0:20:14 > 0:20:17I'm here at a former mill in the heart of Bradford
0:20:17 > 0:20:20to discover how this really special dog
0:20:20 > 0:20:22is entwined with our industrial past.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29In the mid-19th century this was a spinning mill,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32producing the finest quality of yarn for cloth
0:20:32 > 0:20:34that was exported from India to Australia,
0:20:34 > 0:20:38as well as supplying the tailors of Savile Row in London.
0:20:42 > 0:20:44At the height of the industrial revolution
0:20:44 > 0:20:49the rapidly expanding cities became heavily overcrowded and insanitary.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52The rats moved in.
0:20:53 > 0:20:58And this is where our four-legged friends come in to the equation.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01The dog that came to be known as the Yorkshire terrier.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08Richard Hayes is a terrier historian
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and the grandson of a Yorkshire mill owner.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14He's brought along some of his own terriers to show us
0:21:14 > 0:21:17how these little dogs go to work among the machines.
0:21:17 > 0:21:19So why were there so many rats here?
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Primarily they wanted the grease from the wool.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25That was good food for the rat population.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27But not cats?
0:21:27 > 0:21:30They couldn't bring in cats because they could damage the cloth
0:21:30 > 0:21:34with their claws, so they looked around for another alternative,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37and these small toy terriers fitted the bill.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39And, of course, they have to be very small?
0:21:39 > 0:21:42They had to be very small to go under the machines.
0:21:47 > 0:21:50So people were deliberately selecting
0:21:50 > 0:21:52what they needed for a very specific job?
0:21:52 > 0:21:55Yes. A versatile little dog,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59but they also found their way into a lot of grand homes as well,
0:21:59 > 0:22:02because they had mice and rats and stuff.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13So generations of small terrier breeds
0:22:13 > 0:22:16have still got this ability to dispatch rats.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20Go on, what's this?
0:22:20 > 0:22:23This is Bella. She's actually Kate's dog. She's absolutely gorgeous.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25She's a bit of a crossbreed but she's all terrier.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28HE IMPERSONATES GROWL Good girl, get it! Oh, yes!
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Good. Whoa! Fair do's.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35The terriers have got this very distinctive behaviour
0:22:35 > 0:22:39which is what we call worrying, which is kind of a...
0:22:39 > 0:22:43It's bit of a euphemism for shaking the bejesus out of something.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47So once they got hold of rats or small prey,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50they'll dispatch it very quickly by this vigorous shaking.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00And you can understand that she doesn't want to let go
0:23:00 > 0:23:04to take another bite, and in fact she's refusing to do that
0:23:04 > 0:23:07cos she knows if I've got hold of this, or if it was a live prey,
0:23:07 > 0:23:11it would scamper off, so she does this classic... Oh, gosh!
0:23:11 > 0:23:16..classic behaviour which takes enormous jaw and neck strength,
0:23:16 > 0:23:20which in many cases will break the necks of small furry pests.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34Let's head back to the Green family to find out
0:23:34 > 0:23:38when these innate behaviours and senses start to emerge.
0:23:38 > 0:23:41The litter of puppies are now four weeks old.
0:23:41 > 0:23:45They no longer have to rely solely on touch and smell.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Two weeks ago, their eyes opened for the first time.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54The pups' ear canals are also fully open,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56so they now have acute hearing.
0:23:58 > 0:24:02Almost fully weaned, the pups look for comfort from Jane.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04This is when they start bonding with humans
0:24:04 > 0:24:07and they're jostling for position with their siblings.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12There's plenty of biting of skin and pulling of the ears
0:24:12 > 0:24:14and growling goes on.
0:24:14 > 0:24:16THEY GROWL
0:24:18 > 0:24:20But they're just playing
0:24:20 > 0:24:23and learning how to sort of talk to each other, I suppose.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25They're very cute when they fight.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28Have to come in and break it up sometimes.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32The puppies can't see as well as adult dogs yet,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35but eventually their eyes will have
0:24:35 > 0:24:37a wider view of the world than we do.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44Back in Brightwell, we want to investigate dog vision further.
0:24:44 > 0:24:46We've come out into the orchard,
0:24:46 > 0:24:48into what looks like a bit of a UFO landing site,
0:24:48 > 0:24:52but we're here to test one of the dog's key senses - sight -
0:24:52 > 0:24:55and try and find out how the different breeds see the world.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58We're very lucky to have Dr Rick Sanchez
0:24:58 > 0:25:01from the Royal Veterinary College, an eye specialist, there.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03So what are we hoping to do here, Rick?
0:25:03 > 0:25:06Well, this little contraption, this little test,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08is hopefully going to aid us in determining
0:25:08 > 0:25:11what the visual field of the dog is.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Right, OK.
0:25:13 > 0:25:15So first and foremost, how does it compare to humans?
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Well, we're about to see that cos we're going to test it on you.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Oh, good. Will it hurt?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23I don't think so. Good. I don't think so.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25So basically what we want to do
0:25:25 > 0:25:28is we want you to stand here in the centre. Right, OK.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30And looking forward.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33So always look at the centre, just dead on. Right, OK. Yeah, yeah.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35And these lines represent what the visual field would be, OK?
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Right. OK. So if I come from behind you, from this side.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40I can hear you. From your right... Yeah, yeah.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42..I'm going to be waving a yellow, bright yellow ball. Right.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46And when you see it for the first time I want you to say "there".
