0:00:02 > 0:00:04Welcome to Bang. We are in Grantham
0:00:04 > 0:00:08at a dog agility show where some of the nation's cleverest pooches are being put through their paces.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11We absolutely love our dogs.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12According to the RSPCA,
0:00:12 > 0:00:14there are eight million dogs here in the UK.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19But what is it that makes some people love dogs so much?
0:00:19 > 0:00:20Amazing intuition.
0:00:20 > 0:00:23He picks things up extremely quickly.
0:00:23 > 0:00:26It's going to sound really cheesy, but he is my best friend.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30In tonight's show, Philippa Forrester is back
0:00:30 > 0:00:33testing the claim that dogs really are good for your health.
0:00:33 > 0:00:36Stop eyeing up the talent! Here, Dave!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38I'm off to Austria to see
0:00:38 > 0:00:42whether today's dogs are any smarter than their wild ancestors.
0:00:42 > 0:00:45She can see all the way to the end of the string from there.
0:00:45 > 0:00:50And are these handsome hounds really as clever as their owners think?
0:00:50 > 0:00:54We'll be finding out in our very own Mastermind challenge.
0:00:56 > 0:00:57Sit, wait.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01Whatever you think about dogs, we've been keeping them as pets
0:01:01 > 0:01:03for almost 40,000 years, and today,
0:01:03 > 0:01:06more than one-in-five homes have one.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Based on audience research,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11there could be half a million dogs watching his programme right now.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13In which case, sit!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15To many dog owners,
0:01:15 > 0:01:20the relationship with their canine companions seems almost human.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25The best thing about her is she is extremely motivated.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27He can adapt to new situations.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30He acts the fool but I think he's pretty smart.
0:01:30 > 0:01:34He taught me way, way more than any previous ever dog has.
0:01:39 > 0:01:43Anyone who owns a dog is going to vouch for the fact that
0:01:43 > 0:01:46a real emotional bond exists between them and their pet.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49Some people even suggest that the relationship can be
0:01:49 > 0:01:52so strong it can do wonders for your health.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56We invited Philippa Forrester, a bit of a dog specialist herself,
0:01:56 > 0:01:57to investigate.
0:01:59 > 0:02:05Dave is a border collie, so he is meant to be very bright.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08And he's been part of our family for about seven years now,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and I don't think we can imagine life without him.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14He's absolutely hilarious, great company, and very energetic,
0:02:14 > 0:02:17so we get lots of walks in.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21But I suspect there are more health benefits to having a dog
0:02:21 > 0:02:25than just walks and good company. What do you reckon, Dave?
0:02:25 > 0:02:27'I'm not alone in this belief.'
0:02:27 > 0:02:29In 2006, Sergeant Pen Farthing
0:02:29 > 0:02:32served with the Royal Marines in Afghanistan.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35There he rescued Nowzad from a dogfight
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and the two became firm friends.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41I have some old military biscuits that none of us liked
0:02:41 > 0:02:43but he absolutely loved them.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45Luxury! Old military biscuits.
0:02:45 > 0:02:47You didn't know you were born, did you?
0:02:47 > 0:02:51Every time I walked past him with his biscuits he'd come out and see me.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Throughout his tour of duty are even now he's back home,
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Pen's convinced he owes his own welfare to this very special dog.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Somebody shooting at you is probably the most stressful position you could be in.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04I could sit down with Nowzad
0:03:04 > 0:03:08for five minutes, just to get away from everybody and clear my head.
0:03:10 > 0:03:11It was a de-stressing time.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14It was like I could sit on a magic carpet
0:03:14 > 0:03:17and just get myself out of Afghanistan for five minutes.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22'Pen had grown so reliant on Nowzad that he went great lengths to bring him home.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25'But he found he wasn't the only soldier who had befriended a dog in service.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29'So, knowing how much now Nowzad had helped his return to civilian life,
0:03:29 > 0:03:32'he began to help them all.'
0:03:32 > 0:03:36Nowzad has inspired the Nowzad dogs charity to work in Afghanistan.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39We have helped over 300 soldiers who have been in the same position as me.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The dogs found them and they've basically been buddies
0:03:42 > 0:03:44for the whole of their tour of duty.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47In the end, they've decided they can't just leave that dog there.
0:03:47 > 0:03:50- Man's best friend, eh?- And woman's.
0:03:50 > 0:03:51Definitely.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55- A few female soldiers as well. - I can testify to that one.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Pen's work has made a real difference to the health
0:03:58 > 0:04:02and welfare of returning soldiers and can even help them
0:04:02 > 0:04:04recover from post-traumatic stress.
0:04:04 > 0:04:08I wanted to know if there could be any medical explanation for this.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13We certainly know a lot about how humans form strong emotional bonds
0:04:13 > 0:04:18and these, it seems, are promoted by a particular hormone called oxytocin.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20How can it benefit us, oxytocin?
0:04:20 > 0:04:25There is some recent research showing that for pet owners and pets,
0:04:25 > 0:04:29when they... After a session of stroking and close contact,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33both owner and pet's oxytocin levels rise.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37Hypothetically it should have long-term health implications because it helps regulate stress.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40So, can we actually feel the oxytocin
0:04:40 > 0:04:43as it's coursing through our veins?
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Are you feeling it now?!
0:04:45 > 0:04:47This is Dave's question! This is what he's asking you.
0:04:47 > 0:04:52- I am a little bit, yes. I am, how can I say no?- Dave!
0:04:52 > 0:04:57'Stress relief can benefit health in many ways, helping our bodies
0:04:57 > 0:05:01'tackle illnesses and the pain of both emotional or physical trauma.
0:05:01 > 0:05:04'To demonstrate how well oxytocin does that,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07'Angela has set up some torture for me.'
0:05:07 > 0:05:10OK, this is a cold pressor task and we use this
0:05:10 > 0:05:12in psychology as a stressor.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15'I have to see how long I can hold my friend in a bowl
0:05:15 > 0:05:17'of freezing cold water.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20'First, on my own, and then while I stroke Dave.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'With heart-rate and blood-pressure monitors fitted,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25'I get my hands nice and warm
0:05:25 > 0:05:27and then it's into the ice.
0:05:29 > 0:05:30Yeah, that's cold.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32'Without Dave, I do pretty well.'
0:05:32 > 0:05:35I think I want to get it out now.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Right, well, that was pretty impressive, actually.
0:05:39 > 0:05:41The average is about five minutes,
0:05:41 > 0:05:44- and you had your hand in for six minutes, five seconds.- Did I?
0:05:44 > 0:05:46'Now, this time, stroking Dave.'
0:05:46 > 0:05:51A cat would be thinking, "Why on earth are you stroking me
0:05:51 > 0:05:55"while you've got your hand in that tub of ice?"
0:05:57 > 0:06:01A dog just thinks, "I love you so much!"
0:06:01 > 0:06:03'I lose track of time.'
0:06:03 > 0:06:05I'll ask you to take your hand out of the water now,
0:06:05 > 0:06:07because you've reached
0:06:07 > 0:06:11the maximum of eight minutes with your hand immersed, which is...
0:06:11 > 0:06:13I'll just take your blood pressure.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15That was quite something.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19- And significantly longer. - Yes, it was.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23That was 6.05, and this was, well, I don't know how long you may have lasted.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27We also see a greater increase in your blood pressure without Dave.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30Heart rate, there was an increase of six beats per minute
0:06:30 > 0:06:32without Dave,
0:06:32 > 0:06:34and with Dave an increase of two beats per minute.
0:06:34 > 0:06:39- Oh, so heart-wise I was a lot calmer as well?- It seems so, yes.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41So oxytocin is that feel-good hormone and it did its job.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Don't lick your bum on telly, Dave, it's really embarrassing!
0:06:46 > 0:06:50To some people, this kind of hormonal connection is evidence that
0:06:50 > 0:06:53dog and their owners really are on the same wavelength,
0:06:53 > 0:06:55and even that dogs somehow understand us
0:06:55 > 0:06:58in a way that other animals can't.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06Of course, all of our domesticated breeds descended from the wild wolf
0:07:06 > 0:07:09and, over the years, this has changed all the different breeds' looks
0:07:09 > 0:07:12and their temperament and their behaviour.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15But how has this affected their intelligence?
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I took a quick trip to Austria to find out.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Scientists at this wolf research centre are comparing how wolves
0:07:25 > 0:07:28and dogs solve practical problems.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31They've raised packs of grey and black wolves in captivity
0:07:31 > 0:07:36alongside a number of dogs and all have been kept in identical conditions.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38They hope to find out how thousands of years
0:07:38 > 0:07:42of domestication have affected dog intelligence.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47'Researcher Zsofia Veranji showed me one of her most recent experiments.'
0:07:47 > 0:07:51On the board lying on the ground, we lay out two strings.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53One of the strings will be connected to a piece of cheese,
0:07:53 > 0:07:56the other string is not connected to the cheese.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58But there is cheese at the end of it, but it's not connected.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00There's no physical connection.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05To a human, it's obvious that you need to pull the string connected
0:08:05 > 0:08:07to the cheese to get a reward.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09But how did the dogs get on?
0:08:11 > 0:08:14Right first time for Toto, but was that just luck?
0:08:16 > 0:08:18When we changed the strings around,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21Toto went back to the same side every time, regardless
0:08:21 > 0:08:23of where the cheese was,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26and it was the same for all the dogs we tested.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- Oh, wrong one. - Side preference, possibly.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33But no cheese for you, babe.
0:08:33 > 0:08:36I'm really noticing with these dogs,
0:08:36 > 0:08:39once they pick a side they tend to just stick with the side.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43- Why is that? - I would love to know that myself.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46Either they don't have other ideas or just simply
0:08:46 > 0:08:48they are not that flexible in general
0:08:48 > 0:08:50in solving problems and trying to come up
0:08:50 > 0:08:52with new ideas when the first solution didn't work.
0:08:54 > 0:08:55So, what about the wolves?
0:08:56 > 0:09:00She can see all the way to the end of the string from there.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03'A good start for Shima,
0:09:03 > 0:09:07'but will she work out what's going on when the strings are switched?'
0:09:09 > 0:09:11No hesitation.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Averaging four out of six,
0:09:14 > 0:09:17the wolves were obviously better at this task than the dogs.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21And Zsofia found the same results time and time again.
0:09:22 > 0:09:23Based on this evidence,
0:09:23 > 0:09:27it would seem that domestication has made dogs less intelligent,
0:09:27 > 0:09:30but Zsofia thinks it's more complex than that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34There is a hypothesis and a theory that wolves would have a better
0:09:34 > 0:09:38physical understanding because wolves still live in the wilderness,
0:09:38 > 0:09:40they have to cope themselves
0:09:40 > 0:09:44with all the environment and find their own food and escape
0:09:44 > 0:09:45from some situations.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49For this they need their independent problem-solving abilities.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52And the dogs live in a lot more artificial world
0:09:52 > 0:09:55and they are protected by humans
0:09:55 > 0:09:58so they don't need this problem-solving ability so much any more.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00So it's just a different type of intelligence?
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Wolves are more intelligent in a physical context but dogs are more
0:10:04 > 0:10:06intelligent with humans and better skilled with humans.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10That is the theory and we need a lot more research to figure out if it's true.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17That makes total sense.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20The kind of intelligence you need to survive in the wild has to be
0:10:20 > 0:10:23different to that required to be an adorable family pet.
0:10:23 > 0:10:24- Or chew slippers.- In a living room.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28That requires quite a lot of intelligence, though.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31- Don't underestimate it.- But it's a different intelligence required to
0:10:31 > 0:10:33hunt down a rabbit or something.
0:10:33 > 0:10:38So, maybe our affinity with dogs can be put down to their intelligence
0:10:38 > 0:10:40being somehow in tune with our own.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42But what does being in tune mean?
0:10:42 > 0:10:46To find out I went to meet Daniel Mills,
0:10:46 > 0:10:49who is Britain's first professor of veterinary behavioural medicine.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52He tried to show me how a dog thinks.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57'In this test, Riley here had to find the food in these two bowls.
0:10:57 > 0:10:58'It was clearly to my right
0:10:58 > 0:11:00'but I was pointing at the other, empty bowl.'
0:11:02 > 0:11:04Riley, look at that.
