"Here, in the village of Brightwell, we're celebrating the astonishing diversity of dogs." "As hunters, herders and guard dogs, we've relied on them for thousands of years and, today, for eight million of us in the UK, they've taken on another, even more important role " "that of man's best friend." "'In tonight's episode, we'll be exploring whether some breeds 'are more in tune with humans than others.'" "Pugs are generally completely bonkers." "'We'll be following a newborn litter, 'to learn how the remarkable bond between our two species begins.'" "Each pup is completely different." "They've all got their own character." "'And we'll discover if our canine companions 'can really read our emotions.'" "We'll be taking the UK's top ten breeds and investigating why they are the most popular pooches." "And what makes a dog desirable in the 21st century?" "Welcome to The Wonder Of Dogs." "With a quarter of households owning one, it's official, we are a nation of dog lovers." "According to The Kennel Club's latest data, these are the top ten breeds." "At number one, we have the Labrador Retriever, followed by the Cocker Spaniel, then the Springer Spaniel." "Next, it's the German Shepherd." "At number five, we have the Pug." "At number six, it's the Golden Retriever, then the Border Terrier, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier," "Cavalier King Charles and, finally, the Miniature Schnauzer." "And we've got representatives of all of these breeds here in the village." "But the question we're really asking is, why are these breeds so popular?" "'To answer that, we've set up a series of experiments 'to examine the bond between humans and their dogs." "'We're going to discover if that special relationship 'changes with different breeds." "'And is there one dog that makes the perfect companion?" "'" "Well, he's very lovable, he's a bit daft." "Do you want to say something to me?" "He comes up for a cuddle every night, which he has done from a puppy." "'First up, an experiment that we hope will show just how unique 'dogs are within the animal kingdom.'" "So let's start with the UK's most popular breed, and it's also the most popular breed here in Brightwell." "It is the Labrador Retriever." "Now, here we have Bess with her owner." " So, she's pretty bright, is Bess?" " Yeah." "Well, we're going to test this because we've got an ingenious little set up here." "We've got two pots, and we've put food underneath both." "I'm just going to check it's still there... yeah." "And what we're going to do is test to see whether Bess can recognise Natalie's gestures - physical gestures, like a point." "'It sounds simple, but what we really want to find out is 'whether Bess can infer meaning from an abstract gesture.'" "Bess." " Get her attention, then point." " Bess." "Straight away." "Well done!" "Believe it or not, researchers have tried this with lots of different species, including chimps, and they can't do it." "No other animal on Earth can outperform a dog when it comes to following human gestures." "'So, Labradors can understand this signal, 'but does this hold true for other breeds?" "'" "Betty." "Betty!" "Very good!" "Look at you!" "'It may not look like much of a challenge, but in 1995, 'this experiment completely changed the way 'the scientific world saw dogs." "'It highlighted a skill they all share, no matter what the breed." "'Their unique ability to interpret human gestures.'" "Well done!" "'But, of course, there's always an exception to the rule.'" "'It seems dogs are uniquely in tune with us, 'but is this ability innate or something they have to learn?" "'To discover how this bond develops, we're going to catch up with." "'Jane Green and her growing litter of Cocker Spaniel puppies." "'They're the second most popular breed, 'and it's not hard to see why.'" "So, they're four weeks old, and they're starting to wean off of Jessie now." "They're such a joy." "I mean, they are a lot of hard work, there's no doubt about that, but they're so loving and they all want cuddles all the time." "And when you come into the room and you speak and they all come running to you, well, there's nothing like it." "'For Jane and her family, attachments are forming fast." "'At this stage in the puppies' development, 'these physical interactions are vital." "'It's during the first 12 weeks of a dog's life 'where they learn that humans are part of their pack.'" "Obviously, the children are overjoyed at having puppies in the house." "They like to play with them." "'It's not just the dog-human bond that's being established." "'Already, individual puppy personalities 'are starting to emerge." "'Jane and her family have been keeping a close eye 'on one puppy in particular.'" "Olly, he's the one that's got white running up his snout and up the centre of his face, which makes him distinctive anyway, because the rest of them are just completely black." "'From week one, little Olly has needed extra care.'" "Olly, erm, was one of the largest pups when he was born, and then he just got smaller as the others have all got bigger." "We've just lately got so attached to this one, we don't want him to go away, because originally two of the boys were meant to be going to Wales!" "I love all of them, and I'm getting really protective about where they're going to be going next." "'Eventually, the family will have to say goodbye 'to most of Jessie's puppies." "'It's a day they're not looking forward to." "'It's easy to see how dogs learn to read humans, 'after so much interaction in their first few months, 'but is it possible they've subconsciously learned 'how to mirror our behaviour?" "'" "'Researcher Ramiro Joly Mascheroni has been investigating the surprising 'science of contagious yawning, 'starting with our top breed" " Labradors.'" "What we are trying to check is whether Milo would yawn when he sees you yawning." "So, if you can do as natural a yawn as