It's A Dog's Life (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Whale Poop Dogs & Sheep Herding Dogs - full transcript
BILL: Hello.
Welcome to It's A Dog's Life.
You already know
that dogs can be our best friends.
But did you know
that some dogs also have jobs?
It's true.
All types of dogs do
all kinds of incredible things
to make our lives better.
There are dogs that rescue people in need,
dogs that use their sense of smell
in amazing ways,
dogs that entertain us,
and believe it or not,
there are even dogs that work with cats.
And who am I?
I'm Disney legend Bill Farmer.
As the voice behind Disney's
Goofy and Pluto,
and dozens of other animated characters,
I'm stepping out from behind
the microphone
to learn about my favorite real-life
characters, dogs.
Come with me as I explore how each dog
learns to develop
its special and unique talents,
and how the magical relationship
between dog and human
makes life better for both.
So join me and our canine pals
on It's A Dog's Life.
(DOG BARKS)
(SHIP HORN BLARING)
BILL: Our first adventure takes us
to San Juan Island
- in Washington's Puget Sound...
- (DOG BARKING)
...to meet a research dog named Eba
and her biologist handler,
Dr. Deborah Giles.
Eba is a member of an elite team of dogs
trained at the University of Washington
to track all kinds of animals,
from wolves, to spotted owls,
to rare orca whales.
- Those whales are Eba's specialty.
- (BARKS)
BILL: And to study them better,
it's Eba's job to search for their poop.
Whale poop.
I have a wonderful job.
It may sound funny,
but when marine biologists get their hands
on what a whale has left behind,
it can tell them all kinds
of important secrets
that can one day save
these endangered whales.
(SHIP HORN BLARING)
Hey, Bill! Wanna go see some whales?
Sounds like a great idea.
And this must be Eba.
Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.
You love kisses. You are a kisser.
Tell me about, uh, Eba.
DR. GILES: We think Eba is about
four-and-a-half or five.
She was found on the streets of Sacramento
by my sister.
One thing led to another
and then I finally met Eba,
and then it was all over.
Oh, yeah. How could you not fall in love
with a face like this?
Yeah.
DR. GILES: Oh my goodness, are you ready?
You wanna go find some poop?
BILL: San Juan Island
is one of the world's best places
to study the rare Southern Resident
killer whales,
who travel in tight-knit groups
known as pods.
But in recent years,
the number of these whales has dropped.
No one knows the whole story,
but pollution and too little food
may play a role.
(WHALES EXHALE)
BILL: So, biologists want to know
everything they can about these whales.
Where they've been,
whether any of them are going to be a mom.
But also, if there are any medical reasons
why so few of these whales
are still around.
Now, when we see a whale,
how does she tell you,
"Yes there is, uh,
some whale poop in the area."
We would orient the boat so that, uh,
if the whales had gone through,
uh, the wind comes across the sample,
picks up that scent,
and brings it to the boat,
and if Eba's on the front of the boat
and she smells that... that sample,
she will orient her body
and keep moving with the wind.
- Like, "Go over there!"
- Yeah.
"Go over there!"
And then ultimately you find...
- We zig and zag...
- You find the sample.
...back and forth following
her body movement on the front of the boat
and she'll bring us
right up alongside the sample.
BILL: That sample can tell scientists
a lot about what's in the whales' tummies,
including any germs or strange chemicals
that might make them sick.
If the whales are getting enough to eat,
they end up pooping out
this amazing thick...
um, patties.
- Uh, we call them pancakes.
- Pancakes. Oh, yum.
Um. Yeah, all of our descriptors
are food related.
(LAUGHS) Well, I'm glad
that I didn't eat pancakes this morning.
Right, well, you'll never think of them
the same.
BILL: But after nearly an hour at sea
and no whales in sight,
it looks as if we're on a wild poop chase!
- Even Eba takes a quick break.
- (EBA SNORES)
BILL: But then we get the call.
MALE VOICE OVER RADIO:
That is fantastic news.
Well, we got a report of a pod of whales,
or maybe more!
We don't know how many whales are there,
but it's about an hour from here
so we're gonna batten down the hatches
and we're gonna go look for whales.
We'll see you in a little while.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
DR. GILES:
Oh, my goodness, are you ready? Ready?
All right.
Ah, good job!
It's anyone's guess when they'll come up.
Oh, no, that was birds. (CHUCKLES)
- You aren't whales!
- DR. GILES: (LAUGHS)
I've gotta get my whale vision on.
- DR. GILES: We're trying to find...
- Oh, there we go!