0:11:04 > 0:11:05That's really interesting because
0:11:05 > 0:11:08you would assume that dog sees the food in the bowl
0:11:08 > 0:11:11but he ignores that for a minute, goes for the one you're pointing to.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14Because it's interesting to you, she thinks it's interesting to her.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16It happened because dogs evolved
0:11:16 > 0:11:19very closely with humans and we co-operate an awful lot
0:11:19 > 0:11:21so it pays a dog to pay attention
0:11:21 > 0:11:23to the sort of things humans pay attention to.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25I'm going to see if we can do that again.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27'Riley wasn't being daft.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30'It actually revealed two things about dog intelligence.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34'For a start, it's impressive that they understand pointing at all.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36'Not many animals can do that.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39'But, more importantly, you just can't measure dog intelligence
0:11:39 > 0:11:40'against a human standard.
0:11:40 > 0:11:46'Whilst blindly following my point looks a bit dopey to us,
0:11:46 > 0:11:48'it makes perfect sense to a dog.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51'All this makes testing dog intelligence very tricky.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54'But, with Daniel's help, we're going to do just that
0:11:54 > 0:11:56in our very own dog Mastermind.
0:11:56 > 0:11:57MASTERMIND THEME MUSIC
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Obviously if you're going to test animals, you need animals to test.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Over here we have three contenders.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09We have Qannick and Hannah,
0:12:09 > 0:12:10Skye and Sue
0:12:10 > 0:12:14and over there it's Sid and Roland. And here are their back stories.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16We were looking for a little dog
0:12:16 > 0:12:18and he was the only dog available.
0:12:18 > 0:12:19150 quid, he was.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23Little did I know he'd turn out as he has.
0:12:23 > 0:12:27Although he was born in the country, he is a London dog,
0:12:27 > 0:12:29as I call him.
0:12:29 > 0:12:33One of his clever things is his grasp of fundamental geometry,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36where he knows where a ball will bounce against a wall
0:12:36 > 0:12:38and the angle that it's likely to come at.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41He is very, very smart.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49This is my Samoyed, he's called Qannick.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53He learns tricks really quickly.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57I think there's a really good bond there between us.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Qannick really enjoys going on the bike.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02Whenever we put his little harness on or get the bikes out,
0:13:02 > 0:13:06he does the typical Samoyed bark to tell us he wants to go.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10I think Qannick is a lot smarter than other dogs.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13I've worked with other dogs before are they not quite
0:13:13 > 0:13:15as intelligent as my Qannick is.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17It was love at first sight.
0:13:17 > 0:13:19I think it was reciprocated.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25From watching Ronaldo, she picked up all the skills that she now has.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30'Ronaldo did a particular goal which was quite phenomenal
0:13:30 > 0:13:33'and Skye recreated it in the park the next day.'
0:13:33 > 0:13:35Good girl. Can you cross?
0:13:35 > 0:13:37'A lot of people saw it and came over and said,
0:13:37 > 0:13:39'"Did you see that dog?"'
0:13:41 > 0:13:42I think she'd probably be
0:13:42 > 0:13:45at Oxbridge if there was an Oxbridge for dogs.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53The concept of numbers is something us humans can grasp.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57But Daniel has devised a test to see if our contenders can tell
0:13:57 > 0:14:00the difference between numbers of rubber ducks.
0:14:02 > 0:14:03What we're going to try and do is train your dogs in what's
0:14:03 > 0:14:05known as a quantity discrimination task.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08So, are our dogs clever enough to do this?
0:14:08 > 0:14:11Before the tests they all need a little bit of training.
0:14:11 > 0:14:12Quite a challenging task,
0:14:12 > 0:14:15but with a bit of luck we should find a real star,
0:14:15 > 0:14:16and we'll see how they go.
0:14:16 > 0:14:20Indeed. Give me that back. How confident are you feeling right now?
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- We're unconfident.- Unconfident? - Both of us, yes.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28- This is a sort of false modesty, I can sense it.- No, no. It's just...
0:14:28 > 0:14:32They're smart dogs. OK, well, good luck, let's get going, yeah.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36Qannick was up first. Yeah, he's not quite grasped it yet.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Her owner, Hannah, uses click training, giving Qannick
0:14:39 > 0:14:42an immediate signal every time she does something right.
0:14:44 > 0:14:45Good boy!
0:14:47 > 0:14:48The aim was to get the dogs
0:14:48 > 0:14:52to always choose a duck on its own in preference to ducks in groups.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54If you keep his attention on you, while I just set things up.
0:14:54 > 0:15:00Might not sound of that hard, but to a dog, a duck is a duck.
0:15:00 > 0:15:02And what we can do is actually
0:15:02 > 0:15:05give him that feedback as he's making the decision.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09To tell the difference between one duck and five ducks is tough,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12and telling one from two should be even harder.
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- Interesting, let's see how quickly gets it.- Good boy.- Good boy.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21But it wasn't long before Qannick was completely ignoring
0:15:21 > 0:15:23a group of five every time.
0:15:25 > 0:15:27And Sky was quite quick to pick it up, too.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32But Jack Russell Sid wasn't convinced by any of it.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36Luckily Roland was happy to show him the way.
0:15:40 > 0:15:44Lots of people assume a dog's intelligence depends on its breed,
0:15:44 > 0:15:49and that Border collies are one of the cleverest, but every individual dog is different,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53and their upbringing can actually be more important than their breed.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Things were going pretty well by lunchtime, but then...
0:15:58 > 0:16:03- Hello, Daniel what's going on?- We've got a little bit of a problem here.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- Sky.- We've got an injured soldier.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08So, what happened to Sky since we last saw her, eh?
0:16:08 > 0:16:10Unfortunately, I think what happened,
0:16:10 > 0:16:12is that in one of the breaks she's gone out,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16she was playing with a football, and she's gone and twisted her knee.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18- Yeah.- Now, she really needs to have rest,
0:16:18 > 0:16:21so I don't think it's fair on her to, sort of,
0:16:21 > 0:16:23put her through any more.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27With Sky gone, we needed a new contestant
0:16:27 > 0:16:31to make up the numbers, this was my chance to muscle in.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33So, with the help of Daniel, I've found myself a dog.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37His name is Lud, and I'm actually quite curious to find out
0:16:37 > 0:16:41how much of an impact my not having a relationship with this dog will have.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45- What do you reckon?- It's difficult to know, he's a good working dog,
0:16:45 > 0:16:47he's used to working with one person, so it could be an issue.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49I think, perhaps the issue is going be
0:16:49 > 0:16:52we've probably only got about 20 minutes to do this!
0:16:52 > 0:16:54With that, Lud and I got to work.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Find out how we got on later in the show.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02DOGS BARKING
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Next up, how clever is your dog?
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Well, here's a simple test you can do at home.
0:17:08 > 0:17:10Take three cups,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14and make sure they all smell of your dog's favourite treat.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16Place a treat under one of the cups,
0:17:16 > 0:17:18and see if your dog can find it straight away.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Oh, she got it wrong.
0:17:23 > 0:17:25If they can, then repeat the test,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28but this time it move the cup with the treat.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Now, most dogs won't understand that the treat has moved,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34but if your dog can, it's a very smart animal.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36In our test, only one dog succeeded.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42It's pretty clear, some dogs are smarter than others,
0:17:42 > 0:17:44but I wanted to know how clever they could get.
0:17:44 > 0:17:48Is there any evidence of a higher intelligence?
0:17:48 > 0:17:50Well, the classic test of really high-level intelligence
0:17:50 > 0:17:52is to look at self recognition.
0:17:52 > 0:17:54You have to know that you are yourself,
0:17:54 > 0:17:56before you can know that someone else is something else.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00Right. There's a standard way to test this sort of intelligence.
0:18:00 > 0:18:03When trained to put its nose onto a blue spot, can a dog tell
0:18:03 > 0:18:08that a spot is on its own chest when it sees it in the mirror?
0:18:08 > 0:18:12So far, no dog has ever passed this test
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Riley is intelligent. She's great to work with, she's a problem solver,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18but she has no sense of self,
0:18:18 > 0:18:21and we'd love to know if there's a dog out there that does,
0:18:21 > 0:18:23because at the moment, there is no evidence that they do.
0:18:23 > 0:18:25This is where you could really help out.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28If you go onto the website there are details of how to perform
0:18:28 > 0:18:32these tests on your dog, and if it turned out
0:18:32 > 0:18:36that any of your dogs had a sense of self, it would be groundbreaking,
0:18:36 > 0:18:40- and I'm sure you two would love to hear about it.- Absolutely.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Now, dogs aren't the only pets with hidden talents.
0:18:44 > 0:18:46In this week's brainteaser,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Dr Yan will be testing the wits of the humble goldfish.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Goldfish are notoriously dim-witted, three second memories, and all that.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57But I'm hoping that my new friend, Gilbert here,
0:18:57 > 0:19:01will have what it takes to prove all that wrong.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03So, I'm going to try teaching him some tricks,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05ones that any dog would be proud of.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08How do you think he'll stack up against our prize-winning pooches.
0:19:08 > 0:19:11As ever the solution is at /bang.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17And while you're there check out details of our live roadshows.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19The next one of those is in Poole, Dorset.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22You can also get yourself one of these posters,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25it features many of the things from this series.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28You can get your free copy by ringing:
0:19:31 > 0:19:34Or by following the links from /bang to the Open University.
0:19:34 > 0:19:38Right, after all of our hard training, it was a bit tough, wasn't it, lads?
0:19:38 > 0:19:41It's time to find out how we all got on in the test.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45MASTERMIND MUSIC PLAYS
0:19:47 > 0:19:51The challenge for our dogs is to distinguish
0:19:51 > 0:19:53one duck from several ducks, starting with 10.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56But with each attempt we'll reduce the group size,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00making it harder for the dogs to tell the difference.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02With two minutes on the clock,
0:20:02 > 0:20:06how hard can we make it before they fail to tell one from more than one?
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Right, can we have our first contenders? Your names, please?
0:20:10 > 0:20:14My name's Roland Muldoon, and this is my dog, Sid Russell.
0:20:16 > 0:20:17Come on, Sid.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Sid has to choose which side to go all by himself.
0:20:21 > 0:20:26Rowland can encourage him, but only by pointing forwards,
0:20:26 > 0:20:29and a screen clearly separates left from right in the dog's view.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36OK, you've got two minutes on dog numeracy, starting now.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41Brilliant. That's really impressive.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45He made a beeline towards a single duck. That's very impressive.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Yeah, wonderful. Yeah.
0:20:48 > 0:20:49Sorted.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53So now it's one and eight, and obviously as the big number
0:20:53 > 0:20:56gets smaller and smaller, the discrimination between the two
0:20:56 > 0:20:58amounts gets more difficult for the dog.
0:20:58 > 0:20:59Come on, Sid, come on.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03But he's working against the clock, so he's using up time.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Not rushing to make a decision.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13Looking good, well done, Sid.
0:21:14 > 0:21:16This guy is doing his own thing, and when he's like,
0:21:16 > 0:21:19"OK, I'll get it," he goes straight for the single duck.
0:21:19 > 0:21:26- He makes the right choice again, first time.- Not the four, Sid.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29- That's it.- Good boy, good boy.
0:21:29 > 0:21:31Go on, get the duck.
0:21:33 > 0:21:35And now, for the hardest test.
0:21:37 > 0:21:39Oh, time is up,
0:21:39 > 0:21:44but Sid did successfully manage to tell one duck from four.
0:21:45 > 0:21:47Good boy. Good boy.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51Right, our second contender, your names, please?
0:21:51 > 0:21:55I'm Liz, and this is Lud, he's a six-year-old lab,
0:21:55 > 0:21:57and he absolutely adores ducks.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Right, you've got two minutes
0:21:58 > 0:22:02on telling the difference between a single duck and several ducks.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Come on, Lud. Come on, come on.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10- With me taking the test, Dallas is joining Daniel to look on. - By a man with a camera.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12I do that thing where I rush up to it and start licking the lens.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14We've got an unknown quantity here.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19He's a working gun dog, he's very smart, don't know about the trainer.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- Get it, Lud.- Great, look at this. Straight in. That's what we want.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26- Come on, come on.- She's very competitive, I think, Liz.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Believe me, she's competitive.
0:22:32 > 0:22:36Good boy. Good boy. Oh, I'm so impressed with you.
0:22:36 > 0:22:39He's doing it in seconds, he has been trained a lot,
0:22:39 > 0:22:42since a young age, so, he's got a mind...