possible, as big as you can." "If we are lucky that Milo looks at you when you are doing it, he might catch the yawn too." "Start yawning away." "Yeah, give it some." "That's it." "That was a definite yawn." "So, what made you even consider yawning, you know, at a dog?" "Well, at the time that we set up the study was when we were exploring developmental disorders." "I had my dog sat next to me and I wondered whether my dog would yawn if I yawn in front of her face and she spontaneously yawned, so I suggest to my supervisor to test it across species." "That was the first study where we checked whether an animal would yawn contagiously when observing a human yawning." "Bruce." "That's it, watch me." "Good boy." "You tired as well?" " Did he do it?" " Yeah, he did." "Bruce." "Bruce!" "It wasn't just your dog, then, it was lots of other dogs." "Well, I wondered whether it was my dog that was a clever Labrador, but we tested lots of breeds." "From 29 dogs, 21 dogs yawned contagiously." "That was an absolute clear yawn, yeah." "Why do you think they are yawning?" "What's your reasoning behind this particular behaviour?" "This might mean that dogs have a rudimentary type of empathy system." "If yawning means that we are expressing tiredness and sleepiness and that change between arousal and rest, perhaps the dogs might pick up that signal and think, well, maybe they are thinking, "Well, this is time to go to sleep."" "Something as simple as this behaviour, that we all do and we all seem to catch off each other, here's a great example that dogs are in tune with us yet again." "Danes are very, very susceptible to mood - very susceptible, yeah." "Oh, thanks." "He cheers us up when we're sad." "So we're never lonely, because he's always there." "She definitely can sense if I'm cross or upset." "She gets very worried." "'Many owners claim that their dogs understand them, 'but have dogs now evolved to the point 'where they can interpret human emotion?" "'Dr Jennifer Maher, from Roehampton University, 'has been taking a closer look at the science of empathy." "'She's testing different breeds 'to see how they respond to a stranger in distress.'" "'None of the dogs have met her prior to the experiment 'but their response is instant.'" "'Next in line is the most popular breed in London 'and the eighth most popular in the UK - 'a Staffordshire Bull Terrier called Dotty.'" "It'll be interesting to see whether she cares about you or not." "Yeah, the interesting question is whether or not they will respond to it in any way at all." "'Many people are wary of these dogs.'" "'But, as Dotty is proving, you should never judge a book, 'or a breed, by its cover." "'It's hard not to smile at Dotty's reaction, 'but there is some interesting science behind her behaviour.'" "Tracy, that was amazing." "Well done, Dotty." "Can you explain a little bit about this experiment that you're doing?" "Yes, what we're doing here is trying to show whether or not dogs have a capacity for empathy." "And, presumably, it's important that it's you, somebody that the dog doesn't know, doesn't recognise." "And, in this situation, you'd expect them to go over to Tracy because Dotty would have recognised Tracy as a source of comfort." " Yeah." "The fact that Dotty comes over to me and not to Tracy suggests that she's responding to what's going on with me and she's actually, erm, what we'd consider to be consistent with a comfort-offering behaviour." "Is there a danger though, because, you know, we have the relationship with dogs that we do, that we're anthropomorphising?" "That we're imagining that a dog is empathetic and, actually, it's just curious because you're doing something weird?" "That is something that people often ask about, and so, what we also look at is the tone in which the dog's responding." "Either we saw them laying their head in my lap or licking my face." "Again, a different type of behaviour than what we would expect from curiosity." "'We've seen quite a bit of research come out more recently' about how dogs can be used in terms of a therapy, erm, for individuals who might have depression." "Showing that dogs will respond to our emotions, and can respond in quite a consistent manner, kind of helps move along that research." "Well, it was fascinating." "Thank you very much for joining us today." " And, Tracy, if I ever feel upset, can I borrow Dotty for an hour?" " You certainly can." "Thank you." "It's that capacity to share common emotions that is perhaps the reason why dogs are such loyal human companions." "But, if they can feel empathy, could they feel other things like sadness, for example?" "Well, Ruth went on the trail of a legendary dog whose loyalty, and maybe even grief, carried on beyond the grave." "'I'm here, in the heart of old Edinburgh, 'to find out the real story 'of one of the city's most beloved inhabitants." "Greyfriars Bobby." "'You may be familiar with this famous Skye Terrier, 'who seems to embody the kind of four-legged loyalty 'that we can expect from our furry friends." "'To get the full story," "I've enlisted the local tour guide Bill Hill.'" " So, this is the famous statue." " Yeah, this is Bobby." "It's fairly unusual for a person to have a statue put up in their honour, let alone a dog, so who on earth was Bobby?" "Bobby was a little Skye Terrier." "Part of Edinburgh folklore." "He lived with his master, John Gray, a policeman, and they lived very close to here in The Cowgate." "They were well-known, kenspeckle characters, as we say in Scotland, around this part of town." "Bobby was particularly loved by the children." "But let me take you there and tell you the rest of the story." "Yeah, as you can see, Auld Jock died, succumbed to tuberculosis - a great killer in those days." "And he was buried here and Bobby, at the funeral, simply refused to leave the graveside." "And he stayed behind every night for 14 years, guarding the grave, waiting for his master to return." "Every time he was chased away, he would come back again." "When he was taken in out of the cold at nights, he would howl to get back to the graveside again." "He was captured by the soldiers of the garrison to be a mascot and he escaped down the Castle Rock and got back to the graveside again." "When they brought in the dog licensing, he might have been poisoned as a stray dog, but the Provost of the town, William Chambers, gave Bobby his collar and his bowl and I've got the collar and bowl here." "He made him a Freeman of the City of Edinburgh." "Nowhere but in Edinburgh would a dog be made a Freeman of the City." "He was given the collar and bowl and I'll just let you get the collar and bowl here." "You're going to have to wear the white gloves to handle it though." "Oh, my goodness!" "I don't think I've ever put white museum gloves on to hold a dog's bowl before." " All right." " You've never held Bobby's bowl before, that's the thing." " It's quite an ordinary little bowl, isn't it?" " A little plain bowl, yeah." "Oh, but it's got engraving." ""Greyfriars Bobby's dinner dish."" "And on the collar here, you've got the inscription, "Greyfriars Bobby." ""From the Lord Provost."" " Oh, my goodness." " "1887."" " Licensed." " Yeah." "It's one of the classic stories of Edinburgh, a city that is full of stories." "'But, recently, there's been some controversy over just how unique." "'Edinburgh's most faithful friend actually was." "'I've come to meet a man who claims to know the truth behind Greyfriars Bobby." "'Professor Jan Bondeson believes Bobby was not one, 'but two different dogs.'" "Jan, I understand that you think that Greyfriars Bobby's story is a bit of a hoax." "Well, Bobby definitely existed." "There is Bobby the First, who was a Terrier mongrel, who had a bit of a deformity to the face - one side of the face was wider than the other one." "Then, there is Greyfriars Bobby the Second, who looks like a present-day Skye Terrier." "And his facial configuration is completely different." "Yes, you can see, this is really quite a handsome dog." " Yes, and his..." " Not quite the same at all." "Why would you replace one dog with another?" "Having a cemetery dog at Greyfriars became very profitable." "So it's reasonable that after Bobby the First had died, they actually decided to replace Bobby with another dog, since Trail also earned considerable amounts of money from having Bobby as their mascot." "The interesting thing, really, is that there were Greyfriars Bobbys all over Europe at the time." "All the great cemeteries in Paris had cemetery dogs that were presumed to be mourning their dead masters." "There were three Greyfriars Bobbys in London, there was one in Liverpool, there was one in Newcastle." "So Bobby wasn't alone." "Interesting that people really want to believe the story." "And the reason he is today remembered but all the other cemetery dogs forgotten is, of course, his monument." "That kept the story alive." "Whether it's one Bobby or two, we do love to embroider our stories about dogs, don't we?" "I think it's because we want to know that they love us back as much as we love them." "And I think you do, don't you, mm?" "Well, he's my dog and I just love him to bits." "And he's always there." "He's my companion." "How can you be sad when you've got someone like Betts to keep you company and look after?" "She is a great... she's a little heaven-sent fur baby as far as I'm concerned." "'There's no doubt we form strong emotional attachments with our dogs, 'but is there any real evidence that this relationship works both ways?" "'At the Family Dog Project, in Budapest," "'Dr Adam Miklosi and his team are examining the human-dog bond 'from the dog's point of view.'" "The experiment what we are running is basically about dog attachment." "How to find out what is the relationship between the dog and the owner." "'To understand how this relationship has evolved over thousands of years," "'Adam's turned to the dog's ancient ancestor - the wolf." "'This experiment is known as the Strange Situation Test." "'First, our owner must try to engage our tame wolf in play.'" "He is using different toys to entice the animal, but it doesn't seem to be very successful." "So, wolves actually like to play, but not so much with their owners." "'Next, a stranger enters the room.'" "The stranger, again, is instructed to interact with the wolf." "However, we saw very little interest from the part of the wolf." "'Now the wolf is left alone.'" "So, in this episode, the really important moment is when the owner comes in and what we can observe is that the wolf is not interested at all in the owner." "'Next, it's the turn of a Border Collie cross." "'The first clear difference is how easily the dog engages in play." "'When the owner is in the room, 'the dog will also happily interact with a stranger." "'But once the owner leaves, 'it's a very different story.'" "So what we see from the point when the owner leaves is that the dog is not interested any more in playing or interacting with the stranger." "What he wants is only to be reunited with the owner again." "This experiment shows very clearly that dogs form a very strong attachment bond with their owner, which is comparable with what you might see between a mother and a child." "And dogs are really built for that sort of relationship." "'It's no coincidence we share this close relationship with dogs." "'For centuries, humans have been selecting breeds 'that are capable of such strong ties." "'But is there another side to this seemingly symbiotic relationship?" "'Have dogs learnt how to take advantage of their close bond 'with humans?" "'In this test, a French Bulldog has a very simple choice to make." "'Which human should he beg from?" "'After considering his options, 'he wisely chooses the person whose eyes he can see.'" "Having this sort of eye contact, that is important for the dog." "'Adam believes dogs may have evolved to pay particular attention 'to human faces.'" "Taken as a whole, dogs are really on the top of animals who are able to read human behaviour." "'This French Bulldog certainly knows how to work a room." "'But, how do other breeds fare?" "'" "'Back in Brightwell, with the help of Dr Rachel Casey, 'we're putting our village dogs to the test.'" "OK, what we're doing with this test is just seeing how she looks at your face for instructions and then may change her behaviour if your face changes." "So, what I'm going to do is put a little treat that she likes down on this plate." "What I'd like you to do is ask her to leave it, and then when I say 'now', what I'd like you to do is close your eyes and relax your face." "If you've got your finger out, then put your finger down." "We want to see if she changes what she does when you change your instructions." " 'First, our dogs are told not to take the treat.'" " Leave it." "Look at me, Betty." "No, stay." " No." " OK, just relax." "'So far, so good." "All the dogs obey the 'no' command.'" "Jess, leave." "Leave." "Leave it." "DOG BARKS." "Leave it." "'But, as soon as their owners close their eyes... 'all bets are off." "'All of our breeds have taken the bait, 'but Betty, the Pug, was by far 'the quickest off the mark.'" "As soon as Jenny, effectively, took her attention away from Betty," "Betty thought, "Now's my moment."" "Absolutely, and it's quite obvious here, but, actually, dogs are really good at picking up quite subtle things like changes in facial expression." "So, as your face changes with your emotion, your pupils might change, they may become more dilated or more constricted." "Your eyebrows might go up and your voice might change as your emotional state changes." "The dog will learn about that and change their behaviour accordingly." "'We've seen how dogs can take advantage of a situation." "'Our Pug has developed this into an art form." "'It's perhaps not surprising when you delve into their history.'" "The close relationship that many people have with their dogs is arguably what makes them so perfect as companion animals." "But the very idea of breeding a dog purely as a companion is... well, somewhat older than you might think." "The humble Pug, for example, has a history going back 3,500 years, to the Xiang Dynasty, in China, where they were the dogs kept by royalty." "Indeed, only royalty, and those of the very highest status were allowed to keep them." "And these pampered pooches have carried on having this, sort of, royal connection." "Queen Victoria loved her Pugs, she had 36 of them, and the Emperor Napoleon is reputed to have had to share his bed with his wife Josephine's dog, Fortune." "What's interesting about these dogs is that they have no purpose, apart from being a companion." "Looking cute." "Perhaps that's why so very many people treat their animals a bit like humans." "'At the Pug Welfare and Rescue Party, in Surrey, 'it's clear these pampered lap dogs 'have their owners wrapped around their little paws.'" "♪ She's a super freak Super freak" "♪ She's super freaky, yaw" "♪ Everybody sing it... ♪" "I say only a mother would love a face like that, you know." "Thank you for the kisses, there's a good boy." "She's a very odd soul, but that's dog world, isn't it, really?" "'It's no wonder the Pug is ranked fifth in The Kennel Club's top ten.'" "Spoilt rotten." "My mum will get off the sofa so they can have her warm patch and Talulah only drinks Evian." "We are best friends." "She will be the ring bearer and the flower girl at my wedding." "'It seems Pugs have been seducing us for centuries." "'Our canine companions have learned how to tug at our heartstrings." "'Dogs may be able to understand us, 'but how good are we at understanding them?" "'" "Come... come on!" "Aargh." "Come on, come here." "Come on, up you get." "Don't sit on Nutmeg." "That's it." "Is your name Betty?" "Do you want some food?" "Do you want to go home?" "No, she likes it here, see?" "She understands everything I say." "Her ultimate expression of joy is a very, very deep growl." "It's incredibly deep and you think, where did that noise come from?" "'Compared to wolves, dogs possess a much larger repertoire of barks." "'Some experts believe this may be because they've evolved 'to communicate directly with us.'" "An irresistible idea, and one we thought we should put to the test." "So we have six villagers here, three of them are dog owners and three of them are not." "What we're going to do is play them six different barks that communicate these different states, and see if they can pick them up." "So, good luck." "You're going to do this as individuals." "We'll be marking you." "No pressure!" "I'll come back and see how you did." "Good luck." "Aggressive." "I think defensive." "What's that?" "God." " Frustrated?" " Frustrated." " Frustrated." " Final answer?" " Yeah." "Frustrated." "I'm going to have to go for frustrated for that one." "Erm... frustrated?" "So, how was that?" "Hard?" " Very hard." " Very hard?" " Yeah." "Any of you think you might speak fluent dog?" " No, definitely not." " I'm feeling pretty confident." " Are you, Guy?" " As a non dog owner." " Yeah?" "You think you're in tune?" " Yeah." " OK." "This experiment was devised by a Hungarian psychologist called Dr Peter Pongratz, and his theory is that dog owner or not, you could certainly identify three different types of barks - playful, aggressive and lonely." "So how did our villagers do?" "Well, non dog owners, you would have made a Hungarian scientist very miserable indeed." "Sue and Felicity, you scored one each." "Guy, a big fat zero." "Now, to our dog owners." "John, you correctly identified the defensive bark" " and got two out of six." " Oh, my word." "Faye and Felicia, you both got the defensive and the aggressive barks." "And Felicia, five out of six makes you the top scorer..." " Oh, thank God!" " .." "And the village dog whisperer." "Congratulations." "'But, there's another contender 'for the grand title of village dog whisperer." "'A man who's learnt the hard way the difference between bark and bite." "'A man that dogs love to hate." "'Few relationships put the human-dog bond to the test 'in quite the same way as the postman and the pooch.'" "'Simon Evans has been delivering Brightwell's letters 'for the past eight years.'" "We're invading their property and we are seen, sometimes, as the enemy." "What first sets a dog off would actually be the sound of the van." "A lot of dogs recognise the old-style diesel vans that we have." "In terms of going on to people's property, the sound of a gate going, the sound of footsteps on a gravel drive." "And then, obviously, when you get to the letterbox, just putting the letters through the letterbox is going to set the dog off." "♪ Stop, oh, yes Wait a minute, Mr Postman... ♪" "'Whilst some postmen get chased down the drive," "'Simon is surprisingly popular with the dogs of Brightwell." "'His secret?" "Bare-faced bribery." "'Simon never leaves the office without dog biscuits.'" " You are the greedy one." " Yeah, he is, very greedy." "Brightwell's a lovely village." "The majority of people who live in Brightwell are responsible dog owners and, as such," "I've formed a relationship with the animals." "I've got cases where the dogs will see me, they'll be at the gate waiting for me to turn up, and that's quite nice." "Admittedly, it's waiting for a biscuit, it might not actually like me that much, it just wants the biscuit." "But it cheers me up to go and say hello and have a bit of a fuss with the dog every now and again." "I'm very much a dog person, far more than a cat person." "I have issues with cats." "Dogs, I can read dogs quite well." "I know if they're going to be friendly, I can tell if they're going to be aggressive." "Erm, and generally they're easier to read than people, so..." "So, Rachel, what is it with dogs and postmen?" "If you think about it, a postman comes to your door, he puts a letter through and then he disappears off again." "What the dog will do is think, "There's someone at the door."" "They rush to the door and they bark and then the person leaves." "So, from the dog's point of view..." " Job done!" " Exactly." "So, over time, that behaviour becomes more and more reinforced, it becomes stronger and stronger and stronger." "I think if we can pick up those signs early, that's a really good way of putting in remedial action early and preventing it becoming any worse." "'Simon survives his morning round by offering rewards." "'This fail-safe tactic works with every breed.'" "'So far, we've been looking at which dog breeds 'make the best human companions." "'But have we been looking at the wrong end of the lead?" "'Do people unwittingly choose breeds that match their own personalities?" "'Psychologist Dr Lance Workman 'has surveyed a thousand dog owners to find out." "'So, will he be able to match these village dogs with their owners?" "'" "We've got five owners here, five dogs over there." "Shall we start with our owners?" "Would you all like to stand up?" "Thank you very much for joining us." "So, erm, let's take our gentleman at the end." "Erm, tall, broad in stature." " Yes." " Would you expect somebody like him to go for a tall, broad-in-stature sort of dog" " or is it not as simple as that?" " I would suggest something large." " Something robust." " Yeah." " Impulsive people might have a Red Setter." "Can't stop themselves, on the go all the time." "We'll give him that." "OK." "Would you like to go and collect your dog?" "Ah, the Doberman man." " Yeah." "I said he was robust as well." " You did, you did." " This lady here, she's quite slim." " Yes." " I could imagine she'd be quite energetic." " Yeah." "I would think maybe... maybe a Whippet." " Slim, energetic-looking owner..." " Yes." "...might well be matched with a slim, energetic-looking dog." "Oh, absolutely unquestionable." "I've got one!" "Right, shall we leave it there?" "Now, you look quite easy-going." " Have we got a Springer?" " We have got a Springer." "So, that sort of easy-going look about you." "What's she going for?" "Absolutely spot on!" "But the next lady's a bit like that as well." "Erm..." "No, she might be more of a Labrador type." "Quite an outdoor person." "Outdoor lady, would you like to go and collect your dog?" "Aah, wrong way round." "I nearly changed." "And so, shall we reunite this gentleman with his Labrador?" "Thank you all very, very much indeed." "But it is fascinating." "What is it that draws people to certain breeds or to certain looks?" "When you choose a dog, it's rather like choosing a romantic partner." "You want to be with them for life so you've got to get the right sort of dog." "There are things like traits, like extraversion, agreeableness, openness and intelligence." "These sorts of things." "And we found there is a general relationship between breeds and the personality of the owners." "If I personality test them, we might have got a few more right." "There's that sort of thing going on." "Could you commonly say the very technical people, very organised, methodical people, will go for a particular breed?" "Can you, literally, sort of break it down by that?" "It's a broad relationship." "For example, owners of gun dogs tend to be very easy-going." "They tend to be quite outdoorsy and agreeable." "That would be the right sort of dog for them." "Corgi owners, surprisingly, came out as the most extrovert." "So, if you're quite extrovert, a Corgi might fit in with you quite well." "So the Queen might be a massive extrovert, we just haven't seen it." "It doesn't seem to fit in, but I'm sure, given the chance, she would be." " Yeah." "One of the surprise findings was, if you look at owners of toy dogs, they came out as the most open and intelligent." "So this idea that people with toy dogs in their handbag aren't very bright isn't true." "In fact, some of the most intelligent people have owned toy dogs in the past." "You know, Sir Isaac Newton owned a Pomeranian, that's a toy dog, so there you go." "It is a fascinating subject." "Lance, thank you very much indeed." "I'm not going to tell him that I've got two scruffy mongrels." "What does that say about me?" "We even win lookalike competitions." "I make sure I'm wearing all brown so I kind of look even more..." "Make sure his hair's grown a bit and, yeah, we look good together." "If I looked like Betty, I'd be very pleased." "I've got the wrinkles, I'm just waiting for everything else." "The furry top lip!" "Erm, I would say the biggest personality is probably Cookie." "Even though she's, like, still officially a puppy, she's erm... she's very, very sweet-natured, she's very cuddly and very loving." "'We've seen how an owner's personality 'could well affect their choice of dog." "'But what about the dog's temperament?" "'Does each breed have a distinct personality type?" "'Veterinarian Bruce Fogle 'argues we need to be careful to avoid false stereotypes.'" "Most people's perception is that a Staffordshire Bull Terrier is quite an aggressive dog, that a Golden Retriever is a big, soppy friend." "And the perception is wrong." "There's probably no better house dog, family dog, than a Staffordshire Bull Terrier." "They love their people." "Some Staffordshire Bull Terriers end up with bad people and they turn into bad dogs." "So that would be, in that case, that would be nurture," " sort of dictating how that dog behaves." " Exactly." "But there is a difference in the underlying temperament in the breed." " If you're bitten by a Labrador, it bites and releases." " Right." "And, statistically, they bite your arms or your legs." "If you're bitten by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, or any Bull Terrier, they bite and they hold on." "That part is instinct." "And they're more likely to bite around the face and the neck." "So the reputation is because, when they do bite, the damage is worse." "But, I think, the statistics in Britain are that more people get hospital treatment for Labrador bites than they do for Staffordshire Bull Terrier bites." "'Many experts believe a dog's personality 'is more likely to be shaped by its owner than its breed.'" "'So far, we've been looking at differences between breeds.'" "Now, we've got a test to see how much variation there is within a breed." "Has each dog got its own individual personality?" "Well, we're going to test the village Labradors." "Here we have Ted, our first contestant." "He's going to have a big challenge because he's going down what we're going to refer to as Distraction Alley." "There's food, there's toys, there are tennis balls, even a drummer." "Dan." "Can he keep his focus and stay with his owner?" "Right, Sybil, let's see how Ted'll do." "OK, walk on." "Good boy." " Walk on." " What's he...?" "Oh, he's good." "He's certainly interested." "DRUMMING." "That was bombproof - that's very good." "Now, my particular favourite, the wriggling ferrets." "No, very good." "Now, the ultimate challenge will be, whether I can hold on to Ted," "Sybil goes to the other end of Distraction Alley, and now..." "OK, you ready, Sybil?" "Here we go." "Go on, Ted." "Ted!" "Ted!" "Good boy." "Come on." "Good boy!" " Good lad." " He won't resist a ball." " Oh, that's it." "Of all the things." " A ball, yeah." "A ball." "Thank you very, very much." "'Ted went for the ball." "Will the other Labradors do the same thing 'as they face Distraction Alley?" "'Or will they prove they have their own individual personalities?" "'" "Come on, Bruce!" "Bruce!" "Bruce, come here." "Bruce!" "Bruce!" "Yeah, I think we've found what Bruce's motivation is." "He thinks with his stomach." "Come on." "Good girl." " No." " Lola!" "Good girl!" "Come on, Lola!" "Good girl." "Lola!" "Good girl." "Very good." "Not bad." "Not bad, actually." "Ready, Anthony?" "Come on." "Come on, you." "Come on." "Go on." "Yeah, good boy." "He's ready, he's primed." "Dexy, come!" "Dexy, come!" "Dexy, come!" "Yeah!" "Well done, you." "You are a little star." "Now, remember, they're all Labradors." "They're all supposed to be the same, but we saw completely different motivations." "Some went for balls, some went for roast chicken or food," "Dexter just wanted his mum." "And this really goes to show it's all about that individual dog's personality." "'Research has shown that the first three months of a dog's life 'are critical in shaping its character." "'At ten weeks, the personalities of our Cocker Spaniel puppies 'are still very much developing.'" "Each pup is completely different." "They've all got their own character." "Olly's a bit of an adventurer." "He likes to be out there and he's desperate to escape." "He's been through the fence into next door's garden a few times." "And every time we open the front door, he's the first to tumble out." "He's really friendly." "He does stupid things like..." "He tried to jump over high bushes, he'll try to run through fences or glass doors." "He's a really funny character." "Georgie is just like her mum and loves to dig in the garden." "She's dug quite a big hole at the moment." "The girls keep saying she's making a cave, but we shall see." "I definitely think they can understand more now because they'll hear my mum getting their dinner ready and they'll hear all the tins cluttering and everything." "When we went into this whole breeding escapade, the idea was that we wanted to keep one of Jessie's puppies, and preferably a girl, so that we'd just have a miniature Jessie, which, thankfully, we have." "'But there's one puppy that's won over the entire family.'" "We didn't bank on Olly being so cute and so lovely, and needing so much of our love and attention that, yeah, we've