0:25:46 > 0:25:48OK. OK, yeah. OK, here we go.
0:25:53 > 0:25:56Oh, there we go. There it is? Just. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58OK, fantastic. So, there we go. That's pretty good.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00That's a good start, isn't it? OK. That is a good start.
0:26:00 > 0:26:04We've got our first contestant here that we're going to try this with.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07How does the Labrador sort of compare to humans, do you think?
0:26:07 > 0:26:09Well, it's difficult to say,
0:26:09 > 0:26:10but if you look at a lab,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13you'll see that the eyes are both pointing forward and head on,
0:26:13 > 0:26:15very similar to that of a human.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19So he's probably one of the closest examples that we have to a human.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21There we go. So, what's his name?
0:26:21 > 0:26:23Dexter? Good boy.
0:26:23 > 0:26:25Go, Rick. Let's see what happens.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32Oh! That's pretty good. That's pretty good isn't it?
0:26:32 > 0:26:36That's very impressive indeed. It's wider than me, isn't it?
0:26:36 > 0:26:37OK, Dexter, well done.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42So he has got slightly wider vision and he loves that ball!
0:26:42 > 0:26:45What we need to do now is try another breed.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47So I think we've got a saluki.
0:26:47 > 0:26:49Yes, very beautiful.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51This is your classic sight hound,
0:26:51 > 0:26:57this is a dog that has been bred for running and chasing down prey.
0:26:57 > 0:26:59So with the long nose,
0:26:59 > 0:27:03the idea here is, Rick, that it also has a slightly wider field of view?
0:27:03 > 0:27:06That's right, because of where the eyes are positioned in the skull,
0:27:06 > 0:27:10we believe that the field of view is fairly wide,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12wider than that of a human, definitely.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14OK. So this will be an interesting test.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16Let's go, let's see. Right, let's see.
0:27:20 > 0:27:24Oh. Was that a flick, do you think? Right around there. Very good.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28Well, that would fit with your estimate here with, on the line.
0:27:28 > 0:27:31There you go. So that's...that's quite a field of view.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33Very impressive, isn't it? Yeah.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36And actually yeah, when you stand here with,
0:27:36 > 0:27:37with Leonard's head pointing up,
0:27:37 > 0:27:40you can just start to see his eyeballs,
0:27:40 > 0:27:42so if we can see his eyeball he should be able to see us.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45He should be able to see us. Yeah. Yeah, theoretically.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52Like gundogs, the brains of sight hounds are programmed to hunt,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55but they do it in a very different way.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Salukis were selectively bred and honed by Bedouin nomads
0:27:59 > 0:28:04over thousands of years to hunt in the searing heat of the desert.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08The extreme temperatures force salukis to pant to keep cool,
0:28:08 > 0:28:12and this panting compromises their ability to sniff.
0:28:12 > 0:28:14Whereas most dogs hunt by scent,
0:28:14 > 0:28:19salukis have to rely on their keen vision to pinpoint prey.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24Their eyes have a long visual streak stretching right across the retina.
0:28:24 > 0:28:27This allows them to spot a moving hare on the horizon
0:28:27 > 0:28:29over half a mile away.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35A more popular cousin of the saluki is the whippet.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Brady is, I suspect, a very typical whippet.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43She's incredibly laid back unless there's a rabbit in sight,
0:28:43 > 0:28:45or a squirrel, or something she can chase.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49They're bred for hunting. They're sight hounds.
0:28:49 > 0:28:55She's hopeless on scent or bouncy balls or anything like that
0:28:55 > 0:28:58but if she saw something a quarter of a mile away,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00we'd just lose her.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03You see the whites of her eyes and she's gone.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05If she goes after rabbits,
0:29:05 > 0:29:08I can't really tell her off because that's what she should do.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16So we've developed all kinds of dogs to work for us as hunters.
0:29:16 > 0:29:20But ever since we first domesticated dogs,
0:29:20 > 0:29:24they've had another important job - to guard us.
0:29:41 > 0:29:43Well, here at the British Museum,
0:29:43 > 0:29:46you only have to take one look at this magnificent beast
0:29:46 > 0:29:50to understand why early humans looked to dogs for protection.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53I mean, just look at the sheer musculature of it.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56He's got this huge head and a big muzzle, and those jaws.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58I mean, it is an intimidating beast.
0:29:59 > 0:30:02This particular statue represents a Molossian,
0:30:02 > 0:30:05which was a breed of the Greco-Roman period,
0:30:05 > 0:30:10but you can see elements of the basic mastiff within him, can't you?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13He could almost be a modern Rottweiler.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16If you look at all sorts of civilisations
0:30:16 > 0:30:19going back thousands of years,
0:30:19 > 0:30:22you can find representations of these mastiff-style dogs.
0:30:22 > 0:30:27It seems that we've always wanted a big dog for protection.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32But there is one ancient breed that we have always used to guard us,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34and it might not be the one you're thinking of.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Meet the Lhasa apso.
0:30:41 > 0:30:43They're not a guard dog in the normal sense.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45DOG YAPS
0:30:45 > 0:30:48They're not guard dogs that are aggressive.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51DOG GROWLS They have got extremely good hearing
0:30:51 > 0:30:54and they hear anybody before you do, and they're always there first,
0:30:54 > 0:30:58letting you know, basically, that there's intruders about.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05High up on the Tibetan plateau, Lhasa apsos once played a vital role
0:31:05 > 0:31:08as one of the guardians of the great Buddhist monasteries.