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Very formally trained, in a way that Sid wasn't.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Good boy. I'm so proud of you.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55And now for four ducks to one.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58Get it, Lud, get it. Get it, Lud.
0:22:59 > 0:23:02- And he's gone off stop - Instead of working with me,
0:23:02 > 0:23:05he's now made friends with our director. Brilliant.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09Our time was up, but Lud managed to tell one duck from a group of six.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12- Have a cuddle instead. - I was rooting for you.
0:23:12 > 0:23:13I secretly wanted Lud to win.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16- He was doing well at the beginning, wasn't he?- The underdog.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20He did really well. That first one, he was down there like an arrow.
0:23:20 > 0:23:23But we just trained him so quickly, and you were just so tired.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28Look at him, he's just so tired. We'll just cuddle instead.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34Right, our third and final contender. Your names, please.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38I'm Hannah, and this is my four-year-old Samoyed, Qannick.
0:23:38 > 0:23:44OK you have got two minutes on counting ducks.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Starting now.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- Get it, get it, get it. Go, go, go. - Looks promising. Here we go.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58- Good boy, there we go. - Well done, Qannick.
0:23:58 > 0:23:59A result, first time.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Go get the duck. Get it, get it, get it, get it.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05- Get it, get it, get it, get it. - He's gone to the right side again.
0:24:05 > 0:24:09- I always knew it was a clever dog. - Get it, get it, get it, get it.
0:24:09 > 0:24:14- Good boy.- Textbook stuff from Qannick, but then...
0:24:14 > 0:24:16He slipped this time, he's gone to the four.
0:24:16 > 0:24:18He's picked one of the ones out of the four.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21Has he got time to make up for that mistake.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24He's got another go, this time he's gone,
0:24:24 > 0:24:27- and he's got it right this time. - OK.- Good boy. Well done.
0:24:27 > 0:24:32- Who is a good lad?- Now we're going for the two versus one.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34This has got to be the toughest one.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38If he gets this right then he's into another very different setup.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Get it, get it, get it, get it.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46- Yeah. Well done!- And Qannick's still got time on the clock.
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Enough to attempt a bonus round that's an even more difficult test.
0:24:52 > 0:24:55We want to rule out the chance
0:24:55 > 0:24:59that he's just learnt to go for the familiar yellow duck each time.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01If he's really understood the challenge
0:25:01 > 0:25:03he'll know to go for a single duck,
0:25:03 > 0:25:06even if it's a completely different colour.
0:25:06 > 0:25:09What he's going to have to try and distinguish now is
0:25:09 > 0:25:11one small red duck versus five of the familiar ducks.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13Ooh, that's pushing him.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Yeah, if he's just going for yellow ducks,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18he's going to fall on this one,
0:25:18 > 0:25:22but, you know, sometimes he might use the concept of quantity,
0:25:22 > 0:25:25he might use another rule, so, I'll go for what's new.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Red duck, that's amazing!
0:25:32 > 0:25:34I am really impressed.
0:25:34 > 0:25:37I thought that was going to be the test to throw him,
0:25:37 > 0:25:39because it wasn't just the size, but also the colour.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45So, dogs make us well, they relieve stress,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and are superbly adapted to live by our side,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51and they even have a grasp of quantity.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55That's really impressive. That dog gets it.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58He made one mistake in the whole round, that's really impressive.
0:25:58 > 0:26:00That's a smart dog.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05Good boy.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08DOGS BARK
0:26:10 > 0:26:14The winner, Hannah and Qannick. Congratulations.
0:26:14 > 0:26:19And the grand prize of our respect and good wishes is yours.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22So, thank you very much for taking part, and well done, Qannick.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25That's all we've got time for in this programme,
0:26:25 > 0:26:27and this whole series of Bang Goes The Theory,
0:26:27 > 0:26:30it's goodbye from all of us, and probably from all the dogs, too.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32Definitely goodbye from all the dogs, and we'll see you next year.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35In the meantime, thanks so much for joining us on all the roadshows.
0:26:35 > 0:26:39- One more in Poole, we'll see you there.- Take care, bye-bye.- Bye.- Bye.
0:26:51 > 0:26:58Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd