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Dogs.

They're loyal, fun, loving and brilliant companions.

No wonder they're man's best friend.

Yet they descended from the wildest of predators.

So how did the much-feared wolf become the much-loved dog?

In the heart of our homes.

To find out?

We travel the world to bring you the most remarkable stories and the latest

scientific discoveries that reveal how dogs have become our closest companions.

Unrivaled working partners and trusted family members.

Tonight, the working dog.

The age-old relationship that's made man and dog a formidable team.

Dogs seem to be able to read your mind.

The best colleagues you could ever have.

The latest science revealing how their super senses can help us in our work.

As a blind person, I'm not supposed to be here.

And how the future for working dogs may lie in their emotional intelligence.

I owe my life to a newfound land.

Only now are scientists proving that dogs are more like us than we ever thought

possible.

This is Dogs as you've never seen them before.

Dogs are intelligent, affectionate, enthusiastic and the most diverse species

on the planet.

It's no wonder they've claimed the title as the world's most popular pet.

It seems there's a dog out there for everyone.

But originally, most of these different breeds weren't pets at all.

They started out as working dogs, bred by us to carry out a specific job.

That's where long thin hunters that could chase prey down holes came from.

Or dogs who put their lives on the line as guardians.

And then there's this one.

But as times have changed, traditional roles for working dogs have become harder

to find.

But that doesn't mean that there aren't new ways for them to apply their many

skills.

Sometimes with surprising results.

Take law enforcement.

You can see why traditionally German shepherds always got the job.

They're loud, they're fierce, they're big and size really mattered.

Until now.

Because there's a new recruit.

Meet Midge, the world's first police chihuahua.

It's not the most macho thing to be a police officer with a dog that might look

like she belongs to Paris Hilton.

But you don't have to be the biggest kid on the block to do good things.

It helps that Midge's partner of the last 10 years is the county sheriff,

Dan McClelland.

She's gotten numerous arrests, fines, seizures, lots of vehicle searches,

residential searches.

We go to a school and search school lockers.

She can do in minutes what it might take us hours or days to do.

There's no doubt that big dogs are more intimidating.

But ironically, Midge's greatest strength is her size.

Aided by her nose that is sensitive enough to detect 10 different types of narcotic,

she can squeeze into the tiny corners other dogs just can't reach.

She's not the kind of dog that's going to do crowd control or tracking the bad guy

through hill and dale.

The fact that a dog could go under the car, could maneuver about in the car

easily, can smell and tell you if there's contraband inside the vehicle from outside

or the doors closed and windows up, is a powerful tool for law enforcement.

Midge's unthreatening demeanor is another bonus.

When she makes a find, she stays calm, alerting the sheriff with a knowing stare.

She looks at me directly in the eye and stays and looks at me and her tail wags

and she's all excited.

She knows she did a good job and we're ready to go search again.

A series of high profile busts have earned Midge an honorable place on the team.

But when the sheriff first suggested her for the role, he was nearly laughed out of

town.

I'm sure there were some jokes going around.

Oh no, is the sheriff going to make us all carry little dogs?

Midge was a pioneer.

She has helped to downsize canines nationwide.

I personally do not have a German shepherd for a police dog.

I like to think I have something just as good but in a smaller package.

Dogs like Midge serve as a reminder that every breed has working capabilities.

In fact, many dogs have surprising hidden talents.

Midge's ancestors, for example, are named after the Mexican state

Chihuahua, where they built a reputation for being fiercely loyal to their owners.

So maybe police work is perfect after all.

But what about some of our other favorite breeds?

Today's poodles are known for their fancy hairdos, but they were bred as gun dogs.

And these styles help them float and swim better.

In recent years, Dalmatians made it big in the movies.

But this breed used to run alongside fire engines warning people out of the way.

And the Tibetan Terrier.

Two thousand years ago, they were herding cattle with Buddhist monks.

So whatever breed or crossbreed your dog is, under whatever hairstyle they have,

they're hiding some impressive abilities.