0:31:10 > 0:31:15I've come to Bedfordshire to meet Nick Clancy of the Lhasa apso club.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Originally, they would have been part of a team
0:31:18 > 0:31:21that include the Tibetan mastiffs, guarding the temples in Tibet
0:31:21 > 0:31:24with the mastiffs outside, patrolling,
0:31:24 > 0:31:27trying to physically stop any intruders,
0:31:27 > 0:31:29and these little fellows would have been inside,
0:31:29 > 0:31:31relying on their sharp hearing
0:31:31 > 0:31:34to pick up any noises of people who may have got past.
0:31:34 > 0:31:36They were very much on the inside.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38They were not outside,
0:31:38 > 0:31:40which is why they like to be cuddled and held and sleep with you.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43So that when the dog starts barking, you know,
0:31:43 > 0:31:45it's going to wake you up? Uh-uh.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47Like when I've got the dog at the end of my bed
0:31:47 > 0:31:50in the middle of the night and it's, "Woof, Mum!" And I'm like, "Shut up!"
0:31:50 > 0:31:52THEY LAUGH So there you go.
0:31:52 > 0:31:55A bark really can be worse than a bite.
0:31:55 > 0:31:57Or at least as effective.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07Today many of us keep these traditional guard dog breeds,
0:32:07 > 0:32:09not for protection but as pets.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15The Doberman is a classic example and there's one here in the village.
0:32:15 > 0:32:20So Bob, what is it about Dobermans that make them excellent guard dogs?
0:32:20 > 0:32:24The Doberman was bred from the Rottweiler and the greyhound
0:32:24 > 0:32:26so it's got some of the strength of the Rottweiler,
0:32:26 > 0:32:29and obviously the colouring, and the speed of the greyhound.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31So it's a sort of an all-round working dog,
0:32:31 > 0:32:35but it's also a pack animal and so it has a natural defensive instinct
0:32:35 > 0:32:37to defend its pack.
0:32:37 > 0:32:39And so when you raise it as a family dog,
0:32:39 > 0:32:43it will see itself as part of the family and it would always have
0:32:43 > 0:32:46this idea of being protective to its family, its pack.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48So do you still see those behaviours around you and your family?
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Yes, she does.
0:32:50 > 0:32:53I mean, she will always position herself, in the house,
0:32:53 > 0:32:57in the doorway of the room where you're in, guarding the entrance.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01Guarding is a natural instinct for most dogs.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03This is Dennis, he's a komondor.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06And they're very devoted to their owners.
0:33:06 > 0:33:09They would literally take a bullet for you, if the case...
0:33:09 > 0:33:11you know, if the situation ever arose.
0:33:11 > 0:33:14I know that if one of us was in trouble or attacked in any way,
0:33:14 > 0:33:18I'm sure he'd absolutely go for whoever was attacking us.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21DOG BARKS
0:33:21 > 0:33:23Dennis, Dennis, Dennis, Dennis!
0:33:25 > 0:33:27As we've discovered,
0:33:27 > 0:33:30being a good guard dog isn't just about having an impressive physique.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33It's also about having excellent hearing.
0:33:33 > 0:33:38Dogs can hear danger approaching long before we can.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41So how is it that dogs' hearing is so much better than ours?
0:33:41 > 0:33:42Well, as it turns out,
0:33:42 > 0:33:46it's because they can hear more than the normal human range of hearing,
0:33:46 > 0:33:49way up into the really high pitched tones.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54But surely the shape and size of the ear must make a difference?
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Well, to try and find out, Bruce has got us a fine collection
0:33:57 > 0:34:01of different shapes ears and sizes of dogs.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03So, this is great, Bruce, actually,
0:34:03 > 0:34:05cos you've got a real mixed bag, haven't you?
0:34:05 > 0:34:07They're a great selection.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11We've got erect ears, lopped ears, ear-muff ears. Yes, yeah.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13I've got a sound to play to them
0:34:13 > 0:34:16and we'll see if one responds faster than another.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19So, we'll start real quiet first and then see? That's right.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23And it's a cat sound so don't be surprised when you hear the sound.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Right, so if we get out of the way.
0:34:25 > 0:34:27OK, Bruce. OK.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30If the great Dane is willing to get off its back
0:34:30 > 0:34:32and actually go to school! Yeah. OK, are you ready?
0:34:32 > 0:34:35He's got his ears open, look! He's got his ears open!
0:34:35 > 0:34:38There, OK, fine. And here we go. Low sound.
0:34:43 > 0:34:46Nothing. Nobody?
0:34:46 > 0:34:48Now louder.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50FAINT MEOWING
0:34:51 > 0:34:55Oh, look at the collie there, the collie's really locked on.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58So, I'm just going to make it a bit louder this time. OK.
0:34:58 > 0:35:00QUIET MEOWING
0:35:00 > 0:35:04Flat coat. Oh, yeah. We've got some ear pricking up there.
0:35:04 > 0:35:05And this little one turned.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Did you see the cavalier? Yeah, the cavalier turned her head.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11Oh, did she? OK. And the great Dane is still in another world.
0:35:11 > 0:35:15OK, they all came in pretty similar then, didn't they, really?
0:35:17 > 0:35:19The reason the Border collie responded so quickly
0:35:19 > 0:35:23is most likely because it's been bred to work
0:35:23 > 0:35:26and to be alert to our signals.
0:35:26 > 0:35:29You've been a bit of a cartoon today, haven't you?
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Surprisingly, scientists have discovered that ear size and shape
0:35:33 > 0:35:37don't actually affect how well different breeds hear.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41Yes, you've been terrific. Yes, you have.
0:35:41 > 0:35:45There are definitely times where your dog may choose not to hear,
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and here's a clip of an absolute classic example.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54'In 2011, a passer-by filmed an unruly Labrador
0:35:54 > 0:35:57'ignoring his owner in London's Richmond Park.'
0:35:57 > 0:36:00Fenton! Oh, Jesus Christ!
0:36:00 > 0:36:02FENTON!
0:36:02 > 0:36:05'The resulting video was a YouTube sensation,
0:36:05 > 0:36:07'with over nine million hits.'
0:36:07 > 0:36:09FENTON!
0:36:09 > 0:36:13Thankfully, most dogs out there do listen to their owners,
0:36:13 > 0:36:17and in fact there are some special dogs listening FOR their owners,
0:36:17 > 0:36:21and that's thanks to Bruce and a charity you set up
0:36:21 > 0:36:25quite some time ago, Hearing Dogs For Deaf People.
0:36:25 > 0:36:26Yes, it was 30 years ago now.
0:36:26 > 0:36:30So where did the inspiration for that come from? It was my father.
0:36:30 > 0:36:33In the 1970s, when he was in his 70s,
0:36:33 > 0:36:36and his hearing was disappearing,
0:36:36 > 0:36:39I could see how he was pulling into himself,
0:36:39 > 0:36:40how he was isolating himself,
0:36:40 > 0:36:43and I'd see how people would react with him.
0:36:43 > 0:36:47They'd think he was dumb because he'd try to pretend he could hear,
0:36:47 > 0:36:50but he was hearing the wrong thing and would reply the wrong way.
0:36:50 > 0:36:52And the other thing that I noticed
0:36:52 > 0:36:56was that he never paid any attention to the dogs. They were for us.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59But now when he sat down on the sofa he'd pat the sofa beside him
0:36:59 > 0:37:01and have the dog hop up.
0:37:01 > 0:37:06And it became obvious that dogs bring a type of affiliation
0:37:06 > 0:37:09or attachment or love to a relationship
0:37:09 > 0:37:12that's different to what we get from other humans.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15And I could see this with my father
0:37:15 > 0:37:19and I wondered whether it was possible to actually train dogs
0:37:19 > 0:37:21to do something over and above that,
0:37:21 > 0:37:24to tell my dad that a smoke alarm had gone off,
0:37:24 > 0:37:26to tell him that there was somebody at the door,
0:37:26 > 0:37:29to somehow make his life a little bit easier.
0:37:29 > 0:37:3330 years on, the charity Hearing Dogs For Deaf People
0:37:33 > 0:37:38has trained over 1,700 dogs to alert their deaf owners to everyday sounds.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43There's one of these hearing dogs in the village.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52Rory is five and-a-half years old
0:37:52 > 0:37:55and he's been with us for nearly four years.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59Most dogs can only work to five, six, seven sounds.
0:37:59 > 0:38:02When Rory came to me I think he worked to nine sounds,
0:38:02 > 0:38:04which is absolutely at the top of their thing.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07For each sound, he comes up to me
0:38:07 > 0:38:11and gives a really firm nudge with his nose.
0:38:11 > 0:38:13He then leads me to whatever the sound is.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16ALARM SOUNDS Rory hears the alarm clock
0:38:16 > 0:38:19and he actually comes up to the bed and he jumps up on the bed
0:38:19 > 0:38:22with his front paws and lands on my chest or my back.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25And they don't let you go back to sleep either,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27because once they've woken you up
0:38:27 > 0:38:30that means they want to go out and Rory wants his breakfast and...
0:38:30 > 0:38:33So there's no snooze button, and that's guaranteed to wake me up.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36RORY BARKS Milo!
0:38:36 > 0:38:39I know that Rory would wake me up if somebody broke in
0:38:39 > 0:38:42or a smoke alarm went off or anything like that
0:38:42 > 0:38:45and it's amazing to have that peace of mind.
0:38:50 > 0:38:54Before I had Rory, one of the main things that I always used to miss
0:38:54 > 0:38:57was couriers bringing parcels to the door
0:38:57 > 0:39:00and I used to have to sit about here the whole day
0:39:00 > 0:39:03so that I could see the door.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06It took months before I really trusted Rory
0:39:06 > 0:39:09to come and get me in every situation but I do now and,
0:39:09 > 0:39:13you know, the freedom that comes from that is great.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15Rory!
0:39:15 > 0:39:18They love having the dog around, as I think all children do,
0:39:18 > 0:39:20and I think it's great for them to have him
0:39:20 > 0:39:23because he's a family pet as well as a working dog.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26But they've learnt to be really good at respecting
0:39:26 > 0:39:28his working boundaries as well.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31It wouldn't work if they deliberately intercepted him
0:39:31 > 0:39:33when he was on his way to take me somewhere.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Taking Rory away now would be
0:39:36 > 0:39:39nearly as bad as taking away one of the children or my husband!
0:39:39 > 0:39:43We are a family of five and he's one fifth of it.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52So far we've been looking at dogs' senses and innate behaviours.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55We've seen how, throughout history,
0:39:55 > 0:39:57we've harnessed these amazing abilities to help us.
0:39:57 > 0:40:02But there's another very important factor - intelligence.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04Are some breeds simply smarter than others?
0:40:06 > 0:40:09This is my pug. Tickety-boo is her official title
0:40:09 > 0:40:11but we call her Betty.
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Never underestimate a pug.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17She's highly intelligent. Super intelligent.
0:40:17 > 0:40:19She's just there on a slightly higher level.
0:40:20 > 0:40:22And that may sound bonkers but it's true.
0:40:22 > 0:40:26They're just slightly above all the other dogs.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Good boy. Good boy, well done. Well done.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32We've certain expectations about certain dog breeds -
0:40:32 > 0:40:36it's not worth training toy breeds or collies are very intelligent.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Well, we're going to put that to the test.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40And who's this, here? Well, this is Dray.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43We're having a look to see whether or not he will find
0:40:43 > 0:40:46the sausage when I place it under one of these plastic cups. Right.
0:40:46 > 0:40:47Dray. Dray.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52So now the object's disappeared from sight,
0:40:52 > 0:40:54does he realise where it is?
0:40:54 > 0:40:56THEY LAUGH
0:40:56 > 0:40:59Well, not first time necessarily. Oh, bless!
0:40:59 > 0:41:02But we've got to be very careful when we talk about intelligence,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05because actually what we're seeing here
0:41:05 > 0:41:08is a dog's approach to a problem, and the dog's approach -
0:41:08 > 0:41:11let's rely on what we know best, which is sense of smell.
0:41:11 > 0:41:14Let's try one more, shall we, Dray?
0:41:14 > 0:41:16Find it, find it. Yeah, there we go.
0:41:16 > 0:41:21Good lad. Next, can we try another? Oh, Betty. Let's have a look at you.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Come on, Betty.
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Now Jenny, is Betty smart? She's incredibly smart.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30It's like asking people about their children!
0:41:30 > 0:41:32"Oh, yes. Very, very advanced, very advanced."
0:41:34 > 0:41:37Watch. Watch. Find it. Where is it, Betty? Where is it?
0:41:37 > 0:41:39Where is it?
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Come on, Betty! Where's the sausage?
0:41:42 > 0:41:44Do we have anybody else who's up for a challenge?
0:41:44 > 0:41:47Yeah, let's have a go with a Border collie, shall we? Right, OK.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51Now this is the one breed everybody thinks of as one of the brightest.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53It's commonly used in agility and flyball,
0:41:53 > 0:41:56it obviously has a working role as well.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59Beautiful Border collie. Come on then, Megan.
0:41:59 > 0:42:01Come on puppy, here you go.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Sit, sit.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04Stay, stay there.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Find it. Good girl!
0:42:12 > 0:42:16Our simple tests give us some clues about dogs' aptitudes.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22However at Vienna's University Of Veterinary Medicine,
0:42:22 > 0:42:24ground-breaking studies are changing the way
0:42:24 > 0:42:27we understand canine intelligence.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31In his "clever dog lab" Professor Ludwig Huber
0:42:31 > 0:42:33is using the latest technology
0:42:33 > 0:42:37to work out just how bright dogs really are.
0:42:42 > 0:42:44Come, Teddy. Come.
0:42:46 > 0:42:47Good boy.
0:42:47 > 0:42:49Today we are testing the idea
0:42:49 > 0:42:52if dogs would understand visual concepts.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55So here we have two sets of pictures,
0:42:55 > 0:42:57each set containing 40 images.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00In one set is pictures of dogs
0:43:00 > 0:43:03and the other set we have pictures of landscapes,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07and Teddy is supposed to choose the correct one
0:43:07 > 0:43:10by touching with his nose this screen.
0:43:11 > 0:43:14So if they do it correctly, they get food...
0:43:16 > 0:43:19..if they do it falsely then, of course, they don't get food.
0:43:21 > 0:43:25So what we are investigating here is the kind of perceptual cognition.
0:43:25 > 0:43:29It's also kind of intelligence, because there are so many different
0:43:29 > 0:43:33pictures and they have to find out what is the common feature in a set.
0:43:33 > 0:43:37So in this case the common feature is a dog,
0:43:37 > 0:43:40but the dog pictures actually are all different,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44so they have to understand something
0:43:46 > 0:43:50To know what is a dog is quite a complex concept for a dog.
0:43:50 > 0:43:52Good.
0:43:52 > 0:43:56This shows us that the dog can really form an abstract concept,
0:43:56 > 0:44:00not only discriminate simple colours or forms.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06The final test, this was the most challenging test.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11Because here we tried to confuse them
0:44:11 > 0:44:14with pictures of landscapes plus a dog,
0:44:14 > 0:44:17so we mounted faces of dogs that they have never seen before
0:44:17 > 0:44:22in the training on to a picture of a landscape.
0:44:22 > 0:44:27So they were really tested if they can extract from the background
0:44:27 > 0:44:29the concept of the dog, and if they understand
0:44:29 > 0:44:33that what I have to choose is always the dog
0:44:33 > 0:44:35then they should not mind the landscape behind
0:44:35 > 0:44:38and choose to really focus on the dog.
0:44:38 > 0:44:40And this is what they did. All of them did.
0:44:40 > 0:44:43But this was really difficult, it was really difficult for them.
0:44:47 > 0:44:52Back in Brightwell are we any closer to finding out who is top dog?
0:44:52 > 0:44:54I know you shouldn't judge on looks alone,
0:44:54 > 0:44:56but Saint Bernard, very bright?
0:44:56 > 0:44:58Well... THEY LAUGH
0:44:58 > 0:45:02Shall we let the test tell us? Yeah. There's a good girl.
0:45:02 > 0:45:06'This is a very simple intelligence test.
0:45:06 > 0:45:10'The smarter the dog, the quicker it will emerge from under the blanket.'
0:45:13 > 0:45:14BOTH: Hooray!
0:45:14 > 0:45:17So what sort of dog is Albert?
0:45:17 > 0:45:20Albert is a Hungarian wire-hired vizsla,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22not the brightest tool in the box. Prove, prove me wrong.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Are you ready? Oh, hang on.
0:45:24 > 0:45:26Oh, oh, hang on a minute, mate. Hello?
0:45:26 > 0:45:28Hello. Oh, hello?
0:45:30 > 0:45:32ALL: Yey!
0:45:32 > 0:45:36Well, actually, he's certainly not the slowest.
0:45:36 > 0:45:37Good to hear!
0:45:37 > 0:45:41Certainly not. So maybe, Albert, you're the incredible combination
0:45:41 > 0:45:43of a sparkling personality and...
0:45:43 > 0:45:46No, no, no, no, no! THEY LAUGH
0:45:47 > 0:45:49'And last of all, it's the collie.'
0:45:49 > 0:45:51Ready? Go.
0:45:53 > 0:45:56Good boy! No messing! Well done.
0:45:56 > 0:45:582.56. Wow!
0:45:58 > 0:46:00Very, very quick.
0:46:01 > 0:46:03What's this?
0:46:03 > 0:46:06'It seems that Border collies have the ultimate combination
0:46:06 > 0:46:08'of acute senses, innate intelligence
0:46:08 > 0:46:11'and the ability to follow instructions.'
0:46:13 > 0:46:15Find it. Well done!
0:46:15 > 0:46:19Through training, we've enhanced natural attributes to work for us.
0:46:19 > 0:46:20There you go.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23Good dog. Good girl, well done. Very bright.
0:46:23 > 0:46:26Originating from the Scottish borders,
0:46:26 > 0:46:30Border collies can be traced back to one dog, Old Hemp.
0:46:30 > 0:46:32Instead of barking and nipping at sheep,
0:46:32 > 0:46:35this dog fixed them with an intense stare,
0:46:35 > 0:46:39intimidating the sheep into moving where he wanted them to go.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44Come on Teg, good girl.
0:46:44 > 0:46:51'Now my sheepdog Teg isn't from the Borders, she's the Welsh version,'
0:46:51 > 0:46:54but does she have what it takes to become a working dog?
0:46:54 > 0:46:57'She should have a natural instinct for herding,
0:46:57 > 0:47:00'but how much can she learn in a day?'
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Local shepherd Bronwyn Tango
0:47:03 > 0:47:07and her Border collie Spot will show us how it should be done.
0:47:07 > 0:47:11Their task is to get my sheep from one field to the next.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13Come. GENTLE WHISTLE
0:47:13 > 0:47:15Stay.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19A-way. SHE SQUEAKS
0:47:19 > 0:47:21Get away.
0:47:22 > 0:47:23A-way!
0:47:25 > 0:47:29She's gone away, round the back, along the hedge line.
0:47:29 > 0:47:33That'll do, Spot. That will do!
0:47:33 > 0:47:34That'll do.
0:47:34 > 0:47:38It's amazing, I think, that the dog stays quite far back from the sheep,
0:47:38 > 0:47:43but you can see that low-slung body movement, there she goes.
0:47:45 > 0:47:48Close to the ground. It's like watching a cheetah stalk its prey,
0:47:48 > 0:47:51but she's keeping back, she's not rushing them on.
0:47:51 > 0:47:53Come by.
0:47:53 > 0:47:55Get up, Spot.
0:47:57 > 0:47:59Get up. SHE WHISTLES
0:47:59 > 0:48:01SHEEP BLEAT
0:48:06 > 0:48:08And they're through.
0:48:09 > 0:48:12Huh, that was copybook!
0:48:12 > 0:48:15Oh, dear. That was amazing.
0:48:15 > 0:48:18Now Teg, keen as mustard.
0:48:18 > 0:48:21Is that a good sign or a bad sign? Well, that's a very good sign.
0:48:21 > 0:48:25It's great to see that it's natural in this particular dog,
0:48:25 > 0:48:27and with, you know, some training,
0:48:27 > 0:48:30she'll calm and hopefully make an excellent working dog.
0:48:30 > 0:48:32'It's time for our first lesson.'
0:48:34 > 0:48:38Teg. Teg! Come by.
0:48:38 > 0:48:39Come by.
0:48:39 > 0:48:42'First Teg needs to learn to go around the sheep
0:48:42 > 0:48:45'in a controlled manner and stop when I tell her.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48'This relies on her obeying voice commands.'
0:48:48 > 0:48:52So you're giving her the command so that she knows that "come by",
0:48:52 > 0:48:56she moves off to the left. Yeah, and "away" to the right.
0:48:56 > 0:48:59Shall I give it a go and see? Yes.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Teggy, come. Come, come here. SHE WHISTLES
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Teg. Away, away.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09That'll do, Teg, that'll do.
0:49:09 > 0:49:12Come by, come by, Teg. Come by.
0:49:12 > 0:49:14Come by. Good girl.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16She hasn't got direct contact with them now,
0:49:16 > 0:49:18but even though through the gate,
0:49:18 > 0:49:21she's actually controlling which way they're going.
0:49:21 > 0:49:23Teg, away.
0:49:24 > 0:49:26Away, Teg. Good girl, away.
0:49:28 > 0:49:30That'll do. Teg! Come.
0:49:30 > 0:49:33Good girl, that was very good!
0:49:34 > 0:49:38Next Bronwen wants to see how Teg will interact
0:49:38 > 0:49:40with the sheep without the pen.
0:49:40 > 0:49:42Will she remember what she's learned?
0:49:42 > 0:49:44Most importantly, to stop on command.
0:49:44 > 0:49:47Do you want to come in? Yeah. Come on, Teg.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Wait. Wait.
0:49:52 > 0:49:53WAIT!
0:49:55 > 0:49:58Teg! SHE WHISTLES
0:50:00 > 0:50:03Teg! No! Oh, dear.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05Come away. Oh!
0:50:05 > 0:50:10Teg! What she's doing is just basically rushing into the sheep.
0:50:10 > 0:50:12That will do!
0:50:13 > 0:50:16It's not a pretty sight.
0:50:16 > 0:50:22Well, one thing that's clear is that she is definitely keen. Teg!
0:50:23 > 0:50:26But...completely uncontrollable!
0:50:26 > 0:50:29There is no discipline whatsoever.
0:50:31 > 0:50:33Stand, stand.
0:50:33 > 0:50:35Teg! Hey! Don't!
0:50:35 > 0:50:39And she's just, she's just completely ignoring her.
0:50:40 > 0:50:43When you see a beautifully trained dog like Spot,
0:50:43 > 0:50:48it looks so simple and effortless and instinctive,
0:50:48 > 0:50:50but actually to make that instinct work
0:50:50 > 0:50:53I've really got my work cut out.
0:50:53 > 0:50:55Teg! Teg! Teg, that'll do. Teg!
0:50:55 > 0:50:58Teg. SHE WHISTLES
0:50:58 > 0:50:59Teg!
0:51:01 > 0:51:05Oh, Teg! That wasn't a very pretty display.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09She is very proud of herself, aren't you, Teg?
0:51:09 > 0:51:12You had a lovely time!
0:51:12 > 0:51:16Teg still has a long way to go to turn that basic sheepdog instinct
0:51:16 > 0:51:19from random chasing to controlled herding.
0:51:21 > 0:51:24Only certain breeds are natural herders.
0:51:24 > 0:51:27Ruth discovered one that was a complete surprise.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Away.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32Nowadays we think of the common corgi as being...
0:51:32 > 0:51:35well, a cut above other breeds.
0:51:35 > 0:51:39Maybe it's because this particular breed has something of a regal air.
0:51:39 > 0:51:41I wonder why?
0:51:43 > 0:51:47The Royal connection began when George VI brought home a puppy
0:51:47 > 0:51:51to his two daughters, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
0:51:51 > 0:51:57That first dog's name was Dukey and it was love at first sight.
0:51:57 > 0:52:01Since then the Royal Family have never been without a corgi.
0:52:01 > 0:52:04But this Royal pet actually has very working-class roots
0:52:04 > 0:52:06in the valleys of Wales.
0:52:06 > 0:52:09The corgi is first mentioned in Britain
0:52:09 > 0:52:12nearly 1,000 years ago in the Welsh law codes.
0:52:12 > 0:52:15Every domestic animal was assigned a value and the corgi
0:52:15 > 0:52:18was valued as highly as an ox,
0:52:18 > 0:52:21and that's because they have an extraordinary ability
0:52:21 > 0:52:25to herd cattle, and they're still out there doing it today,
0:52:25 > 0:52:26though not in Wales.
0:52:34 > 0:52:37This ranch is over 14,000 acres, eight miles long,
0:52:37 > 0:52:40two-and-a-half miles wide.
0:52:40 > 0:52:43We've got around 300 head of cattle right now.
0:52:44 > 0:52:46Corgis are natural herders,
0:52:46 > 0:52:49so I depend on them a lot to help me move cattle.
0:52:49 > 0:52:51Corgis are heelers,
0:52:51 > 0:52:55expertly nipping the heels of cattle to move them forwards.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59They control livestock 50 times their weight using their agile,
0:52:59 > 0:53:04low-slung bodies to avoid being kicked or trodden on.
0:53:04 > 0:53:06Take 'em down. Take 'em down.
0:53:06 > 0:53:10Highly intelligent, corgis excel in understanding and obeying commands.
0:53:10 > 0:53:13A dog like Debbie that's not afraid,
0:53:13 > 0:53:16the cow ends up losing, the little dog wins.
0:53:18 > 0:53:23So there you are, your American cousins are working hard.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27Over here, corgis as a breed are something of a social climber.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36We've seen how we've adapted dogs' acute senses
0:53:36 > 0:53:39and innate intelligence to suit our needs,
0:53:39 > 0:53:43but to achieve this we've relied on a vital trait -
0:53:43 > 0:53:46a willingness to be trained.
0:53:46 > 0:53:50So, what are we tapping into when we successfully train a dog?
0:53:50 > 0:53:52How does training work?
0:53:52 > 0:53:54Well, training is not something that's unique to dogs.
0:53:54 > 0:53:59You can train virtually all mammals using exactly the same techniques.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03What's unusual about dogs is that we can use human contact as the reward.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06And what is it that makes them trainable
0:54:06 > 0:54:08to do an enormous range of things?
0:54:08 > 0:54:11I think the range stems from the fundamental reward
0:54:11 > 0:54:13of wanting to please people.
0:54:13 > 0:54:16I mean, I don't know whether they really understand
0:54:16 > 0:54:19what our emotions are like,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21but they're certainly incredibly attentive
0:54:21 > 0:54:23and will do almost anything to get our attention.
0:54:23 > 0:54:25But I don't think we've reached the limits
0:54:25 > 0:54:27of what we could train dogs to do.
0:54:27 > 0:54:31And I'm sure that in the future, new uses for dogs will emerge.
0:54:31 > 0:54:33MUSIC: "You Are My Sunshine" by Ray Charles
0:54:33 > 0:54:36# The other night
0:54:36 > 0:54:38# As I lay sleeping
0:54:39 > 0:54:43# I dreamed I held you
0:54:44 > 0:54:46# Held you in my arms... #
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Good girl! There we go! Clever girl!
0:54:49 > 0:54:53We like to teach dogs new tricks, but how far can we go?
0:54:57 > 0:54:58It's time to buckle up
0:54:58 > 0:55:04because Monty the giant schnauzer cross is taking you for a spin.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07Good boy! A!
0:55:09 > 0:55:12Monty understands that A is for accelerator
0:55:12 > 0:55:15and his paw is firmly on the gas.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23His driving lessons began seven weeks ago when a dog rescue charity
0:55:23 > 0:55:28in New Zealand taught him and his canine buddies how to drive a car.
0:55:29 > 0:55:33Good boy! They've practised the basics over and over again,
0:55:33 > 0:55:35learning how to use the brakes,
0:55:35 > 0:55:38change gears and control the steering wheel.
0:55:38 > 0:55:40Good boy! Turn! Turn.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43Good!
0:55:43 > 0:55:47The charity wants to demonstrate just how intelligent dogs are
0:55:47 > 0:55:49to help them find new homes.
0:55:49 > 0:55:52But it may take more than a doggy treat
0:55:52 > 0:55:54to get the keys back off Monty.
0:56:00 > 0:56:04Not wanting our dogs to be outdone by their Kiwi cousins,
0:56:04 > 0:56:06we've come up with our own challenge.
0:56:06 > 0:56:08Earlier in the show, we told you
0:56:08 > 0:56:11that we had set some of our village dogs the ultimate challenge,
0:56:11 > 0:56:14to see if they could learn to do something which we think of
0:56:14 > 0:56:19as a unique human pastime and skill - reading.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23We attempted to teach our previously illiterate doggie students
0:56:23 > 0:56:26to recognise a range of written words,
0:56:26 > 0:56:29and to respond by performing the appropriate reaction.
0:56:29 > 0:56:32So these are what we've given them, let's see how they get on.
0:56:32 > 0:56:34First and foremost, here we go,
0:56:34 > 0:56:38we have Megan with Vicky.
0:56:38 > 0:56:40So let's see.
0:56:40 > 0:56:42Big ask.
0:56:44 > 0:56:45Meg.
0:56:47 > 0:56:51Oh! Never mind, no GCSE for you Megan, I'm afraid.
0:56:51 > 0:56:54So next we have Josephine with Poppy.
0:56:54 > 0:56:56Right, take it away, let's see.
0:56:56 > 0:56:57Poppy.
0:57:01 > 0:57:05Poppy! Oh, that's such a shame! We were so close.
0:57:05 > 0:57:07Right, our final contestant.
0:57:07 > 0:57:09Please help us out here, Pete.
0:57:09 > 0:57:11Hectic.
0:57:12 > 0:57:14Oh! Brilliant! HE LAUGHS
0:57:14 > 0:57:17That is astounding.
0:57:17 > 0:57:19Right, OK. Will he, will he do the other one?
0:57:19 > 0:57:21THEY LAUGH
0:57:21 > 0:57:24He can read it upside down! Upside down!
0:57:24 > 0:57:26He can read it upside down!
0:57:27 > 0:57:29Go on.
0:57:29 > 0:57:32Very, very good. THEY CLAP
0:57:32 > 0:57:34That, that is spectacular.
0:57:34 > 0:57:36That's absolutely brilliant.
0:57:36 > 0:57:38Ah, Hectic.
0:57:38 > 0:57:41Well, we have quizzed, tested and challenged our dogs,
0:57:41 > 0:57:45putting each breed's innate abilities to the test.
0:57:45 > 0:57:49And what we've discovered is that dogs are astonishingly adaptable
0:57:49 > 0:57:51and quick-witted, and it's that,
0:57:51 > 0:57:54together with their desire to bond with us,
0:57:54 > 0:57:58that enables us to train them to do a remarkable range of things.
0:57:58 > 0:58:01Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?
0:58:02 > 0:58:04Next week on The Wonder Of Dogs,
0:58:04 > 0:58:08we explore the amazing bond between dogs and humans.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11We catch up with Jessie and her pups.
0:58:12 > 0:58:16He's a lovely puppy and if he went I'd be so heartbroken.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20And we'll find out if dogs can read our emotions
0:58:20 > 0:58:23and even wrap us around their little paws.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25To discover more about genetics
0:58:25 > 0:58:29and the changing roles of dogs in our everyday lives, go to:
0:58:32 > 0:58:34Follow the links to the Open University.
0:59:02 > 0:59:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd