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BBC 2 Wednesday 9pm The Secret Life of the Dog

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  • 06-01-2010 1:33am
    #1
    Discodog
    Registered Users Posts: 15,876 ✭✭✭✭


    Horizon: The Secret Life of the Dog
    Wednesday 06 January
    9:00pm - 10:00pm
    BBC2

    1/6

    How many times have you heard a besotted dog owner gush, "Oh, he understands every word I say"? And you've thought, "Barking mad." But according to research, domesticated dogs really can tune in to our emotions and communicate with us like no other animal can. A few - such as border collie Betsy - are as intelligent as a two-year-old human, a statement you might not be too impressed by until you discover that Betsy understands more than 300 words and can follow a sophisticated instruction about an abstract concept that some toddlers might struggle to comprehend. Confirmation of the various ways that dogs are wonderful, clever and life-enriching come faster than a greyhound chasing a rabbit. There is, for instance, a hormone released in mothers that helps them bond with their baby. The same hormone is present in dog owners after they've stroked their hound. But two remarkable experiments - one involving the rearing of wolf cubs, the other a 50-year project breeding Siberian silver foxes - reveal that simply cuddling and loving your canine is not enough to domesticate it. It's all in the genes.


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    #2
    toadfly
    Registered Users Posts: 3,412 ✭✭✭toadfly


    Cant wait! :D:D


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    #3
    padi89
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,478 ✭✭✭padi89


    Heads up for this program, looks interesting.


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    #4
    Paul91
    Closed Accounts Posts: 782 ✭✭✭Paul91


    am watching it now - tis very good - Collie in Austria was fantastic - knows 300 words!


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    #5
    andreac
    Registered Users Posts: 8,000 ✭✭✭andreac


    Very interesting programme


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    #6
    star-pants
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,429 ✭✭✭✭star-pants


    Merged as there was a thread in AnimalWelfare already


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    #7
    SarahSassy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,145 ✭✭✭SarahSassy


    It was very good. Martin Clunes is also doing a very good documentary, think its on ITV at lunchtime on Wednesdays. He is tracing the history of the dog and how they got to be domesticated - its all down to the wolf and then dingos... Its very good.


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    #8
    The Paws
    Closed Accounts Posts: 418 ✭✭The Paws


    aww...i missed that! maybe might get repeats?


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    #9
    Paul91
    Closed Accounts Posts: 782 ✭✭✭Paul91


    from what they said seems man choice the least aggressive wolfs to domesticate and this correlated to the most "puppy like" features - did you see the size of the Irish Wolfhound! magnificent


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    #10
    Whispered
    Registered Users Posts: 14,772 ✭✭✭✭Whispered


    I missed it. Can anyone fill me in?


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    #11
    Paul91
    Closed Accounts Posts: 782 ✭✭✭Paul91


    helena.ryan wrote: »
    I missed it. Can anyone fill me in?
    i recorded it on sky plus - if i can work out my dvd recorder i could send you a copy?

    one of the most interesting bits for me is that dogs recognise facial expressions - which makes sense, you ever get mad when pooch digs up your favourite plant and without saying or doing anything your dog curls up into his/hers bed - it's from the look on your face


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    #12
    lightening
    Registered Users Posts: 3,125 ✭✭✭lightening


    Anyone catch this? Looking at studies regarding dogs and our relationship with them. A real in depth look at when and how the two main pack, daylight hunting carnivors got to be in cahoots with each other. They covered a case study where scientists took on puppies and then pure wolf cubs. The end results should put any of the usual "where can I get a wolf? They look so cool and the chicks will dig it". So hopefully it will be on youtube.


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    #13
    Whispered
    Registered Users Posts: 14,772 ✭✭✭✭Whispered


    Paul91 wrote: »
    i recorded it on sky plus - if i can work out my dvd recorder i could send you a copy?
    If you could that would be great. thanks


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    #14
    iguana
    Moderators, Entertainment Moderators Posts: 12,916 Mod ✭✭✭✭iguana


    This show is repeated again tonight on BBC HD and next week very late at night.


    Broadcasts

    1.
    Wed 6 Jan 2010
    21:00
    BBC Two (except Northern Ireland (Analogue), Wales (Analogue))
    2.
    Thu 7 Jan 2010
    23:30
    BBC HD
    3.
    Fri 15 Jan 2010
    02:20
    BBC One


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    #15
    The Paws
    Closed Accounts Posts: 418 ✭✭The Paws


    Thanks for that iguana...I will set my alarm for that....


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    #16
    Discodog
    Registered Users Posts: 15,876 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    Is is available here:

    http://tinyurl.com/y9psbnp


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    #17
    star-pants
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,429 ✭✭✭✭star-pants


    Just watched the first episode as I missed it yesterday.
    Fascinating! and also just proves everything I knew dogs were :P
    But really really interesting to see all the research, even with the wolves and foxes.


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    #18
    joyce2009
    Registered Users Posts: 530 ✭✭✭joyce2009


    Discodog wrote: »
    Is is available here:

    http://tinyurl.com/y9psbnp

    big thank you ..that was great to watch..:)


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    #19
    Discodog
    Registered Users Posts: 15,876 ✭✭✭✭Discodog


    star-pants wrote: »
    Just watched the first episode as I missed it yesterday.
    Fascinating! and also just proves everything I knew dogs were :P
    But really really interesting to see all the research, even with the wolves and foxes.

    As far as I know there is only one episode. I believe that the 1/6 refers to it being the first of a 6 episode run of Horizon.

    There is so much more that they could cover. The discovery that dogs can detect breast cancer in women by smell. Even more amazing are the "Assistant" dogs for the disabled. Emergency workers noted that whenever they were alerted by an assistance dog it was never a false alarm. So they installed a button in some houses that the dog could reach & trained the dogs to push it - this would automatically dial the emergency services.

    The dogs perception of knowing that something wrong was 100% correct & one woman who had collapsed upstairs owed her life to her dog.


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