Science of Dogs - Region 2 National Geographic DVD

“From super sniffer, to super hunter, to super companion, this in-depth look at man's best friend reveals the amazing ways in which man has ‘designed’ dogs over the past 2,000 years”

The dog is the ultimate human creation. With 400 breeds and counting, the dog is more varied in size and behaviour than any other species on the planet.

Science of Dogs looks at man's manipulation of dogs' appearance, talents and temperament - and the accelerating efforts to create breeds to suit our needs. More than 80 percent of today's breeds did not exist 150 years ago and almost all are the result of eugenics: the selective breeding to create certain traits and features.

Despite the many external variations in dogs, 99.8% of a dog's DNA is identical between all breeds.

Today's dogs are animals we have selectively bred over centuries to suit our needs: for hunting, companionship, protection, and many other possibilities. This type of breeding can be good, but it also has adverse consequences, with one in four dogs affected by some kind of genetic problem or defect.

An example we see is a bull terrier, who, because of a genetic defect, cannot stop chasing its tail. Most dogs do this, but this dog is unable to stop, spinning in circles until it passes out, or throws up.

From desirable traits, like supersensitive hearing and smell ('dogs can smell a million times better than human beings'), to the unintended consequences of genetic diseases, learn how nature and man have partnered to deliberately create new and specialised versions of man's best friend.

The in-depth stories covered on this DVD feature:

• the Dogo Argentino in modern day Texas: both a ruthless boar hunter and an affectionate family pet
• the Russian Sulimov Dog: a unique, new hybrid between a Husky and a Jackal, bred as a bomb-sniffing and airline security dog for Aeroflot Airline
• Missy Sue, a golden Labrador Retriever: see how her owners breed and train this prize-winning dog and its litter of puppies
• a study project in Hungary ('comparative study of canine social cognition at Budapest University') where wolves and dogs are compared and their barks interpreted

Narrated by Rod Houston.
Produced by National Geographic Television (2007).

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