The sheepdog is perhaps the best example of a dog with an innate instinct for a

particular job.

Instincts that we have shaped to work for us.

It's five a.m.

Collie Joey and his owner Anita have a job to do.

Move a flock of a hundred ewes to the top field.

Our way.

Our way.

Our way.

Joey, from quite a young puppy, started to stalk sheep, look at sheep.

He just wanted to round up anything that he could.

Our way, Joe.

Like all dogs, the natural instinct Joey inherited from his wolf ancestors is to

hunt down prey.

Joey, stop there.

But generations of breeding and training have adapted this impulse into a desire to

herd sheep without hurting them.

We just couldn't easily do the work we do without Joey.

He's just naturally working the sheep, trying to bring them back to me.

Joey's instincts keep him working.

And with his unique view of the world, help him predict the movement of the

flock.

Come by.

Come by.

Stop.

Scientists have discovered that dogs have a wider field of vision than humans.

While our eyes give us around 180 degrees, dogs get a full 240.

Long-nosed breeds like Collie's have a special area on the retina that gives them

superb panoramic vision, enabling Joey to detect the slightest movement even at the

edges of the flock.

Like all dogs, Joey's brain processes visual information at least 25% faster

than we do, meaning he sees the world in a kind of slow motion.

So while Anita sees the sheep moving like this, Joey's eyes see the same movement

like this, helping him predict their movements and react quickly, which also

explains why all dogs are so good at catching frisbees.

He does look back at me, but he's mostly looking at the sheep.

And you don't really want the dog looking at you too much, because once they take

the eye off the sheep, the sheep know and they go off on their own little mission.

Collie's visual abilities, coupled with their physical strength, make them

brilliant sheep dogs.

But at the heart of every good working dog is another important trait, an

overwhelming desire to cooperate with and please their owner.

The dog wants to, you know, he wants to please me, and his way of doing that is to

bring the sheep to me.

Very hard work, but they seem to have endless energy.

Joey's desire to please Anita is so strong that he'll override his own instincts to

do what she tells him when needed.

So there is a big trust between the two of you there as well, and you need a dog that

is 100% going to get the job done.

Once they get an idea of what you want them to do, they will just go and do it.

Dogs just, they seem to be able to read your mind half the time, and they never

seem to ever tire of it, and they never give in, and they just keep going,

working for you all day long.

Our way, our way.

A working dog's willingness to cooperate and obey our commands makes us a

formidable team.

To test if you and your dog have that bond as well, here's a simple experiment you

can try at home.

Put down two bowls of food, one full, and one with just a small amount in it.

Your dog's instincts will be telling them to make a beeline for the big bowl as soon

as they get the thumbs up from you.

But instead, instruct them to go for the smaller bowl.

If they do, it's a clear sign your command is more important to them than their

desire for food.

A willingness to follow your lead that forms the basis of every good working dog.

But don't worry if your dog doesn't always do what they're told.

As we'll find out, when you're a dog, it's sometimes impossible not to follow

your nose.

Together, humans and dogs make a great working team.

And key to this success are dogs' super senses.

Most important is the nose that starts working overtime from the minute they're

born.

This Labrador puppy is just three weeks old.

Like all dogs, she was born blind and deaf.

So for now, she's relying on her nose to explore her world.

Dogs have some amazing physical adaptations to help them process smell.

Scientists have recently discovered that dogs' long noses are packed with more than

200 million scent receptor cells.

We only have five million.

And to make sure they can process a steady stream of information, dogs breathe in

through the front but out through flaps on the sides of their nose so as not to

disturb the scent particles arriving from the front.

And they can use each nostril independently to pinpoint whether a smell

is coming from the left or the right.

And that helps their mother to keep an eye on where each of her pups are and helps

them find their way back to her.

And when you have a nose this sensitive, there are all kinds of clever ways it can

be put to work, sometimes with life-changing results.

Meet Holly, a rescue dog who's made it to the grand old age of 13, thanks to her

second chance with her new owner, Amy.

She is my shadow.

She literally is just everywhere I go.

When we go out for walks, I don't have to worry.

She'll always be right by my feet.

She's not just a member of the family.

She is, I feel, a part of me.

I think she's probably a once-in-a-lifetime dog.

As an old lady, Holly is entitled to the quiet life.

But as soon as she realised Amy was living with Type 1 diabetes, she sprang into

action.

I have unfortunately seen the devastating complications that can occur when your

blood sugars aren't controlled.

It is life-threatening, so I've always tried to take care of myself and not let

it get the better of me.

One night, Amy went to bed as normal, and in the early hours she was suddenly

woken by anxious Holly.

She jumped up on my bed and started sort of snuffling, I guess, at my face and sort

of pestering at me.

She wouldn't let up.

And I kind of thought, that's a bit odd.

And then as I was kind of standing there, I thought, I actually don't feel so well.

This is more than just me feeling sleepy.

So I thought, oh, I'd better do a blood test and just see if it's that.

And I was low.

A drop in Amy's blood sugar level is potentially lethal if it goes unnoticed.

She knew that there was something wrong and that she needed to tell me about it.

I would have probably been in hospital the following day if I'd have just slept

through and I didn't have Holly.

Amy needs to be alerted when the chemical make-up of her breath changes,

signalling a drop in blood sugar levels.

And amazingly, Holly has figured that out for herself and taken on the job of

keeping Amy safe.

She can tell before I feel any symptoms whatsoever, which is amazing.

She beats the machines.

I've lost count the amount of times that she's kind of woken me up during the

night.

She's definitely a lifesaver.

Scientists believe dogs' sense of smell could be a million times better than ours.

They can detect illnesses like cancer just from our breath.

And even beat the most sophisticated DNA test in the world by telling one identical

twin from another.

Meet Claire and Laura.

Or is it Laura and Claire?

As identical twins, telling them apart is nearly impossible and even DNA tests can't

be trusted 100% of the time.

But where the world's most sophisticated medical equipment can struggle,

a dog's nose can succeed.

A recent study found that if a dog gets the chance to familiarise itself with one

twin's scent, it can then easily tell which twin is which.

Coco here has only been exposed to Laura's scent, so he should go to her first.

She's the twin on the right.

She could probably even tell these identical twins apart.

That's if she wasn't such a scaredy cat herself.

A dog's sense of smell is so good, it gives them a totally different view of

the world.

Meet Pixel.

She's just a year old and she's on her first camping trip.

While her owner is soaking up the sights and sounds of the woods, she's processing

thousands of exciting new smells.

Take this old fire pit.

Any of us could see that it's recently been used.

But dogs can sniff up to two weeks into the past.

Enough to know what the previous campers had for breakfast.

And where Pixel's owner can just about smell a spoonful of sugar in his tea,

Pixel could detect one spoonful of sugar in two Olympic-sized swimming pools.

It's skills like this that make dogs brilliant at search and rescue operations

around the world.

But dogs' sensory powers don't begin and end at the nose.

Their hearing is in another league too.

They can even hear the ultrasonic high-frequency squeaks emitted by bats.

That's over double the highest frequency sound that we can hear.

And they have superb night vision.

It's five times more sensitive than ours.

Enough to make the light of this passing firefly seem like a powerful torchlight.

It's a feast of nighttime sights and sounds that you or I will never experience

without specialist equipment.

Dogs can even detect ultraviolet light.

And as urine reflects ultraviolet, it looks like Pixel's caught this mouse

with his trousers down.

Imagine being able to experience the world like Pixel can.

A set of senses so powerful that you can hear and smell a rainstorm long before it

hits.

It's this incredible set of super senses that makes dogs such useful working

companions.

Because they can access a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds and smells that we simply

can't.

Despite this window on the world,

you might think that your dog is happy to do nothing at home all day while you go

out to work.

But recently, scientists have discovered that even when left at home, that amazing

nose is being used in a rather extraordinary way.

And now we know the answer to a question that's baffled us for years.

How do dogs seem to know when we're about to come home?

Dogs have a nose clock.

When you go out every morning, the house is full of your scent,

which slowly disperses throughout the day.

By late afternoon, that scent will have dropped to a certain level.

And if you return home at the same time each day, your dog will have learnt that

that specific level of smell means you're about to walk through the door.

And the more regular the hours you keep, the more accurately dogs can predict when

you'll be home.

Which means you're always guaranteed a warm welcome.

Dogs' super senses can be incredibly valuable to us.

Next, we'll explore their extraordinary physical skills, which make them unrivaled

working companions.

We've seen how useful dogs' super senses can be to us.

They've got the eyesight, the hearing, and a sense of smell we can only dream of.

And when you add a set of superior physical abilities, you begin to

appreciate why having a dog on your team is a huge advantage.

For a start, all dogs can swim, and they don't need lessons.

Dogs instinctively start paddling the minute they hit the water.

They have legs that are way more powerful than ours, a long nose like a snorkel to

help them breathe easily, and even a built-in rudder for steering.

And then there's a spin-dry system that puts our towels to shame.

Dogs can generate a g-force twice that of the fastest roller coaster, and shake out

70% of the water in their coat in just four seconds.

But there's only one contender for the world's top swimming dog.

The mighty newfoundland.

Meet mother of four, Toni Curtis.

She owes her life to this extraordinary breed of swimming dog.

If it wasn't for that dog, I don't know if I would be here.

I owe my life to a dog.

Six years ago, Toni took her family on holiday to a beach in North Wales.

I love going to the beach, swimming, paddling, having fun, you know.

You don't think of the beaches in Britain being dangerous.

Toni was caught by a rip current and swept out to sea.

I'd left my mum and my babies on the beach.

I started swimming out and just didn't pay attention to how far I'd gone out and got

into trouble.

I remember looking back at the beach and I could see kids running around,

just like little specks.

Yeah, I thought I was a strong swimmer, obviously not that day.

I was struggling to keep myself afloat, couldn't breathe.

Absolute pure panic.

But suddenly, there was a dog swimming towards her.

A Coast Guard boat carrying a life-saving newfoundland had come to the rescue.

All I remember hearing was, grab the dog, he'll bring you to the boat.

I just saw this thing come towards me, this black and white fluffball.

And I just grabbed it for dear life.

The dog felt strong, calm and very able.

Relief, pure relief for this dog to actually save a life is a truly amazing

thing.

I got in the boat and I just kept saying, thank you, thank you.

Couldn't say it enough, thank you.

Yeah, and I owe my life to a newfoundland.

So what is it that makes the newfoundland such a good swimmer?

It has two layers of fur.

A thick, oily outer layer for water resistance.

And a dense inner layer that helps keep them warm in minus temperatures.

An extra long nose allows them to breathe even in rough conditions.

And they have huge paws that are webbed for added thrust.

Perhaps most surprisingly, researchers have found this talented swimmer has

graduated beyond the doggy paddle.

Newfoundlands appear to use a version of the breaststroke.

Their paws making a down and sideways motion that can generate enough force to

pull 12 people through the water.

Of course, it takes a big dog to drag a human to safety.

But relative to their size, all dogs have extraordinary strength.

If it came to a dog Olympics, everyone would make it to the podium.

The average small dog can jump almost twice its own height.

And have been recorded running at speeds of up to 25 miles an hour.

And scientists have recently discovered that relative to their size, dogs have a

stronger bite than a polar bear.

Little dogs really come into their owner's workers when it comes to dispatching prey

swiftly with just a quick twist of the neck.

That's what earned working terriers the name vermin catchers.

Because not only can they fit down burrows, the smaller the dog, the faster

they can shake their prey.

Physical stamina and strength can be seen at its best when it comes to dogs that

work in one of the most extreme environments on the planet, huskies.

Here in Norway, Crystal Finnaar is preparing her Alaskan Husky sled pulling

team for a remarkable endurance race.

620 miles of unforgiving terrain over five days.

The Alaskan Husky is incredible.

They have big personalities and they are very hardworking and fast.

There is no other animal that can travel the distance that they can at the speed

that they can.

So how can huskies work in an environment that we would struggle to survive in?

Dogs don't have a collarbone connecting their shoulders to their ribs.

This means they can stretch their front legs away from their ribs to create a

longer stride.

Making it easier to run super fast for long periods.

It's really fast when they stretch out.

They can run up to 35 kilometers an hour at a sprint.

Huskies paws have adapted for the freezing temperatures.

With extra fatty tissue for insulation that's flooded by warm blood via a system

of arteries to stop them freezing on the cold surface.

Double layers of fur insulate their bodies with each follicle containing multiple

hairs.

Their dense coats means these dogs can survive at minus 70 degrees Celsius.

They are comfortable sleeping out in the snow.

The best temperature for these guys is 15 below.

That's when you get the most out of them.

But above all else, it's the huskies positive mental attitude that keeps them

going.

Their mindset, their psychology is very, very good.

I have never seen any of them going like, no, I don't feel like going today.

They love to go outside and run.

And for the team to be truly successful, all dogs must act as one.

Complete cooperation is essential.

There is a very strong bond with the team and me.

They have been my colleagues now for 12 years.

The best colleagues you could ever have.

We look each other in the eyes when we are communicating and talking.

It's a real privilege.

It is.

Yeah.

Dogs' extraordinary physical and mental capabilities have resulted in a fantastic

partnership with us.

That's developed over thousands of years.

But it's their ability to understand us on an emotional level that's opening up some

new jobs for working dogs in the future.

We've seen how dogs' physical skills make them impressive workers.

But what sets them apart from all other animals is their ability to empathise or

care for us.

It's the reason we're able to rely on dogs to guide the blind.

And now one man is pushing this unique relationship to extremes.

Hiker Trevor Thomas is a blind man taking on the great American outdoors with only

his four-legged friend by his side, wilderness guide dog Tenille.

Ten years ago is when everything started to happen.

It took a grand total of eight months and a few days from diagnosis to completely

blind.

Everything that you've learned in life, you now have to learn it all over again in

a totally different way.

Against all odds, this intrepid pair have explored thousands of miles of potentially

deadly wilderness, totally unsupported.

Come on.

Let's keep going, baby.

Let's keep going.

Without my dog, Tenille, I can't do what I do.

As a blind person, I'm not supposed to be here.

All told, we're going on 6,000 miles all over the United States and we're always

looking for more.

Trevor has total faith that Tenille understands the limitations of his

blindness to such a degree that she's capable of making decisions for the both

of them.

She's my eyes and she's my ears.

I can feel by the tension of the lead what is going on.

It helps me follow her line.

It's going to give me a primitive idea of what the environment is like.

As long as I follow in her footsteps, she will always keep me on trail.

Tenille understands that it's her job to assess every inch of terrain, blocking

Trevor's path whenever she comes across a potentially dangerous obstacle.

She's actually learned what is consistently problematic for me and what

is something that she doesn't need to worry about any longer.

If it's something like rocks that are going to cause me problems, she will

simply stop, plop her feet up on top of it.

She's started to take different lines up a rock face just because she knows that's

what I prefer.

And Tenille isn't just using her eyes.

She's using all her super senses to keep them both safe.

She will stop dead in her tracks if she hears a rattlesnake or sees one.

As long as I follow in her footsteps, I know deep down that nothing bad is going

to happen to me.

So what convinced Trevor that a blind man could take on this kind of challenge with

only a dog by his side?

Before I went blind, I was an adrenaline junkie.

I had wanted to try something to get some of my old life back.

I finally sat down and said I have to have a guide dog.

Then I got hooked.

It was the only thing I had in my life that was freeing.

It was pushing the barriers of what anyone ever dreamed a blind person could do.

After all the pain, after all the blood, the sweat and the tears to get to the top

of one of these, made it all worth it.

So very, very worth it.

I love this dog with all of my being.

She's my partner.

She's my best friend.

She's given me freedom.

Tenille is showing us that working dogs are extremely versatile.

But just what are the telltale signs of a good service dog?

Scientists have recently discovered that your dog's paw and fur may hold the

answer.

And here's one way to put it to the test.

Fill a dog toy like this with a treat.

And then watch what happens next.

It doesn't matter how dainty the approach.

If they really want that treat, they'll need to hold the toy down with a

paw.

And which one they use most says a lot about them.

It turns out that right pawed dogs are far more likely to become guide dogs.

Next, examine their hair swirls.

Scientists have found that if they go anti-clockwise, they would be twice as

likely to pass the tests.

But even if you're not planning on sending them out to work, these traits indicate a

dog that's calmer and more reliable in tricky situations.

Rude.

Dogs' emotional intelligence and ability to empathize with us is now at the

forefront of canine research.

After all, what other animal can we trust to see for us, to hear for us,

to understand our needs, and to stay by our sides wherever we go?

So as traditional job opportunities for the dog become fewer, could it be the

unique emotional bond that shapes the way we work together in the future?

Here on the beaches of California, there's a new dog on the block who's

making waves.

Ricochet the surf dog, whose love of the ocean has led to her becoming a

therapeutic assistance dog.

Encouraging people with disabilities and special needs to try surfing with her.

Ricochet's owner, Judy Fridono, started training her when she was just a

puppy.

She's just able to connect with kids with special needs on a really deep level.

She bonds with people instantly.

She's able to really heal them.

And I sometimes see a transformation immediately.

Child development experts have discovered that some children with special needs find

it easier to trust animals than humans.

This is West.

He's ten years old and has autism.

Until six years ago, he barely spoke, was afraid of water, and lived entirely in

his own world.

Because he didn't talk, it was really hard to know what he wanted and the things that

he needed.

A lot of tantrums.

That was really difficult for everyone.

Mostly him, I would say, for sure.

But he's gotten a lot better now.

Was it hard when you couldn't talk?

Yeah.

I don't remember it, but...

I really was looking for things for him to get involved with because, you know,

when you have a boy, you think of the typical things, oh, he's going to play

soccer, or maybe he wants to play baseball, and he didn't want to do the

things, and he was really isolating himself.

So I really wanted to get him involved in something.

He definitely was scared of anything that he didn't know.

So the ocean, obviously.

He was not big on water.

Are you excited about today?

Yeah.

What are you most excited about?

I don't know.

Going in the water.

Going in the water?

Yeah.

His surfing sessions with Ricochet seem to have a profound effect on West's

confidence and sense of well-being.

Do you feel safer when she's with you?

Yeah.

Does she know what to do?

Yeah, she knows what to do.

Do you like holding on to her?

Yeah.

It's fun.

She's one of my best friends.

Our family, we're really touched by it.

It's really nice to see West out there being able to just kind of let go.

Just being a kid.

Just having fun.

I mean, honestly, I don't know where he would be at without Ricochet.

Because he wouldn't be getting out a lot and doing those things.

Through that therapy, he's getting better every day.

The way we use our working dogs is changing all the time.

They can outdo us in so many ways, but it's their enthusiasm and willing

cooperation that makes them such great working partners.

Next time, we'll tell the astonishing story of how the predatory wolf evolved

into the lovable dog at the centre of family life.

How dogs became the most diverse species on the planet.

The latest scientific research that proves dogs love us as much as we love them.

And the truth about who's really the boss in your home.

We'll have your ITV news and weather coming up in just a few minutes.

On Thursday night at nine, a new documentary with Trevor McDonald unearthed

the lives of women connected to the mafia.

And if you missed the first two episodes of ITV's vibrant new drama, The Good Karma

Hospital, what are you waiting for?

It's on The Hub now.