DR. GILES: Oh, here we go!
BILL: Oh, that's amazing.
(IN ROUGH VOICE)
There be whales out there today.
(IN NORMAL VOICE) Yeah, there's two...
Two of them up there at least, three.
Oh, my gosh, they're huge!
Incredible.
Wow. Beautiful.
(EBA BARKS)
BILL: Twenty-four miles to our east,
we hit the jackpot.
Eba stands watch as we near an entire pod
of the elusive Southern Resident
killer whales,
including a full-grown male
with a dorsal fin
measuring more than six feet tall.
- (BARKS)
- DR. GILES: Hey! No barking at them.
(BILL LAUGHS)
(BARKS)
BILL: We found the whales,
now, it's time for Eba to find the poop.
It will only float for a half hour
before it sinks,
and Eba must distinguish
its distinctive scent
from hundreds of other ocean smells.
No easy task on an ocean filled with fish!
(BARKS)
- (BARKS)
- DR. GILES: She's smelling it.
- Do you see it?
- BILL: Oh, there it is!
- (CLAPS)
- Way to go, Eba.
- MAN: Yay!
- DR. GILES: Woo!
Good job, Eba! Good job!
Ah, you found it!
- Good job!
- BILL: Well done, Eba.
DR. GILES: Yeah!
She's been working hard all day,
and now she got a reward.
For Eba, hours of training have paid off.
And finding the whale poop means
she gets rewarded
with her favorite pull toy.
Meanwhile, Giles now has a perfect sample
to send to her lab in Seattle,
where it will reveal more clues
about the daily lives
of the Southern Resident killer whales.
(WHALE EXHALE)
BILL:
All part of a larger team effort
to help protect
these magnificent sea creatures.
Well, Dr. Giles, I want to thank you
and everybody for inviting us out today.
And I want to thank Eba
for being a very special researcher
with a very special nose.
DR. GILES: Thank you for coming out
and highlighting our project
and getting the plight of the whales
known to more people.
(BARKS)
BILL: Hey everyone,
time for some pet-friendly pointers
told with the help
of a very special friend. (BARKS)
You know, meeting someone
for the first time
can be an amazing experience.
Or sometimes downright awkward.
Well, it's the same for dogs.
So, how can you help to give your dog
the best chance to make a new friend?
For starters, location matters.
- Come on, bud!
- BILL: One idea is to try and have
the dogs meet in a safe public place.
Like a... a park.
- (BARKS)
- BILL: Before introducing the dogs,
keep them apart,
and watch how they react to each other.
Now, hopefully,
you'll see positive signals from both.
Speak in a soothing, happy voice
before taking your dog over to say hi.
Do you want to go meet that dog?
(DOG BARKS)
BILL: A great way to let them
get to know each other is to go on a walk.
- FEMALE VOICE 1: Hey, wanna go for a walk?
- FEMALE VOICE 2: Let's do it.
BILL: On a walk, both dogs
can get used to being together
while doing something they love.
I mean, who doesn't love a nice stroll?
FEMALE VOICE: Yeah.
BILL: Just to be safe,
make sure both dogs are on leashes,
or even harnesses,
so you can separate them
if one of the dogs gets aggressive.
Once they're comfortable,
let the dogs focus on each other.
Don't give them toys or food.
Dogs sometimes fight over toys or food.
Just let them get to know each other
by playing together.
And before you know it,
they'll be good buddies.
(BARKS)
BILL: Our next adventure takes us
to the Central California Coast.
To the town of Camarillo...
where an amazing group of border collies
keeps a 60-acre sheep farm...
on the move.
Today we're at On the Lamb,
a ranch that specializes
in training dogs to herd sheep.
And this is Robin,
who's gonna tell us all about it.
- Hello, Robin. And who's this right here?
- Good morning. This is Zip.
Zip is a five-year old female.
This is a border collie.
Very, very sweet. She loves everybody.
And she's just irreplaceable on this ranch
with the jobs that she can do.
BILL:
Sheep ranching is hard work.
Especially keeping them well-fed.
ROBIN:
Sheep are a grazing breed,
so we don't want to keep them penned up
in small areas.
We wanna take them out
and let them go graze the pasture.
BILL: So with more than 60 hungry sheep
to feed,
it is Zip's job to get them back and forth
to pasture.
So, we can literally be out on this road
in the farm and say,
- "Hey Zip, go take the sheep home."
- Really? Really?
And she will go find them
and she'll bring them in by herself.
BILL: Now, what do the sheep
think about Zip?
Do they get annoyed
that they're being herded,
or do they like being herded?
The whole purpose of using dogs
to move livestock,
is they do it in a calm, gentle manner.
- BILL: So, Zip is a polite dog.
- ROBIN: Zip is a very polite dog.
So, the best way to treat your livestock
is very calm and gentle.
- Please and thank you...
- Absolutely.
- And that does the trick.
- Absolutely.
BILL: In fact, herding dogs like Zip
are so well trained,
they never bark or growl.
Instead...
they use their eyes and speed
to keep the sheep in line.
BILL: Why a border collie?
Is a border collie the best dog for this?
Yes! There's lots of breeds that herd,
but border collies have been specialized
for that distance work.
- BILL: Okay.
- Right? Australian shepherds herd.
Rottweilers herd. Poodles herd.
- Poodles?
- Standard. Standard poodles herd.
- Really?
- They do!
- That's in Beverly Hills, I guess.
- ROBIN: It is.
Oh, my God.
(IN COUNTRY TWANG)
Well, here we are, at the corral!
It's full of sheep
and we're gonna take them sheep
and let ‘em go and do whatever sheep does.
(IN DEEP VOICE) Let's get
all the dogs a-workin', okay?
- ROBIN: Let's go to it.
- BILL: Opening the gate...
Oh, and off goes Zip!
ROBIN: We're gonna take 'em out
and graze them.
So, they have 60 acres
to eat a whole entire salad bar.
- Second course, out in the field.
- Off we go!
BILL: With Zip using her eyes
to steer them,
the sheep are off to the pasture.
Where nearly a mile away,
it's all-you-can-eat.
Well, that was absolutely amazing!
(CHUCKLES) Zip knew exactly what to do.
So, while Zip has the sheep on the move,
time for me to take a few lessons
at sheep herding school.
So, I guess this is the training corral
- is what you'd probably call that, right?
- ROBIN: Correct! Correct.
- BILL: All right.
- This is where we're gonna bring you up.
And we have Rachel in there
with another dog.
- This is who?
- This little dog, she's about 14 months.
A little bit over a year old,
and her name is,
On the Lamb and I Ain't No Snitch.
- On the Lamb and I Ain't No Snitch.
- Yes, it is.
And we have three sheep over here
looking very, kind of anxious.
They know what's happening, I guess.
- ROBIN: They do.
- BILL: Is this like, uh, first grade?
- Is this kind of an A-B-Cs?
- ROBIN: Absolutely.
In order to teach her
how we move the sheep around,
she has to learn how to go to the left
and to the right.
- All right.
- With our commands.
Herding dogs, we use "Come by"
means to go clockwise.
RACHEL: Come by. Come by. Come by.
- ROBIN: That was a "Come by" play.
- BILL: A come by...
We went clockwise, right?
This is "Away to me".
RACHEL: Away. Away.
- Away. Away. Lie down.
- And they know the words?
Uh, yes. You're gonna train them
by imprinting them.
How do we imprint? We repeat,
repeat, repeat that command.
- Okay, my wife uses that on me.
- (CHUCKLES) Yes.
BILL: So, you said, I believe earlier,
that this is a hunting instinct...
- ROBIN: Absolutely.
- BILL: ...that they had modified.
ROBIN: Absolutely. These border collies
are one tenth closer
to a wolf than any other breed.
And we keep that "hunt" in there,
but they're hunting to control them,
- not hunting to eat them.
- Mm-hmm. She looks like she's having fun.
ROBIN: Notice we have no treats
in our hand. Find me another sport
you can do without treats in your hand
for a dog.
- RACHEL: Away, away, away.
- ROBIN: All right? Not an eating treat,
- not a toy treat, nothing.
- The activity is the treat.
Correct. They love this so badly.
They want to do it every day, all day.
So that's probably a long enough session
for her, she's a young dog.
- Rachel's asked her to stop work.
- BILL: She knows.
Now, she's gonna tell her "That'll do".
That means, quit what you're doing
and come with me right now.
So, she's hot,
she's gonna go hop in a tub over there.
- She's gonna have a little bath.
- And she's gonna have a little...
- Little relaxation.
- ROBIN: Little cool jacuzzi, yes.
BILL: This farm is a big place.
So Robin wants to show me
how these border collies
get their commands from a long way away
to do their job.
Now, if the last pen was first grade,
this must be university, right?
Absolutely. So, to work at a distance,
I would have to be yelling, right?
If he was up and I'm down,
I'd have to yell. (YELLS)
- So, I use a whistle for distance.
- BILL: Uh-huh.
So, they're gonna have verbal commands
and whistle commands.
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
- That mean walk forward.
- Put some pressure.
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
- Go clockwise.
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
So, I'm just moving him,
like you would in a video game.
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
BILL: He knows exactly what you want.
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
ROBIN: So, I can put those sheep
anywhere I wanna go with them,
and I don't have to be involved.
I can sit here and have iced tea,
and this dog does all the work for you.
And the whistle is a better thing
'cause it's louder,
- and you don't have to go, "Hey, go left!"
- Right. Right.
Well, you know what?
I happen to have an extra whistle.
- You wanna try this?
- Oh, okay! Yeah!
All right, so it's kind of like
a coke bottle.
- Okay.
- You can place it on your tongue.
- (LAUGHS)
- ROBIN: Oh, no!
BILL:
After a quick wash of the whistle...
ROBIN: All right let's keep working
on that.
- ...it's back to blowing.
- (WHISTLE SPUTTERS)
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
- Ah! That wasn't bad! You got a sound!
- Okay! I got a sound!
- Good job!
- (WHISTLE SPUTTERS)
- (LAUGHS)
All right. You're gonna keep practicing
on that.
- The dogs aren't coming!
- I think the coyotes might come into that.
So, we need to practice with you.
I guess you have, like, students coming in
and graduating all the time?
Oh, absolutely.
I think there's someone over here
we can introduce you to.
- ROBIN: Itty bitty! Yay!
- BILL: Come here!
- Puppy, puppy, puppy! Puppy, puppy! Yes!
- Come here! Oh, my gosh!
- That's it!
- Look at that!
- Hi. Where have you been all day?
- Well, hello It.
She's gonna be the next generation
of champion on here, out of this farm.
And how long until she starts training?
Uh, we're gonna wait
until she's about six months old.
(IMITATES BARKING)
BILL: Learning how to communicate
with these sheep herding dogs is amazing.
But with the sun going down,
time for Zip to get to work
and bring the well-fed herd
back to the corral,
even if they've wandered a long way away.
Well Robin, we've got an empty corral,
no sheep within earshot...
Let's try calling 'em.
Okay. Hey sheep! Come on! Bedtime!
- I don't think it's gonna work.
- I think we'd better send a dog.
- Okay.
- Hey Zip!
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Welcome, guys!
(SHEEP BLEATING)
ROBIN: Now, wasn't that easier
than us going and doing that?
- BILL: That's how it's done!
- We just stood right here!
Incredible!
In less than 20 minutes,
Zip steered all the sheep
back to their pen,
where they'll safely spend the night
snoozing under the watchful eye
of a guard dog named Aspen.
Well Robin,
thanks for inviting us out today,
it was a wonderful day. I appreciate it.
And it was a pleasure meeting you, Zip.
You were a wonderful subject.
What a great day at On the Lamb Ranch.
Where I've learned
how remarkable dogs like Zip
use their eyes and speed
to get a hard job done.
Now, if only I could get that whistle
to work.
- (WHISTLE SPUTTERS)
- (SHEEP BLEATING)
BILL: So far, we've met
some incredible dogs.
Now, it's time for you
to show us your special pets.
GOOFY: Now,
time for Goofy's hometown heroes! A-hyuck!
Hi, I'm Sarah.
I'm a general dentist practicing
in Sunnyvale, California.
And I work with my dog, Chloe.
A lot of kids have dental anxiety.
There's a lot of loud noises
and instruments that might
not be recognizable.
Some dentists use laughing gas
to help reduce anxiety,
others can use medications.
Or you can use an alternative route,
which is having an emotional support dog
in your office.
Chloe is a street dog from Puerto Rico.
She was found living behind a food truck
eating scraps and bugs.
She's a mutt and we don't really know
what kind of dog she is.
She greets every patient in the office.
Okay Chloe, let's go,
your next patient's here!
So, my next patient, Karissa,
has a little bit of dental anxiety,
so, we let Karissa play with Chloe
while we're getting her room ready,
and this way, she's calm and relaxed
before her dental appointment.
- Okay, Karissa, are you ready?
- Yeah.
SARAH: And Chloe loves this room
because there's big windows
where she can see all the squirrels.
Hmm. They look pretty good!
So, she really distracts the patients
and just reduces the anxiety.
KARISSA: Thanks, Chloe!
She is just naturally very calm
and a very happy dog,
and as soon as she comes in the room,
I really feel like she just makes it
a very calm, relaxing environment.
She makes the perfect dental dog.
GOOFY: Gawrsh!
That's one pet to make you smile!
And a real hometown hero!
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Welcome to It's A Dog's Life.
You already know
that dogs can be our best friends.
But did you know
that some dogs also have jobs?
It's true.
All types of dogs do
all kinds of incredible things
to make our lives better.
There are dogs that rescue people in need,
dogs that use their sense of smell
in amazing ways,
dogs that entertain us,
and believe it or not,
there are even dogs that work with cats.
And who am I?
I'm Disney legend Bill Farmer.
As the voice behind Disney's
Goofy and Pluto,
and dozens of other animated characters,
I'm stepping out from behind
the microphone
to learn about my favorite real-life
characters, dogs.
Come with me as I explore how each dog
learns to develop
its special and unique talents,
and how the magical relationship
between dog and human
makes life better for both.
So join me and our canine pals
on It's A Dog's Life.
(DOG BARKS)
(SHIP HORN BLARING)
BILL: Our first adventure takes us
to San Juan Island
- in Washington's Puget Sound...
- (DOG BARKING)
...to meet a research dog named Eba
and her biologist handler,
Dr. Deborah Giles.
Eba is a member of an elite team of dogs
trained at the University of Washington
to track all kinds of animals,
from wolves, to spotted owls,
to rare orca whales.
- Those whales are Eba's specialty.
- (BARKS)
BILL: And to study them better,
it's Eba's job to search for their poop.
Whale poop.
I have a wonderful job.
It may sound funny,
but when marine biologists get their hands
on what a whale has left behind,
it can tell them all kinds
of important secrets
that can one day save
these endangered whales.
(SHIP HORN BLARING)
Hey, Bill! Wanna go see some whales?
Sounds like a great idea.
And this must be Eba.
Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness.
You love kisses. You are a kisser.
Tell me about, uh, Eba.
DR. GILES: We think Eba is about
four-and-a-half or five.
She was found on the streets of Sacramento
by my sister.
One thing led to another
and then I finally met Eba,
and then it was all over.
Oh, yeah. How could you not fall in love
with a face like this?
Yeah.
DR. GILES: Oh my goodness, are you ready?
You wanna go find some poop?
BILL: San Juan Island
is one of the world's best places
to study the rare Southern Resident
killer whales,
who travel in tight-knit groups
known as pods.
But in recent years,
the number of these whales has dropped.
No one knows the whole story,
but pollution and too little food
may play a role.
(WHALES EXHALE)
BILL: So, biologists want to know
everything they can about these whales.
Where they've been,
whether any of them are going to be a mom.
But also, if there are any medical reasons
why so few of these whales
are still around.
Now, when we see a whale,
how does she tell you,
"Yes there is, uh,
some whale poop in the area."
We would orient the boat so that, uh,
if the whales had gone through,
uh, the wind comes across the sample,
picks up that scent,
and brings it to the boat,
and if Eba's on the front of the boat
and she smells that... that sample,
she will orient her body
and keep moving with the wind.
- Like, "Go over there!"
- Yeah.
"Go over there!"
And then ultimately you find...
- We zig and zag...
- You find the sample.
...back and forth following
her body movement on the front of the boat
and she'll bring us
right up alongside the sample.
BILL: That sample can tell scientists
a lot about what's in the whales' tummies,
including any germs or strange chemicals
that might make them sick.
If the whales are getting enough to eat,
they end up pooping out
this amazing thick...
um, patties.
- Uh, we call them pancakes.
- Pancakes. Oh, yum.
Um. Yeah, all of our descriptors
are food related.
(LAUGHS) Well, I'm glad
that I didn't eat pancakes this morning.
Right, well, you'll never think of them
the same.
BILL: But after nearly an hour at sea
and no whales in sight,
it looks as if we're on a wild poop chase!
- Even Eba takes a quick break.
- (EBA SNORES)
BILL: But then we get the call.
MALE VOICE OVER RADIO:
That is fantastic news.
Well, we got a report of a pod of whales,
or maybe more!
We don't know how many whales are there,
but it's about an hour from here
so we're gonna batten down the hatches
and we're gonna go look for whales.
We'll see you in a little while.
(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)
DR. GILES:
Oh, my goodness, are you ready? Ready?
All right.
Ah, good job!
It's anyone's guess when they'll come up.
Oh, no, that was birds. (CHUCKLES)
- You aren't whales!
- DR. GILES: (LAUGHS)
I've gotta get my whale vision on.
- DR. GILES: We're trying to find...
- Oh, there we go!
DR. GILES: Oh, here we go!
BILL: Oh, that's amazing.
(IN ROUGH VOICE)
There be whales out there today.
(IN NORMAL VOICE) Yeah, there's two...
Two of them up there at least, three.
Oh, my gosh, they're huge!
Incredible.
Wow. Beautiful.
(EBA BARKS)
BILL: Twenty-four miles to our east,
we hit the jackpot.
Eba stands watch as we near an entire pod
of the elusive Southern Resident
killer whales,
including a full-grown male
with a dorsal fin
measuring more than six feet tall.
- (BARKS)
- DR. GILES: Hey! No barking at them.
(BILL LAUGHS)
(BARKS)
BILL: We found the whales,
now, it's time for Eba to find the poop.
It will only float for a half hour
before it sinks,
and Eba must distinguish
its distinctive scent
from hundreds of other ocean smells.
No easy task on an ocean filled with fish!
(BARKS)
- (BARKS)
- DR. GILES: She's smelling it.
- Do you see it?
- BILL: Oh, there it is!
- (CLAPS)
- Way to go, Eba.
- MAN: Yay!
- DR. GILES: Woo!
Good job, Eba! Good job!
Ah, you found it!
- Good job!
- BILL: Well done, Eba.
DR. GILES: Yeah!
She's been working hard all day,
and now she got a reward.
For Eba, hours of training have paid off.
And finding the whale poop means
she gets rewarded
with her favorite pull toy.
Meanwhile, Giles now has a perfect sample
to send to her lab in Seattle,
where it will reveal more clues
about the daily lives
of the Southern Resident killer whales.
(WHALE EXHALE)
BILL:
All part of a larger team effort
to help protect
these magnificent sea creatures.
Well, Dr. Giles, I want to thank you
and everybody for inviting us out today.
And I want to thank Eba
for being a very special researcher
with a very special nose.
DR. GILES: Thank you for coming out
and highlighting our project
and getting the plight of the whales
known to more people.
(BARKS)
BILL: Hey everyone,
time for some pet-friendly pointers
told with the help
of a very special friend. (BARKS)
You know, meeting someone
for the first time
can be an amazing experience.
Or sometimes downright awkward.
Well, it's the same for dogs.
So, how can you help to give your dog
the best chance to make a new friend?
For starters, location matters.
- Come on, bud!
- BILL: One idea is to try and have
the dogs meet in a safe public place.
Like a... a park.
- (BARKS)
- BILL: Before introducing the dogs,
keep them apart,
and watch how they react to each other.
Now, hopefully,
you'll see positive signals from both.
Speak in a soothing, happy voice
before taking your dog over to say hi.
Do you want to go meet that dog?
(DOG BARKS)
BILL: A great way to let them
get to know each other is to go on a walk.
- FEMALE VOICE 1: Hey, wanna go for a walk?
- FEMALE VOICE 2: Let's do it.
BILL: On a walk, both dogs
can get used to being together
while doing something they love.
I mean, who doesn't love a nice stroll?
FEMALE VOICE: Yeah.
BILL: Just to be safe,
make sure both dogs are on leashes,
or even harnesses,
so you can separate them
if one of the dogs gets aggressive.
Once they're comfortable,
let the dogs focus on each other.
Don't give them toys or food.
Dogs sometimes fight over toys or food.
Just let them get to know each other
by playing together.
And before you know it,
they'll be good buddies.
(BARKS)
BILL: Our next adventure takes us
to the Central California Coast.
To the town of Camarillo...
where an amazing group of border collies
keeps a 60-acre sheep farm...
on the move.
Today we're at On the Lamb,
a ranch that specializes
in training dogs to herd sheep.
And this is Robin,
who's gonna tell us all about it.
- Hello, Robin. And who's this right here?
- Good morning. This is Zip.
Zip is a five-year old female.
This is a border collie.
Very, very sweet. She loves everybody.
And she's just irreplaceable on this ranch
with the jobs that she can do.
BILL:
Sheep ranching is hard work.
Especially keeping them well-fed.
ROBIN:
Sheep are a grazing breed,
so we don't want to keep them penned up
in small areas.
We wanna take them out
and let them go graze the pasture.
BILL: So with more than 60 hungry sheep
to feed,
it is Zip's job to get them back and forth
to pasture.
So, we can literally be out on this road
in the farm and say,
- "Hey Zip, go take the sheep home."
- Really? Really?
And she will go find them
and she'll bring them in by herself.
BILL: Now, what do the sheep
think about Zip?
Do they get annoyed
that they're being herded,
or do they like being herded?
The whole purpose of using dogs
to move livestock,
is they do it in a calm, gentle manner.
- BILL: So, Zip is a polite dog.
- ROBIN: Zip is a very polite dog.
So, the best way to treat your livestock
is very calm and gentle.
- Please and thank you...
- Absolutely.
- And that does the trick.
- Absolutely.
BILL: In fact, herding dogs like Zip
are so well trained,
they never bark or growl.
Instead...
they use their eyes and speed
to keep the sheep in line.
BILL: Why a border collie?
Is a border collie the best dog for this?
Yes! There's lots of breeds that herd,
but border collies have been specialized
for that distance work.
- BILL: Okay.
- Right? Australian shepherds herd.
Rottweilers herd. Poodles herd.
- Poodles?
- Standard. Standard poodles herd.
- Really?
- They do!
- That's in Beverly Hills, I guess.
- ROBIN: It is.
Oh, my God.
(IN COUNTRY TWANG)
Well, here we are, at the corral!
It's full of sheep
and we're gonna take them sheep
and let ‘em go and do whatever sheep does.
(IN DEEP VOICE) Let's get
all the dogs a-workin', okay?
- ROBIN: Let's go to it.
- BILL: Opening the gate...
Oh, and off goes Zip!
ROBIN: We're gonna take 'em out
and graze them.
So, they have 60 acres
to eat a whole entire salad bar.
- Second course, out in the field.
- Off we go!
BILL: With Zip using her eyes
to steer them,
the sheep are off to the pasture.
Where nearly a mile away,
it's all-you-can-eat.
Well, that was absolutely amazing!
(CHUCKLES) Zip knew exactly what to do.
So, while Zip has the sheep on the move,
time for me to take a few lessons
at sheep herding school.
So, I guess this is the training corral
- is what you'd probably call that, right?
- ROBIN: Correct! Correct.
- BILL: All right.
- This is where we're gonna bring you up.
And we have Rachel in there
with another dog.
- This is who?
- This little dog, she's about 14 months.
A little bit over a year old,
and her name is,
On the Lamb and I Ain't No Snitch.
- On the Lamb and I Ain't No Snitch.
- Yes, it is.
And we have three sheep over here
looking very, kind of anxious.
They know what's happening, I guess.
- ROBIN: They do.
- BILL: Is this like, uh, first grade?
- Is this kind of an A-B-Cs?
- ROBIN: Absolutely.
In order to teach her
how we move the sheep around,
she has to learn how to go to the left
and to the right.
- All right.
- With our commands.
Herding dogs, we use "Come by"
means to go clockwise.
RACHEL: Come by. Come by. Come by.
- ROBIN: That was a "Come by" play.
- BILL: A come by...
We went clockwise, right?
This is "Away to me".
RACHEL: Away. Away.
- Away. Away. Lie down.
- And they know the words?
Uh, yes. You're gonna train them
by imprinting them.
How do we imprint? We repeat,
repeat, repeat that command.
- Okay, my wife uses that on me.
- (CHUCKLES) Yes.
BILL: So, you said, I believe earlier,
that this is a hunting instinct...
- ROBIN: Absolutely.
- BILL: ...that they had modified.
ROBIN: Absolutely. These border collies
are one tenth closer
to a wolf than any other breed.
And we keep that "hunt" in there,
but they're hunting to control them,
- not hunting to eat them.
- Mm-hmm. She looks like she's having fun.
ROBIN: Notice we have no treats
in our hand. Find me another sport
you can do without treats in your hand
for a dog.
- RACHEL: Away, away, away.
- ROBIN: All right? Not an eating treat,
- not a toy treat, nothing.
- The activity is the treat.
Correct. They love this so badly.
They want to do it every day, all day.
So that's probably a long enough session
for her, she's a young dog.
- Rachel's asked her to stop work.
- BILL: She knows.
Now, she's gonna tell her "That'll do".
That means, quit what you're doing
and come with me right now.
So, she's hot,
she's gonna go hop in a tub over there.
- She's gonna have a little bath.
- And she's gonna have a little...
- Little relaxation.
- ROBIN: Little cool jacuzzi, yes.
BILL: This farm is a big place.
So Robin wants to show me
how these border collies
get their commands from a long way away
to do their job.
Now, if the last pen was first grade,
this must be university, right?
Absolutely. So, to work at a distance,
I would have to be yelling, right?
If he was up and I'm down,
I'd have to yell. (YELLS)
- So, I use a whistle for distance.
- BILL: Uh-huh.
So, they're gonna have verbal commands
and whistle commands.
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
- That mean walk forward.
- Put some pressure.
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
- Go clockwise.
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
So, I'm just moving him,
like you would in a video game.
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
BILL: He knows exactly what you want.
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
ROBIN: So, I can put those sheep
anywhere I wanna go with them,
and I don't have to be involved.
I can sit here and have iced tea,
and this dog does all the work for you.
And the whistle is a better thing
'cause it's louder,
- and you don't have to go, "Hey, go left!"
- Right. Right.
Well, you know what?
I happen to have an extra whistle.
- You wanna try this?
- Oh, okay! Yeah!
All right, so it's kind of like
a coke bottle.
- Okay.
- You can place it on your tongue.
- (LAUGHS)
- ROBIN: Oh, no!
BILL:
After a quick wash of the whistle...
ROBIN: All right let's keep working
on that.
- ...it's back to blowing.
- (WHISTLE SPUTTERS)
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
- (BLOWS WHISTLE)
- Ah! That wasn't bad! You got a sound!
- Okay! I got a sound!
- Good job!
- (WHISTLE SPUTTERS)
- (LAUGHS)
All right. You're gonna keep practicing
on that.
- The dogs aren't coming!
- I think the coyotes might come into that.
So, we need to practice with you.
I guess you have, like, students coming in
and graduating all the time?
Oh, absolutely.
I think there's someone over here
we can introduce you to.
- ROBIN: Itty bitty! Yay!
- BILL: Come here!
- Puppy, puppy, puppy! Puppy, puppy! Yes!
- Come here! Oh, my gosh!
- That's it!
- Look at that!
- Hi. Where have you been all day?
- Well, hello It.
She's gonna be the next generation
of champion on here, out of this farm.
And how long until she starts training?
Uh, we're gonna wait
until she's about six months old.
(IMITATES BARKING)
BILL: Learning how to communicate
with these sheep herding dogs is amazing.
But with the sun going down,
time for Zip to get to work
and bring the well-fed herd
back to the corral,
even if they've wandered a long way away.
Well Robin, we've got an empty corral,
no sheep within earshot...
Let's try calling 'em.
Okay. Hey sheep! Come on! Bedtime!
- I don't think it's gonna work.
- I think we'd better send a dog.
- Okay.
- Hey Zip!
(BLOWS WHISTLE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
Welcome, guys!
(SHEEP BLEATING)
ROBIN: Now, wasn't that easier
than us going and doing that?
- BILL: That's how it's done!
- We just stood right here!
Incredible!
In less than 20 minutes,
Zip steered all the sheep
back to their pen,
where they'll safely spend the night
snoozing under the watchful eye
of a guard dog named Aspen.
Well Robin,
thanks for inviting us out today,
it was a wonderful day. I appreciate it.
And it was a pleasure meeting you, Zip.
You were a wonderful subject.
What a great day at On the Lamb Ranch.
Where I've learned
how remarkable dogs like Zip
use their eyes and speed
to get a hard job done.
Now, if only I could get that whistle
to work.
- (WHISTLE SPUTTERS)
- (SHEEP BLEATING)
BILL: So far, we've met
some incredible dogs.
Now, it's time for you
to show us your special pets.
GOOFY: Now,
time for Goofy's hometown heroes! A-hyuck!
Hi, I'm Sarah.
I'm a general dentist practicing
in Sunnyvale, California.
And I work with my dog, Chloe.
A lot of kids have dental anxiety.
There's a lot of loud noises
and instruments that might
not be recognizable.
Some dentists use laughing gas
to help reduce anxiety,
others can use medications.
Or you can use an alternative route,
which is having an emotional support dog
in your office.
Chloe is a street dog from Puerto Rico.
She was found living behind a food truck
eating scraps and bugs.
She's a mutt and we don't really know
what kind of dog she is.
She greets every patient in the office.
Okay Chloe, let's go,
your next patient's here!
So, my next patient, Karissa,
has a little bit of dental anxiety,
so, we let Karissa play with Chloe
while we're getting her room ready,
and this way, she's calm and relaxed
before her dental appointment.
- Okay, Karissa, are you ready?
- Yeah.
SARAH: And Chloe loves this room
because there's big windows
where she can see all the squirrels.
Hmm. They look pretty good!
So, she really distracts the patients
and just reduces the anxiety.
KARISSA: Thanks, Chloe!
She is just naturally very calm
and a very happy dog,
and as soon as she comes in the room,
I really feel like she just makes it
a very calm, relaxing environment.
She makes the perfect dental dog.
GOOFY: Gawrsh!
That's one pet to make you smile!
And a real hometown hero!
(MUSIC PLAYING)