ended up keeping Olly." "I'm just over the moon that he's staying because he's a lovely puppy and if he went, I'd be so heartbroken." "To have Georgie and Olly out of it and to know that I've brought happiness to the people that the other pups are going to," "I want to do it again now." "I can't wait." "Dogs do seem to have this amazing ability to make us feel better." "We've got this little experiment set up here with Dr Daniel Frings, from London South Bank University." "So, Daniel, what have you been asking your participants to do?" "We've been getting our participants to do a mathematics test." "We get them to take a four-digit number, so 1,752, and take three away from it, out loud, over and over again." "That sounds really easy but, if you actually try it, it's quite a stressful task." "And how have you been measuring that stress?" "We've been measuring diastolic and systolic blood pressure, which is the lowest and the highest rate of blood pressure you get over the course of a heartbeat." "I'll be looking to see, relative to a baseline measure, whether or not it goes up or down when people are doing the test." "And, in particular, seeing if having their pet dog with them makes it better - less stressful." "'Scientists have shown that stroking a dog for just 20 minutes 'can significantly lower our blood pressure and stress levels.'" "1,739...1,736..." "'One of our strongest responses came from Josephine 'and her Springer Spaniel, Poppy." "'Springers come third in our top ten most popular breeds, 'and seeing this relationship with Poppy here, you can understand why.'" "So, you're one of these people that seems to have found this easier just having Poppy around." "Does that fit with your relationship with Poppy at home as well?" "Yes." "It is very much a companionship, yes." "What does she actually bring to the relationship?" "How does she help you deal with stress?" "Erm, she's non-judgemental and she relaxes me, I suppose." "The theory is that it's a sense of social support." "A lot of research has shown that having a pet around can help you deal with stressful situations." "Some of it has shown that that level of support can be better than the support you get from, maybe, a close friend or, in some cases, even a spouse." "'But the benefits of owning a dog go even further than this.'" "We do know that, if you own a dog, you're less likely to have a heart attack." "And even if you do have one, you're three to four times more likely to survive it." "Even just staring into your dog's eyes will increase the mothering hormone, oxytocin, that mothers secrete to bond with their newborn babies." "And this is absolutely startling, it's a two-way street." "When we measure the same hormone, oxytocin, in dogs, when we interact with them, it rises." "This is a mutually beneficial relationship." "'Putting those remarkable benefits to good use is Nala, 'our village Spaniel, and her owner, Karen Matthews." "'Nala is a member of Pets As Therapy." "'She's one of thousands of dogs in the UK 'who does her bit for the community." "'Today, Nala is on one of her regular visits to a retirement home.'" "As you walk in, you can see people's faces light up and, you know, they say, "Ah, there's Nala."" "It's not every dog that would take to this job, but she's an absolute natural, isn't she?" "She just gives you that big, big, soppy look and we know that when people go into residential care, if they can't bring their pet with them, they don't live as long." "I think that's because that relationship they had with their pet is so very important." "Well, just a little bit..." "a little bit in the heart." " Did you have dogs at home?" " West Highland Terrier." " West Highland Terrier?" " West Highland Terrible!" "Oh, dear." "Right." "If you go out for a day and you come home, they're so pleased to see you." "They are!" "'So far, we've been looking at why certain breeds are so popular." "'But there's a dog in Brightwell that we all know and love 'that hasn't made The Kennel Club's top ten, 'because, surprisingly, it's not actually a recognised breed." "'Ruth has gone to find out why.'" "The story of one of Britain's most popular dogs begins here, in the town of Swimbridge, in North Devon." "The reverend of this church had a chance encounter with the milkman's dog, named Trump." "And the man?" "Well, he was the parson John Russell, known to his friends as Jack." "Now, Jack Russell was well-liked in this parish, but he was also something of a Victorian celebrity." "His friends included the then Prince and Princess of Wales." "And his reputation as a lover of hunting led him to be called The Sporting Parson." "'I'm here to meet David Netherway, who's investigated the story 'of Jack Russell and the dog that bears his name.'" " What sort of man was Jack Russell?" " He was a real character." "He was a well-loved local man." "Our vicar here in Swimbridge for, erm, 47 years." " He was a passionate huntsman." " And hunting, do you mean fox hunting?" "Indeed, yes." "Fox hunting and stag hunting and otter hunting." "And.." "I see a bit of a link here." "It's hunting with dogs, isn't it?" "Hunting with dogs, yes, and that leads on to Terriers." "How did he actually come to meet the famous dog?" "Well, Jack Russell was educated at Oxford." "Whilst he was at Oxford, he met a milkman who had this Terrier, which was called Trump." "That's Trump there with another Jack Russell Terrier." "And he bred from her." "She was the basis of the bloodline of modern Jack Terriers." " She was." "So what was he looking for?" "It had the right length of legs and it was the right character." "It was wiry and intelligent and lively" " and a temperament which..." " So he's looking about him, looking for temperament as well as physical characteristics" " and trying to produce the modern Jack Russell." " I'm sure." "I think it's about time I met some of these dogs, don't you?" " I do." "♪ Everybody loves my baby" "♪ But my baby don't love nobody But me" "♪ Nobody but me... ♪" "'Here, in Devon, where the breed are still a firm favourite," "'I don't have to go far to find some.'" "Do many people have Jack Russells around here?" " There's a few, isn't there?" " Yes, I think it's the law." "I think you've got to have one." "He's very good with other dogs and children." "But anything small and slightly fluffy or furry or feathery, does tend to kind of get his..." "back up somewhat." "Despite being a really popular dog, the Jack Russell is not a recognised breed." "The real mystery is why the reverend, who was, after all, a founding member of The Kennel Club, never registered his beloved Terrier." "He saw his Terriers in a completely different light." "He likened them to wild flowers." ""True Terriers they were", he wrote," ""But differing from the modern show dog" ""as the eglantine differs from the garden rose."" "That makes you a wild flower, my sweet." "Yeah." "Do you think you're a wild flower, mm?" "'When it comes to the Jack Russell, size and shape don't count for much." "'What makes this dog stand out is it's larger-than-life character." "'Although the Jack Russell was never formally classified as a breed, 'it still remains one of the most popular dogs in Britain today." "'But this beloved mixed breed is not alone.'" "Now, amazingly, 25% of the dogs here in Brightwell are cross breeds." "I had heard that cross breeds tend to be more robust, more healthy, basically utterly delightful dogs." "They are and, actually, you're absolutely right, although these lot are tearing me asunder." " They are... they do..." " Lovely to see a vet in control, always." "They are, definitely, statistically much more likely to be fitter and healthier." "They have a mixture of genes and that's the most important thing." "If we want healthy dogs, we have to keep mixing things up a bit." "And we will end up with some fairly unusual-looking dogs." "In fact, if you leave all dogs to just get on with it, they look like this one here." "They look like Charlie." " He looks exactly like an African street dog, doesn't he?" " He does!" "He's like a dingo, and that's like the fittest, sort of, body size and shape, and he's very proud of that by the sound of things." " He certainly is." " But there's been a real rise in the first-generation crosses." "So, even in this village, we have got..." "what?" "Two Cockapoos," " and seven Labradoodles?" " Yeah, that's right." "And that's echoed throughout the UK." "'Combining the familiar frame of the Labrador 'and the curly coat of the Poodle, 'the cross breed, Labradoodle, 'is rapidly climbing up the popularity charts.'" "Bruce, as a vet, what is it about these dogs that make them so popular?" "Well, it isn't just the Labradoodle." "There's the Cockapoo, the Peekapoo, the Puggle, which is a Pug and Beagle, so there's fashion." "It's very fashionable." "This happens to be a good combination." " Yeah." "But the net result is a dog that looks like Walt Disney designed it." "And that's what we're interested in." "It also happens to have a great personality and that's what we're doing with most breeds today." "We're modifying them from the reason that they were originally built, for their utilitarian work, to become pets." "And that's why a breed like this, which is a cross between an old water dog and a retrieving dog, will still love water - these dogs will be in water if there's any water around." "You'll be able to train them to retrieve, but not as easily as you can with a Labrador, because they've got a bit of the standard Poodle brain, and they go, "Well, why should I do that?"" "So, a dog that would have been kind of top of the pops, if you like, in the 19th and 20th century, would have been popular because it was a good hunting companion" " or, you know, it was a practical, utilitarian animal." " Yes." "The top dog of the 21st century is much more likely to be a handsome, good-looking, affectionate dog." "Something that you're proud to be seen in public with." "♪ Do you love me?" "We set out to uncover what it is that makes dogs so popular." "And the truth is, when it comes to the extraordinary relationship between us and our dogs, no one breed stands head and shoulders above the rest." "You see all these amazing breeds and everybody loves their own." "I think I'm probably sold on these now." "♪ Do you like it like this?" "♪" "I just think they're pretty." "I mean, I love horses and, to me, they're like miniature ponies." "They're my children." "I have got two children of my own, but they're grown up." "♪ Do you love me?" "♪" "Our dogs are in tune with our emotions, they're eager to please and they're scientifically proven to make us healthier and happier." "So, in the end, all that really matters is what your dog means to you." "He is absolutely gorgeous." "He's so loving, friendly and affectionate." "He's just perfect." "And they'll come up to you lovingly, and they'll come really close, and she'll go as if she's going to give you a cuddle, and she'll burp in your face, and you're, like, "Oh, lovely, that's nice."" "Yeah, they're fab." "I'm perfect as far as she's concerned." "She's perfect as far as I'm concerned." "So we make quite a good team." "And I think there is a real strong bond between people that like dogs, undoubtedly." "We've all got something in common - we all love dogs." "Uh, uh, uh, uh, that's enough." "♪ Do you love me?" "♪" "Here, in Brightwell, we've charted the incredible journey from ancient predator to domestic pet." "We've discovered where this amazing diversity of breeds has come from and found out that our histories are inextricably linked." "This truly is the wonder of dogs." "'To discover more about genetics and the changing roles of dogs 'in our every day lives, go to... 'and follow the links to the Open University.'" "Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd"