Episode 4 Me and My Dog: The Ultimate Contest

Hello and welcome to the Brathay Estate,

on the banks of Lake Windermere in the Lake District.

'This beautiful part of the country is about to play host to a contest like

'no other. A physical and mental competition for humans...'

Go! '..and their dogs.'

Good boy.

OK, up, up.

We've scoured the country and found eight people who all

believe they have the ultimate relationship with their canine companions.

We'd love to win it, to prove to the world how good Douglas is.

We understand each other. We've been a team since he was seven weeks old,

and he's now nine.

Flapjack's beauty and my brains, we should make quite a winning combination.

This way! This way! This way! Flapjack!

Over the course of the contest,

guided by some of the country's top dog trainers...

That is incredible!

..and canine scientists...

What it tells us is that Betty is ambidextrous.

-Same as me!

-..we'll see them unlock the full potential of their partnership.

You're ace, you are.

Go! 'They'll compete in a series of challenges.'

Let's go, Douglas, go, Doug.

-And the best duos will win a place in our grand final...

-Whoops!

..where one pair will be crowned ultimate champions.

Argh!

If you think you know what your dogs are capable of, think again.

Go! 'So far in the contest...'

THEY CHEER

'..our pairs have taken on a series of challenges...'

-Good girl!

-'..that have put their partnerships to the test.'

Sausages!

Keep going, Doug, keep going, bud.

You respond to his body language and he completely trusted your every command.

Split into two groups, the Reds and the Yellows,

last time they faced challenges designed to test their ability

to see the world from their dog's point of view.

Oh, you found it, good girl!

The Yellows had to follow their dogs' noses in canine orienteering,

where Badger and Bodger came out top dogs.

I'm absolutely amazed that we won, but I'm super chuffed that we did.

The Reds had to harness their dogs' ability to learn by looking.

And lead them round an obstacle course,

where the growing bond between Colin and Mitch triumphed.

-Good boy!

-Well done.

That was beautiful!

'Then, in the ultimate test of their immersion in their dogs' world...'

I want to see you side-by-side, sharing the experience.

Go! '..our duos faced an open-water swim.'

Come on, Josh!

Josh and Douglas came unstuck.

-They're all tangled up!

-Good lad.

And Mitch retreated to dry land,

leaving Colin concerned that all of their hard work had come undone.

I felt as though I almost betrayed him.

Oh! Am I allowed to hug you?

We're near the end of the contest,

and our grand triathlon final is fast approaching.

We're so chuffed to be doing the triathlon.

We'd love to win. We'll try our very best.

I think Bodger and Badger are going to be amazing in it,

so they'll take some beating, but I'm really, really looking forward to it.

Good boy!

I'm still competitive, so I've still got my eyes set on whether we can

compete in the final.

After the last set of challenges, the winners in the Yellow team

were Bodger and Badger and Josh and Doug.

And they've gone forward to the final.

Ellie and Benny and Daisy and Zuri are out of the running,

but they've stayed on to support their team-mates.

But for the rest of the Reds, with three pairs still in contention,

it's all to play for.

Toni and Flapjack and Andrew and Betty share the lead with 17 points each,

and Colin and Mitch are right behind them with 15.

Now just one challenge stands between these three pairs

and the remaining places in the final.

So far, we've investigated just how strong the bond is

between our humans and their dogs.

We've also seen how well they communicate,

but now it's a question of exploring their intelligence.

Whether we think our dogs are secretly bright or adorably dim,

it affects what we expect of them.

So just how smart are they?

Welcome, everyone, to the final challenge before we move on to our

grand canine triathlon final.

As we know, Josh and Douglas, Badger and Bodger have already gone through.

So congratulations to you.

But the Red team, it's all to play for.

We have probably saved the most difficult challenge till last,

to try and separate our fine competitors in the Red team.

Because this one is all about your dog's memory and its ability for

abstract thought.

It's going to be tough.

HE LAUGHS

No!

In this canine intelligence test, four toys will be lined up on the jetty.

The owners will retrieve a photograph of one of the toys from the bottom

of the lake, and present it to their dog,

who will then need to pick up or indicate the toy that it represents.

They will get a point for every toy they get right.

First, a chance to practise.

All right, guys, so what we're doing today is starting the process

of teaching a dog a visual discrimination task.

Oh, Mitch!

-Have a play with him, see which ones he likes.

-Mitch.

First, the dogs are given a selection of toys so the owners can note the four

they show the most interest in.

Ultimately, what we're aiming for is for dogs to make a simple

association between a card with an object on it

-and the actual object itself.

-Thank you.

Then they show them the pictures together with the matching toy.

Dogs learn through simple repetition.

It's got to be very meticulous - present the card,

and a second later, straightaway, present the toy, OK?

Jack, I need you to concentrate.

The dogs don't have an abstract concept of snake or ball.

But by rewarding them or praising them when they respond correctly,

they can learn associations between two-dimensional pictures and

three-dimensional objects.

That's it, and play it again. Give them lots of praise.

-Good boy!

-So, the more higher intonation you use,

I appreciate that it's easier for the ladies.

-Sort of, "Ahh!"

-Yeah, jazz it up.

Really good. Make it really nice and interesting.

SHE LAUGHS

All dogs have the ability to master what's called associative learning,

and it's something that any owner can try at home.

Using the same repetitive training technique,

dogs also have the ability to learn to associate words with objects.

Some experts estimate the average pet has the potential to master up to 165 words,

but some breeds appear to have a greater aptitude for this than others.

In one study,

a Border collie called Chaser

demonstrated recognition of over 1,000 different words.

Another, called Rico,

could hear a brand-new word and work out the object

it referred to by eliminating the ones it already knew.

Called fast mapping,

humans develop this ability at around three years old.

Are you ready, Mitch?

Our dogs must get to grips with just four pictures

and just four toys.

But it's a tall order.

Good lad!

No, you don't want any toys, Betty.

Betty is showing a natural enthusiasm for this exercise.

As is Andrew.

What toy do you want, Betty?

I've been writing down which toys she's most interested in

and which ones she's least interested in, just to try and...

I come from quite a scientific background so I like to analyse things.

Present card.

Good boy, good boy!

But Toni's hopes for Flapjack aren't as high.

This is failing, Alan, this is failing massively.

I'm not looking...

For Flapjack, this is the equivalent of trying to climb Everest in five minutes.

I mean, it's preposterous, it's a completely impossible task.

Flapjack, for God's sake, no, stop it!

Given that he's never done anything like this before,

and he just doesn't understand it.

And I feel really bad for him because he stands there and he wants to get it right,

and you can see him going from one object to the other thinking,

"I don't know what to do."

Oh, Mitch!

Currently two points behind the other remaining Red pairs,

anything less than a win in this task

and Colin and Mitch won't make the final.

But working dog Mitch is struggling.

'It's difficult for Mitch because he's never had any toys at home.'

Just very alien to him.

What's that?

'So toy recognition is not going to be his strong point.'

Good boy, good boy.

'Throughout the contest,

'Mitch's years of obedience-based training as a working dog

'has made it hard for him to learn new skills.'

I'm afraid we'd have to take you out.

Of course I'm disappointed.

'But as their bond has grown, Mitch has surprised everyone.'

Yes! 'Especially Colin.'

I can't believe that!

He's absolutely startled me in how he's come on

and how he's had this hidden depth

that I hadn't realised was kind of there, really.

I would like to be in the final but it's really difficult,

it's really difficult at the moment.

But I've worked hard with him.

We'll just have to see what happens and see whether it clicks with

him or not.

Good boy.

Practice over, and it's time for the challenge.

And the last chance to secure a place in our grand final.

Flapjack. Good boy.

The four toys are lined up in front of the dogs.

To minimise other clues - like body language - the owners might give them,

they will be in the water.

They'll retrieve a picture and present it,

and then it's all down to the dog to select the right toy.

OK, Red team, this challenge is all about your dog's thought processes.

We're asking the dog to connect a photograph of an object with the object itself.

Something which is pretty tough.

Colin, in order to qualify for the canine triathlon final,

you need to win this event.

SHE LAUGHS

Mitch, buck up!

Try and point out to Mitch the gravity of the situation which is about to unfold.

He's in the zone, aren't you, Mitch?

He's a coiled spring, he's like a 100-metre runner before their event.

He's a coiled sponge, more like.

SHE LAUGHS

OK, Andrew and Betty are up first for this one, so get yourselves ready.

-Oh, here, goggles.

-Thanks.

'Currently joint leaders with Toni and Flapjack on 17 points,

'over the course of the contest,

'Andrew and Betty have proved fierce competitors.'

They've thrived on the physical challenges.

Good girl.

-Betty, no, no.

-But Andrew's learned that he needs to tune into Betty

emotionally to get the best out of their bond.

From where we've gone through these experiences together,

I think we just are a closer team.

I didn't think we could be. We understand each other a lot better.

Now, just one more test stands between the pair and a place in the final.

'They'll get one point for each correctly identified toy.'

-Andrew, are you ready?

-Yep.

-Go.

-He's got one of the photos.

-He's got one, it's the one he wanted.

Betty!

Betty!

-Good girl!

-'One point for Andrew and Betty.'

-Straight away!

-It was the snake, it was definitely the snake toy.

-Good girl!

-So she gets a little game with the toy as a reward for getting

the right one.

'The challenge for Andrew is to maintain Betty's focus on the task.

'Difficult when he's underwater and out of sight.'

Betty!

-Oh!

-No, she's failed that one.

-She went to the camper van.

-She's failed that one.

So you take the card and the crocodile out...

'One out of two, so far.'

-It's very tense.

-It's very tense.

What's this, Betty? Go on, then. Betty.

Good girl.

-Yay!

-Good girl!

Just because there's one toy left, doesn't mean she's going to go to it.

Betty. Come on, Betty.

Come on! Good girl!

BOTH: Aw!

'That's a tough call.

'Was she just going towards Andrew or indicating towards the toy?'

-No!

-She went past that.

-She went past that.

-She went past it and he shoved it in her mouth.

-He did.

What do we think?

'This calls for an action replay.'

She did.

She did look at it on the way past.

Let's see it again, let's see it one more time.

She went down with her nose, didn't she?

-What do you think, then?

-I think she should get it.

-Got to give it to her? OK.

'Andrew and Betty get three points, taking them to a total of 20.'

Little superstar.

Actually did one for your brain.

She says, "Cos I's clever, Dad, I's very clever."

Nice and wet.

'Next to duck for their dog is Toni.'

-Toys are in position, Toni, are you ready?

-I'm ready.

-Excellent.

-Tell me when.

-Off you go.

'Having struggled in the training,

'will Flapjack understand what Toni wants him to do?'

-He's got one.

-Flapjack, Flapjack.

Go find. Oh!

-He went for the tennis ball.

-He did go for the tennis ball.

That was a poor start.

FLAPJACK WHINES

Shh, shh, shh!

Flapjack?

Good boy. Good boy.

Tennis ball, and he went for the tennis ball.

'That's one out of two.'

Flapjack, Flapjack, Flapjack?

Flappy, Flappy...

'Flapjack is eager but still uncertain.'

-Underwhelming.

-You can re-present.

You can ask him again, he hasn't made a choice yet.

Oh, OK. Sorry, I was hasty, how unfair.

He hadn't made a choice, so...

Flapjack, make a choice.

Make a choice.

Come on, Flappy.

Come on, Flaps!

Make a choice.

No, OK, he's moved away.

-That's fine.

-OK.

'Flapjack has one more chance to score a point.'

Flapjack!

-Good boy.

-Yeah!

-Good boy, Flappers.

-OK, so he got two.

We always knew that was going to be difficult.

-I think you should be very pleased with two out of four.

-He just wasn't going to

make the pig, was he? That was pretty good,

given the training you've had.

-Two out of four.

-Yes. Two out of four, let's see what our Colin can do.

-Yes indeed.

'Two points to Toni and Flapjack puts them on a total of 19.

'Currently on 15,

'Colin and Mitch will need to get all four toys right to tie for second place,

'which would put all three pairs through to the final.'

-Colin, are you ready?

-I'm ready.

OK.

Toys are in place. Go!

-He's got something.

-He's got a card, has he?

Shh!

Good lad. Mitch. Mitch.

Good.

Yes!

'Mitch is off to a flying start but he'll need to stay focused on Colin.'

Now, Colin was really good.

He made sure that Mitch was focused,

that he was looking at him before he presented the photo.

He's got to do the same thing again.

Mitch.

Good lad, good lad.

Mitch.

-HE WHISTLES

-Mitch.

-OK, so he's trying to get him focused again.

But Mitch doesn't want to know now.

-He's turned away.

-Mitch!

'Colin needs to get Mitch's interest back.'

Mitch! Mitch!

Good lad, Mitch.

- Yes! - Winner, winner, chicken dinner.

Come on, Mitch, come on!

'That's two out of two.

'But in order to score enough points to draw level with Toni,

'and get through to the final, they need to get all four right.'

Come on, Mitch.

Good boy! Good boy!

I'm so pleased!

OK, one more to go. One more to go.

Good boy! Good boy.

Who's a good boy?

CHEERING

Who's a good boy?

LAUGHTER

CHEERING

Colin.

Unbelievable.

Absolutely unbelievable.

That was so exciting.

It was so sweet seeing Mitch get all the toys.

All of them looked at the card and went, "OK, yeah,

"I know what I've got to do now," and that's blown me away.

OK, guys, time to put the scores on the board.

'With three correctly identified toys and three points,

'Andrew and Betty top the Reds with 20 points.

'Two out of four brings Toni and Flapjack up to 19.'

Colin, you're on 15 points.

You've got four points for this for winning it, which puts you on 19 points.

Which means that you are joint second with Toni and you can

go through to our canine triathlon final.

-Yes!

-Yes indeed.

Well done, well done.

Mitch was the underdog, there's no question about that, that was the case,

-Sian, wasn't it?

-Mitch came here with no interest in toys and a very

different relationship with Colin.

And to see him in that challenge,

having a desire to interact with the toys,

and that desire to work with Colin in a way that is totally different from

the way that they started,

this, for me, is one I'm never going to forget.

Indeed. So we've got a great final coming up.

Obviously we've got Badger and Bodger going in that as well,

and Josh and Douglas, but the five of you will be out on the course in that final,

to see who wins this championship.

What a day it will be.

It was just an amazing feeling of a unity between me and Mitch.

And I'm just bubbling inside.

I am absolutely so, so pleased to be in the final.

With Mitch, you knew it was deliberate.

I think that's what made it so exciting.

We got two out of four.

It was as good as I could possibly have expected.

But I did look at Flapjack's performances and think,

was that deliberate or was that fluke?

Come on then, food time!

Are you starving, my friend, are you starving?

Toni and Flapjack have secured their place in the final.

Over the course of the contest, despite disappointments...

Oh, Jacky, we're last.

..Toni's been surprised when Flapjack's learned new skills.

And it's strengthened their bond.

I think that Flapjack is really quite tuned in to me,

much more so than I thought he was before I started doing all this.

But Toni's never attributed much intelligence to her dog.

'Flapjack is incredibly handsome but fairly thick.'

And it may be that he's not that thick underneath, it may be that I'm really doing him down.

But, you see, if you look through there, you can sort of see carpet at the other end.

There's not much going in-between this ear and that.

Now Dr Emily Blackwell is going to show her

he has more between his ears than she gives him credit for.

She spent 20 minutes teaching Flapjack a new task.

Emily and I are going to prove to you now, scientifically,

that Flapjack is not thick.

-OK.

-Isn't that right, Emily?

Yes, what we've taught him is a bit of self-control.

So what we started with was teaching him that if he ignored a little treat

here in my hand, and took his head away from it,

we'd give him a bigger treat.

-So he looks at it and then looks back at me.

-Yes.

'For all dogs, food is a strong motivator.

'So asking him not to eat will take some willpower and intelligence.'

Yeah, that's amazing.

'Emily trained him to do this using a positive reinforcement technique,

'rewarding good behaviour rather than punishing bad.'

Good boy.

'It's an effective way for an owner to train or retrain their dog.'

-Hello, my boy.

-Good boy.

'Flapjack learned that the only way to get the reward was to ignore one offer of food

'and turn his head away from it.'

See, he's not even putting his head towards it.

'Some Labradors have been found to carry a mutant gene that makes them feel constantly hungry.

'So Flapjack might be resisting a particularly strong impulse to eat.'

In order to do that, he's got to demonstrate some intelligence.

Literally, we gave him the hand and he learned to take his head away like that

within two goes, which is incredibly fast.

And we do this a lot with puppies and adult dogs,

and normally it takes several sessions, and at least ten trials,

whereas he's done it in two.

So he's really, really quick.

'Flapjack's demonstrated self-control with small treats,

'but can he stick to what he's learned

'when faced with a greater temptation?'

We've gradually built up to the point that we can have...

-A gigantic slab of cheese!

-..a huge piece of cheese in the middle of the room,

so none of us could possibly get to it before he could,

so if he wanted to have it, he could.

Just watch Flapjack.

OK, don't watch him. So that we let him think we haven't noticed the cheese.

What would happen at home if you put a huge chunk of cheese at

that level in the house?

It would have gone now.

I'm impressed.

So we're going to make it even more tempting

by encouraging him over there.

So we're going to put some treats down.

See how close he is.

He knows that cheese is here.

Here we are, look.

OK. Look.

Good boy!

That was good.

SHE LAUGHS

-What about that?

-Oh, I'm really impressed by that.

That's really sweet. I feel really bad now.

-Good boy.

-Not only did he not take the cheese,

but it took Emily and her team just 20 minutes,

20 minutes to achieve that.

And in terms of demonstrating canine intelligence, where does he stand,

-as it were?

-I think he's pretty top of the tree.

We've found something that really motivates him, which helps.

There always needs to be a reward when you're trying to teach something new.

But he learnt it just like that. We were all very impressed.

-Five stars!

-Yeah. Five stars.

There's actually a brain inside that beautiful, golden head.

Clever, clever creature.

As well as exercising self-control,

dogs can also engage in what looks like deception.

Studies have shown they're more likely to steal food when they think

they're not being watched.

What this says about their intelligence

is that they have a concept of their owner's visual perspective

and some scientists suggest they may even have

a basic theory of mind which means they can attribute mental states

to others. In simple terms, they deceive to avoid getting told off.

Good boy, that was good.

The lesson here is never underestimate your dog.

Up you come. Good boy.

I think it's fair to say that when it comes to the science of a dog's

cognition, how it thinks, what it understands,

whether it's intelligent or not,

that science is still in its infancy.

We've got a tremendous amount to learn.

But what's exciting is that the humble family pet

is becoming a popular subject for scientific study.

These are intelligent animals, so if we can figure out,

understand, what's going on inside their heads,

then we can truly expand and strengthen that bond

that we have with them.

Tomorrow, our five final pairs face

their last and biggest challenge yet.

A human dog triathlon to determine which pair

will be crowned champions.

Feeling very excited about the triathlon.

I think Bodger could win, absolutely no doubt.

It's me that might hold us back,

but Bodger could absolutely win and I'd love to win for her.

I would absolutely love to win it,

to prove to the world how good Douglas is.

As soon as he gets the bit between his teeth,

he really wants to go and I feel like I can gauge him.

If I do that right and he's in the right frame of mind,

which he has been, I think we'll be competitive.

It's the morning of the Grand Final.

Hi, Bodge. Morning, Bodger.

The competitors are getting ready to do battle.

Hey, Boo.

For Andrew and Betty, that means taking a technical approach

with meticulous preparation.

I like to get prepared for things.

I always panic that I'm going to miss something.

Doug.

For Josh and Doug, it's time to talk tactics.

There will be a team talk, I'm sure, at one point.

Doug?

Doug?

For Colin and Mitch, it's a chance for some last-minute training.

Final run around the Brathay estate.

We want to do well,

we want to prove that we've come forward and I want to

prove that out there today.

But Toni and Flapjack favour quiet contemplation.

This is our limbering up, isn't it, Jack?

We don't get more energetic than this.

Stretching the odd leg.

I'll stretch the odd arm.

There we go.

We'll surprise you out in the fields, I'm sure.

These are our five final pairs.

They've all made great progress during the contest.

Taking on challenges that have tested their communication skills...

Good girl.

..the trust between them...

Let's go, Doug, let's go, Doug.

..how well they can see the world from

their dog's point of view, and their dog's intelligence.

CHEERING

Made up of disciplines they've all attempted earlier in the contest,

our human-dog triathlon will test them on everything

they've learned and show just how far they've come.

This is the ultimate challenge.

A 2km bike race over rugged terrain.

A 100 metre swim in chilly Lake Windermere.

And a 1.5km cross-country run.

BARKING

Here to cheer them through the final...

Hello.

..their friends and family.

Look at this.

Missed you.

And there's a lot to catch up on.

It's months, I've been away for months.

-It feels like it.

-Who's that? Who's that, Mitch?

It's been really fun.

We've done so much that I want to kind of pick up on and do again.

The running and cycling and swimming,

got two firsts and a second.

Which is good.

So the mental one, she was doing her best.

So what are you doing in the final?

Swimming, Bodger's ace.

-Cycling.

-Are you swimming with Bodger?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Amazing.

THEME FROM ROCKY PLAYS

After all the preparations, it's time for the first event.

Come on, then, guys, come down this way.

Line yourselves up there.

Congratulations, all.

You've reached our canine triathlon final

and getting here hasn't been easy.

Now, a canine triathlon, there were three events.

Each stage of the swimming, the cycling and the running

will be individually timed for all of you

and the winner is the one with the fastest combined time.

-Everyone happy with that? ALL:

-Yes.

Excellent. It's time to set you off.

In this 2km bike race,

our pairs have to use everything they've learned.

Go, go.

Their dogs will be harnessed to the bike...

Good boy, Doug, keep going.

..and communication will be vital to keep them running out in front.

This way, this way.

In the earlier bike riding challenge, Toni and Flapjack,

Josh and Douglas, and Andrew and Betty all took to it and excelled.

Good girl.

And came in with the three fastest times.

Good girl.

I'm so not fit enough for my dog.

Get on, Mitch, get on.

But in training,

Colin and Mitch struggled with the basics and didn't get to race.

Two and a half years of teaching him to heel on penalty of death

and all of a sudden, on penalty of death, he's got to pull.

They've been putting in some extra practice and Colin is determined

to complete the course.

I'll be happy if Mitch just ticks along beside me,

doesn't get tangled up.

Just take it really steady.

Finishing is going to be important, isn't it, Mitch?

Good boy. Good lad.

The cycling challenge in our triathlon, two laps of the circuit.

Remember you are all being individually timed.

Colin, come with us, please, up to the start.

-You're heading off.

-Good lad, good lad, Mitch.

Here we go.

'The pairs will be set off at one-minute intervals.'

-Colin, are you ready, then?

-Yeah, I'm ready.

-Good luck, sir.

On your marks, get set, go.

Good lad, Mitch. Get on, Mitch, good lad.

It's a hesitant start.

Come on, then. Good boy. Good boy, Mitch.

But with plenty of encouragement, Colin and Mitch are off.

Where is he? Get on, Mitch, get on, Mitch.

Good boy. Good boy, Mitch.

That's good. OK.

Badger, you're up next.

Keep him out in front. You should be doing well here, I think.

-I don't know about that.

-Yeah, yeah, I think so.

Five seconds. OK, on your marks, get set, and go.

Go on Bodger. Go, go, go, good girl.

Go on, find him, where's Mitch?

Find Colin. Go on, good girl, Bodger.

Good girl.

-And go.

-Go, Jackie. Oh, God. OK, Jackie, go, go, go. Good boy.

Flapjack is off to a flying start.

Off we go, off we go, off we go. Good boy, Jackie.

Good boy. Good boy.

Good boy.

Run, run, run, good girl.

And Badger and Bodger are looking strong.

That's the way. Go on, Bodger, go, go, go.

In the earlier bike race,

Bodger's need for reassurance meant she was reluctant to run in front.

Just seeing her get a bit, not really distressed,

but really confused about...

It was like, "Tell me what I'm supposed to be doing.

"Why are you on that bike?

"What am I doing here?"

But over the course of the contest,

their bond has deepened and her confidence has grown.

Good girl, Bodger. Thank you.

Fetch it here.

And she is now happily focused on running ahead of the bike.

Good girl, that's the way.

Good girl.

That's a good girl.

They are already catching up with Colin and Mitch.

Go on, Bodger, this way.

And it's thrown Mitch off his stride.

-Whoa!

-You all right?

-Sorry.

-Don't worry, you OK?

-Are you on?

-He heard you.

-He's laid down.

-Come on, Mitch.

Good boy. Good boy, Mitch.

-Go on.

-If we go first, he might chase.

-Yeah, yeah.

Go on, then, Bodger. Go, go, go. Good girl, that's the way.

Go on, go, go, go.

That's a good boy.

-Come on, this way, this way.

-That's a good boy, Mitch.

Colin is determined to complete the course,

but he'll have to work hard to keep Mitch on track.

Go, go, go, Mitch.

OK, Andrew, you're next up. Good luck, Andrew.

On your marks, get set and go.

Go, go, go.

She's off.

Oh, she is off.

He's slowing down nicely.

Communicating as well.

Go, go, where are they? Where are they, Betty? Go, go.

Red Group winners Andrew and Betty

are strong contenders for the title.

Go on. Betty, go.

-Come on.

-Hold on, she stopped, she stopped.

Got to get her going again.

But in previous races,

Betty's thrived with someone to chase

and with no-one in front of her, she's immediately distracted.

She likes to chase things so if she's not chasing something,

she just runs at my side and the point is the dog is supposed to be

pulling you along.

Come on, Betty. Come on.

Go on, go, girl. Betty, go, go.

Go, go, Betty.

They've already lost valuable time.

Good girl, Betty.

And hot on their heels are Yellow Group winners, Josh and Doug.

Josh, Douglas, here we go.

No lack of enthusiasm there.

Oh, raring to go.

OK. On your marks, get set and go.

Let's go, Doug, let's go, bud. Go, Doug, go on, mate. Go on, Dougie.

Josh and Douglas were fastest on the bike last time

and they're not holding back.

Douglas is off.

Good lad, Mitch.

Mitch, good lad.

Good lad.

Colin and Mitch are struggling

and it's giving Toni and Flapjack a chance to catch up.

Trying to get out of your way, Toni.

Good boy.

OK, we're going to come past on the right, Colin.

-Oh, my gosh.

-Good lad, Mitch.

Go on, then, Mitch. Go on.

-Go on, Mitch.

-Go on, Doug, push, push, push.

With constant communication...

Go one, Doug, keep going, mate. Keep going, Doug.

..Doug is setting a fast pace.

They are already gaining on Andrew and Betty.

Good boy, let's go, let's go.

-Good girl.

-Good boy.

Go find him, Betty. Good boy. Andy, I'm coming up behind.

Go on, Doug, go, Doug.

Go, Dougie. Keep going, mate. Go, Doug.

Keep going, Doug. Good boy.

Keep going, keep going.

This way, this way.

But now they've given Betty something to chase,

the race is on.

Come on, Doug, let's go.

Colin, I'm coming up behind, mate.

I'll go on your right, then. On your right, Col, OK?

Dougie, come on. Go, Dougie, go.

On your right, as well. Betty, right, right.

There's a good boy, Mitch.

Go, go, go.

Badger and Bodger are still upfront, followed by Toni and Flapjack.

This way, my love.

This way. This way, this way.

SHE SCREAMS

Flapjack, hang on. Wait. Stop. Stop, stop, stop.

Flapjack. Good boy, come here.

Although, for them, negotiating the course signage is proving harder

than the rough terrain.

On we go. Hang on. Wait a minute.

Oh, God!

Oh, dear.

-This way. Come on.

-Good boy.

Go get them, Betty.

With the finish line in sight,

Andrew encourages Betty to overtake Josh and Doug.

Good girl.

Good girl, Betty. Sorry, mate.

They managed to sneak past Josh and Doug on the inside

and take the lead.

Go, Betty. Come on then, Betty.

Come on.

Go, go. No, what are you doing?

Betty, come on.

But Betty has other ideas.

-Betty, go get them.

-Dougie, go, get them, get them.

She seems to prefer her spot behind Doug.

Good girl.

Go get them, Betty.

With lots of encouragement from Badger,

Bodger has kept up the pace in front of the bike.

-Come on.

-Go on, Bodger.

It's a testament to the progress that they've made

that they are crossing the line with a fast time.

-Well done.

-I can't believe that.

-You did really well.

-So chuffed.

-Fantastic.

-Brilliant. Well done.

-He just knew what to do, didn't you?

You're amazing.

Where they rank will now depend on everyone else.

Toni, she should have a broad grin on her face.

-Come on, Toni.

-Come on, Flapjack.

This way, this way.

Well done and right behind them, here comes Josh and Douglas.

Come on, Josh! Come on, Andrew!

And Andrew and Betty.

Hello. It was inevitable.

Good boy, Doug.

You clever dog. Good boy.

Oh, that's prickly.

Josh and Doug put in the fastest time

with Badger and Bodger close behind,

followed by Andrew and Betty and Toni and Flapjack.

But the question is, have all the teams made it round?

So want Colin and Mitch to finish.

He's a real trier.

All the way through, he's been trying so hard.

Where are they?

-Here, Mitch.

-Here they are, here they are.

They've made it. Brilliant, absolutely brilliant.

Come on, Colin.

Look at Mitch's ears up.

-Look at his little ears up.

-Come on, puppy!

Good boy, good lad.

Fantastic, fantastic.

Good lad, Mitch. Good lad. Fantastic.

Colin, Mitch's face coming round the corner.

-Ears up, smiling.

-Ears up!

-Brilliant.

-He had a little lie down when we caught you up.

Me, yeah.

Is Mitch telling us something at this point, Colin?

I think Mitch is conserving his energy.

I'd like to think he's conserving his energy, yes.

Amazingly, I didn't struggle with any of it,

which is not what I expected to be sat here saying.

We've completed the course, which is a triumph.

We've completed the course, which is a proper triumph.

Good lad.

Time to move to the lakeside for the second of our triathlon events,

the 100-metre open-water swim.

Come on in, come on in.

Here we are, ladies and gentlemen.

The swimming event.

Hold on, everyone. We might have a bit of a problem.

Just as our pairs prepare for the swim, there's bad news.

The estate's technical officer and the competition vet

are forced to intervene.

The reason I've called you down, guys,

is while setting out the triathlon course,

I noticed these scum areas,

so you never know if it's blue green algae, you just assume it is.

There are certain varieties of blue green algae

that can be quite toxic.

It can be quite serious for the dogs.

Sometimes there can be fatalities as well.

-No dogs, no water.

-Probably not today.

Blue green algae are microscopic organisms

that grow in freshwater lakes.

Recognisable by their blooms, which form a scum-like layer

on the surface of the water,

blue green algae isn't always harmful but it can be fatal to dogs.

It's simply not worth the risk.

No-one is going to take a risk with their dog.

It's that simple.

-No way.

-It's not happening.

So this swimming event is going to be a human only event.

-So we're all right?

-You're going to be fine.

I know animals are nearest your hearts.

They are, they are.

Now you have quite clearly been relying upon your dogs

to succeed in some of our challenges,

there's no doubt about that.

But on this occasion, your dogs are going to be relying upon you.

They will be cheering from the back.

So whatever happens, this is your chance to not let your dogs down.

Could I interest you in a dog?

I shall miss Flapjack in the water.

I feel hugely anxious because I'm worrying

that I may let him down because he is a faster swimmer than me

and I do have to kick quite hard to keep up.

Good luck, guys.

Good luck, everybody.

Oh, yes, very graceful!

While their dogs watch on,

the five human finalists are deposited on a small island.

From here, they'll have to swim around two buoys

and back to the finish line.

After ten days of spending every waking moment with their dogs,

this is the first time they face the challenge alone.

I can hear somebody barking.

-Is that Bodge?

-Probably.

In the earlier swimming challenge...

Come on, Bodger!

..the strength of the bond between Badger and Bodger shone through

and it was their strongest event.

Bodger and Badger are coming in really fast.

It's your little face,

her little face and it was a moment of togetherness and connectedness.

Just beautiful.

Really gutted.

It was like our favourite thing to swim with Bodger.

She will be cheering me on.

Hell, she'll be going crazy.

She'll be like, "What are you doing out there without me?"

But for Josh, going solo this time comes as a relief.

They're in trouble.

Despite a consistently strong performance throughout the contest,

the swimming race was their lowest point.

He just got tangled up. He couldn't swim so...

..I don't know.

Now this race will be a simple test of human speed and endurance.

It is a big game changer but this is going to increase

my chances of doing well in this section.

I think with Betty not on my back,

it might make it a tiny bit easier for me!

Oh, it's cold!

It's the moment of truth.

OK, let's get it going. On your marks,

get set,

go!

-Come on.

-Go on, Josh!

Not very fast.

They're off. Look, someone's taking a clear lead.

As they reach the halfway point, there's a clear frontrunner.

Josh in front, followed by Andrew.

-Who's that?

-DOG WHINES

-Toni's catching Badger, though.

-Badger went a little bit off course.

Colin bringing up the rear.

Go on, Colin!

Come on, Colin!

In the home straight, it looks like Josh is holding on to his lead.

Come on, Josh!

But Andrew is in hot pursuit.

Come on, Drew!

Behind them, Toni and Badger are fighting out for third.

Go, Toni!

Josh is going to make it first.

Andrew is not far behind him.

-Yay.

-And then it's Toni, she's come through ahead of Badger.

-Yeah.

-The dogs are cheering them on.

Big time.

Colin, make sure you touch the blue finish so we can stop the stopwatch.

APPLAUSE

Excellent, excellent.

Before they can reunite with their dogs,

the humans must rinse off the algae.

Is that algae cleaning off?

Then we want this off and we're going to rinse you down

one more time, so it's going to be even cooler, all right?

Oh, flipping heck!

It was much harder swimming without Bodger.

I didn't have her encouragement and I think if I had had Bodger with me,

we might have got a bit higher up the ranks.

It went fine. I survived, I got out, it was good.

I mean, I would've liked there to have been a golden dog beside me.

Wrong leg.

Josh's strong swim means he and Doug have opened up a lead

but Andrew and Betty and Badger and Bodger

are still in strong contention.

Jackie, Jackie boy.

Come here. Come here.

Reunited with their dogs,

our finalists now face the last event

with four fresh legs to spur them on.

Hello, friend, how are you doing? How are you doing, love?

It's really good to see you.

Missed you, missed you.

It all comes down to a one and a half kilometre cross-country run.

Each dog will be attached to their owner with a special harness.

Come on, then, Mitch. Come on, then, mate.

Everything they've learned about trust and communication

will come into play.

It will be a final test of their bond as they strive to run as one.

First, through dense woodland,

then over open rough ground with a final sprint downhill

to the finish line where the winning pair with the fastest combined time

from all three events will be crowned champions.

What a tremendous series of challenges it's been

and now it's come down to this final stage.

I can say that we've looked at the times and it's all to play for,

so go for it.

Sian, as ever, it's about teamwork, isn't it?

It is. You're going to go up there and you're going to think

about running together. Hopefully they might give you a bit of

a pull because you're uphill for some of the way.

This is the last bit of the challenge. Enjoy it.

In the earlier running challenge,

Josh and Doug led the pack but faltered on the final ascent

and Andrew and Betty stormed through to victory.

Go, girl! Go on, Betty!

If they can win today,

Andrew and Betty could still walk away with the title,

and Badger and Bodger are by no means out of the running.

I'm going to... I'm backing Douglas to just pull me around, I think.

If I can keep up with him for even half of it,

I think we'll do OK but I don't think it's going to be enough.

Andy is a superstar.

I'm going to have to push it and push it hard

but I know Betty struggles to run from the lead

so it may just be a case of we're following Josh.

Are you ready to go, mate?

We've got to run, now. We've got to run, now.

We've got to beat Andy, OK?

Good talk.

But not all the dogs are quite so primed and ready.

Flapjack clearly thinks he's done enough already.

Oh, Jack. Oh, Jack.

Oh, Jack, oh, friend.

He thinks it's all over.

-Do you think it's all over? It's not all over.

-It's not yet.

Jackie, it's not all over, love.

I know, I'm really sorry, but you need to get out.

We have to go and run.

Is everyone ready?

Three, two, one,

go!

Good lad. Good lad, good lad.

Get on, Mitch, get on.

Good boy, Doug.

In this final test of the bonds between them,

they'll need to give their dogs lots of encouragement.

Go on, Bodger. Good girl.

And work together to pick the best route over tricky terrain.

-Good lad.

-Over.

Good boy.

Good boy, Doug, keep pushing.

Josh and Douglas are in step out in front.

Keep going, Doug.

With Andrew and Betty breathing down their necks.

Keep going, come on, Doug.

Good boy, Dougie.

Come on, Bodge.

This way.

Bodger has mastered running ahead of Badger

and the pair are close behind.

Go on, then. Come on, Mitch.

Good boy.

Colin and Mitch have started well

and are ahead of Toni and Flapjack.

Good girl.

Andrew and Betty are closing Josh and Douglas down.

Come on, Betty.

But nature calls and Betty makes an unscheduled stop.

Should have had a poo earlier, Boo.

Come on.

It gives Josh and Doug a healthy lead as they emerge from the woods.

Keep going. Come on, Doug.

For the final downhill run towards the finish.

Good boy, Dougie. Good boy.

But Betty hasn't given up the chase.

Come on, Doug.

-Come on, Betty.

-Come on, Doug.

Come on, Douglas.

Come on, guys!

Come on!

Yes, well done!

Dougie, come here.

Good boy. Good boy, Doug.

Come on, Andrew!

Come on, Betty. Come on, Betty.

Come on!

-Oh, well done.

-Well done, mate.

This way.

Badger and Bodger are keeping up a strong pace...

..and cross the finish line in third.

Go on, Mitch! Good boy.

Good lad.

Now the race is really on for fourth place.

Go on, Jack.

Come on, this way.

Good lad, good lad.

Toni's catching up with him.

Come on, Toni!

Go on, Mitch.

Well done. Well done, mate. Well done, Col.

Superb.

Well done, Toni.

Brilliant, well done.

Well done. OK, well we're going to add up the times now

for all three of the stages, and then we'll put the scores finally

on the doors for the last time and find out

who's champion human and dog.

It's the end of an incredible contest.

Well done. Well done, Andrew. Well done.

But only one pair can be crowned champions.

Well done, Colin.

Time to see who's actually won our canine triathlon.

In reverse order,

with 20 minutes and 23 seconds,

in fifth place, Colin and Mitch.

Well done, Colin.

APPLAUSE

In fourth place, with 16 minutes and 16 seconds...

..Toni and Flapjack.

Well done, guys.

APPLAUSE

In third place, with 14 minutes and 37 seconds...

..Badger and Bodger.

Well done.

-APPLAUSE

-Well done, Bodger.

The winner, in 12 minutes and four seconds

is...

..Josh and Douglas.

APPLAUSE

Which means in second place, Andrew and Betty,

13 minutes and 30 seconds.

Well done, mate.

Proud of you.

And so for our winner,

we have this wonderful piece of silverware here,

and there, already filled with cheese for Douglas,

is the canine cup!

That's so fabulous!

-Good boy.

-Well done.

Come on. Yes, indeed!

It's a real moment,

a real milestone in our relationship

because there's so much more I can do with him.

I've done loads with him but there's so much more

and I've improved that every single day.

So, yeah, it's been a life changer.

Come on then, Jack.

At the start of this contest,

we set out to test the limits of our human-pet partnerships.

We watched our pairs surprise themselves

as the bonds between them have grown stronger.

There we go.

Now, Mitch and I are a pair,

as opposed to master and dog.

We're together, we're on equal footings

and I will respect him a whole lot more than when I came up here.

Betty is just an amazing little dog and I honestly think the bond

has got a lot stronger.

I've started to understand her a lot more.

You know, I'd recommend to anyone, just look at your dog a lot more

and try and understand them a little bit better and you'll get

so, so much more out of them.

I am so proud of Flapjack for what he's achieved.

Not only has he proved to be exceptionally clever,

but he's coped with learning an enormous amount of information

in a very short period of time.

He is a stoic, beautiful, lovely hound.

My Bodger is just the best dog,

as has been proved throughout the whole...

the whole thing.

She's just perfect

and I don't think there's anything she can't do.

You did so well, Bodger.

Come on. There we are, there we are, Douglas.

APPLAUSE

Good boy, Doug! Keep going. Good boy.

What this contest has shown us is that this remarkable species

of intelligent and emotionally attuned animals

is capable of even more than we give it credit for.

Good boy, Doug. Come on, then.

And if you support your dog physically, mentally

and emotionally, they'll do the same for you.

Good boy, what's this, then?

And it's that shared endeavour that makes our bond so special.

What a joy this has been, watching these bonds grow.

I mean, I'm going to leave with a lot of treasured memories,

but you know the best thing, the best thing of all,

is that I now know that these dogs and these people

will leave here and have a healthier, happier life together.

Can't put a price on that.

Clever puppy.