Nature (1982–…): Season 25, Episode 11 - Dogs That Changed the World: The Rise of the Dog - full transcript

Narrator: THOUSANDS
OF YEARS AGO,

THE WOLF STEPPED
OUT OF THE FOREST

AND TRANSFORMED,

IN AN EVOLUTIONARY
BLINK OF THE EYE,

INTO THE DOG.

THIS REMARKABLE
ANIMAL FOLLOWED US...

AND UNDERSTOOD US.

AND WE EMBRACED HIM
LIKE NO OTHER CREATURE.

FROM THE DESCENDANTS

OF ANCIENT WILD DOGS
IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

TO A HAIRLESS BREED



THOUGHT TO HAVE
MAGICAL POWERS IN MEXICO,

DOGS HAVE MADE A LASTING IMPACT

ON CULTURES AND CIVILIZATIONS

AROUND THE WORLD.

THEY ARE HEALERS...

AND SKILLED HERDERS.

Man: MAYBE WE'D STILL BE
HUNTERS AND GATHERERS

IF IT WASN'T FOR DOGS.

Narrator: THEY ACT AS GUARDIANS

AND EXPERT GUIDES.

Man: WITHOUT THEM, WE
WOULD HAVE NEVER SURVIVED.

WITHOUT THEM, WE
WOULDN'T BE HERE.

Narrator: NOW, A
CONTROVERSIAL THEORY

SUGGESTS THE
BIRTHPLACE OF THE DOG



CAN BE NARROWED DOWN
TO ONE CORNER OF THE GLOBE.

THROUGH DNA EVIDENCE,

SCIENTISTS ARE TRYING
TO PINPOINT THAT SPOT...

THE MOTHERLAND OF ALL
DOGS THAT WOULD ADAPT

AND EVENTUALLY

CHANGE THE WORLD.

Narrator: AT DAWN
IN THE HIGHLANDS

OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA,

A BAND OF MEN SET OUT TO HUNT.

THEIR VILLAGE

IS DESPERATE FOR MEAT.

THE MEN BELIEVE THE
DOGS THEY TAKE WITH THEM

HAVE SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES

TO TRACK DOWN PREY.

THE AKEPANGI TRIBE

AFFIRM THAT THEIR HUNTING DOGS

ARE DESCENDED FROM AN
ANCIENT AND MYSTERIOUS

WILD DOG THAT STILL ROAMS

THE MOUNTAINS OF
PAPUA NEW GUINEA.

Abraham: THE SINGING DOG
OF NEW GUINEA DOESN'T BARK,

BUT HOWLS LIKE A WOLF.

HEARD HERE IN A RARE RECORDING,

THE SINGING DOG IS
SELDOM, IF EVER, SEEN TODAY.

BUT THE AKEPANGI
BELIEVE IT TO BE

UNCHANGED BY TIME,

AND THE MOTHER OF ALL DOGS.

THE MEN ARE HUNTING
FOR MARSUPIAL

TREE KANGAROOS,
BANDICOOTS, AND POSSUMS.

BUT IT'S THE DOGS
THAT WILL FIND THEM.

Abraham: THE DOGS HAVE DETECTED

THE SCENT OF A POSSUM
UP IN THE CANOPY.

Abraham: THE MEN CHECK
THAT THE POSSUM'S CLAWS

HAVEN'T CUT THE DOGS' MOUTHS.

THESE DOGS

ARE MORE VALUABLE TO THEM

THAN THEIR BOWS AND ARROWS.

Interpreter: IF I GO TO THE
FOREST WITHOUT A DOG,

I JUST FEEL LIKE I'M GOING THERE

WITHOUT ANYTHING, AND I KNOW

THAT I WILL NOT BE
ABLE TO CATCH ANYTHING.

AND WHEN WE GO
OUT INTO THE BUSH,

THERE ARE SOME FORCES

OF THE SPIRITS.

SO THE DOGS, THEY WARN US,

"DON'T GO TO THAT PLACE,

BECAUSE THERE
ARE SPIRITS THERE."

AND THEIR TAILS WILL BE
STUCK BEHIND THEIR BACK,

AND THEY WILL COME
AND LOOK SCARED,

AND THAT IS A SIGNAL

THAT THERE IS
SOMETHING OUT THERE.

Abraham: EVERY
CULTURE HAS ITS STORY

ABOUT THE CREATION

OF THESE INCREDIBLE ANIMALS.

BUT WHERE DO DOGS
REALLY COME FROM?

THIS IS THE STORY OF HOW DOGS

FIRST ARRIVED ON EARTH,

IN ONE OF THE MOST BREATHTAKING

EVOLUTIONARY LEAPS EVER MADE...

AND THE STORY OF
HOW THE DOG WENT ON

TO CHANGE HUMAN
LIFE AROUND THE WORLD

IN JUST 15,000 YEARS.

MORE THAN 750 MILLION OF US

SHARE OUR LIVES WITH DOGS.

WE LOVE THEM.

WE CHERISH THEM.

AND THE FEELING IS MUTUAL.

OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH DOGS

IS THE MOST MEANINGFUL
WE HAVE WITH ANY ANIMAL.

BUT WHY IS THIS?

ACCORDING TO GENETICS,

THIS MOST ADORED OF
ANIMAL COMPANIONS WAS ONCE

THE WILD AND SAVAGE WOLF.

HOW DID THIS TRANSFORMATION
FIRST TAKE PLACE?

FOR A LONG TIME,
THE ACCEPTED BELIEF

HAS BEEN THAT ANCIENT PEOPLE

TOOK WOLF PUPPIES FROM THE WILD,

ADOPTED, AND TAMED THEM.

BUT THE IDEA THAT
HUMANS TOOK THE WOLF

AND CREATED THE DOG BY ADOPTION

IS BEING CHALLENGED.

THERE IS A REVOLUTIONARY IDEA

THAT THE WOLF TURNED ITSELF

INTO A DOG

IN THE STONE AGE,
OR MESOLITHIC TIMES.

THE DOG MAY BE
MAN'S BEST FRIEND,

BUT BIOLOGIST RAYMOND COPPINGER

STRONGLY DISPUTES THE IDEA

THAT MAN WAS ALSO ITS CREATOR.

Man: THE WHOLE PROBLEM
WITH ADOPTION, FOR ME, IS

THAT IT'S PRACTICALLY
IMPOSSIBLE.

YOU HAVE TO START

THINKING ABOUT, IF YOU'RE

ADOPTING WOLVES, YOU HAVE TO BE

ADOPTING AT 13 DAYS.

AND IF YOU DON’T
ADOPT THEM AT 13 DAYS,

NOBODY HAS EVER TAMED A WOLF.

NOBODY.

AND SO I, YOU KNOW,

I JUST DON'T SEE
MESOLITHIC PEOPLES

HAVING THAT KIND OF
TIME TO GO AROUND

AND RAISE LITTLE
PUPPIES ON A BOTTLE.

YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST IMPOSSIBLE.

Abraham: SO IF PEOPLE

DID NOT CREATE THE DOG,

WHAT DID CAUSE THE WOLF

TO EVOLVE INTO A NEW SPECIES?

COPPINGER BELIEVES
HE HAS THE ANSWER...

OUR GARBAGE.

15,000 YEARS AGO,
HUMANS BEGAN TO LIVE

IN PERMANENT SETTLEMENTS
FOR THE FIRST TIME.

COPPINGER BELIEVES THAT STUDYING

THE BEHAVIOR OF
DOGS DRAWN TO FEED

AT MODERN DUMPS
CAN GIVE US CLUES

AS TO THE SURPRISING

IMPACT THESE EARLY
VILLAGES MAY HAVE HAD.

Coppinger: I THINK THAT
THE AVERAGE PERSON

THINKS THAT THIS IS A
MESS, IT'S A GIGANTIC MESS.

BUT FOR ME, I MEAN,
THERE'S DOGS EVERYWHERE,

AND IT GIVES YOU

A MODEL FOR HOW THE DOG EVOLVED

AND WHAT THE DOG'S NICHE IS,

AND HOW IT LIVES
AND HOW IT SURVIVES.

HOW IT DID SURVIVE IN THE PAST

YOU KNOW, THIS IS ANCIENT.

THIS IS AGELESS, THIS
IS ALL THE WAY BACK

TO THE BEGINNING OF HUMANS
LIVING IN PERMANENT SETTLEMENT.

THERE WERE PROBABLY
PLACES LIKE THIS,

AND THERE WERE
PROBABLY DOGS IN IT.

AND THAT'S HOW IT HAPPENED,

THAT'S HOW IT EVOLVED.

Abraham: COPPINGER BELIEVES THAT

WITH THE CREATION

OF THE FIRST STONE-AGE VILLAGES

CAME A BRAND-NEW

ECOLOGICAL NICHE.

AS RUBBISH

SUCH AS ANIMAL CARCASSES

AND HUMAN WASTE ACCUMULATED,

WILD ANIMALS,

INCLUDING WOLVES,

WOULD HAVE BEEN
DRAWN TO FEED ON IT.

Coppinger: NOW WHAT HAPPENS IS,

ONCE THE WOLVES MOVE
INTO A PLACE LIKE THIS,

THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN,
THERE'S GOING TO BE

THE SAME STRUGGLE BETWEEN
THEM FOR THE AVAILABLE FOOD.

SO A SELECTION IS
GOING TO TAKE PLACE

ON WHO CAN OCCUPY THAT NICHE,

WHO CAN BE MOST
EFFICIENT IN THE DUMP.

Abraham: WHICH WOLVES
WOULD THRIVE IN THIS NEW NICHE,

AND WHICH WOULD DIE,
COPPINGER BELIEVES,

WOULD COME DOWN TO ONE THING...

Coppinger: WOLVES MOVING
INTO SOME ANCIENT SETTLEMENT,

OR JUST FORAGING AROUND

AN ANCIENT SETTLEMENT,

HAVE THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF OTHER MAMMALS...

IS THAT IF THEY PERCEIVE
SOMETHING AS FEARFUL,

THEN THEY'RE GOING TO RUN.

IT'S CALLED "FLIGHT DISTANCE."

WHEN DO YOU START TO RUN,

AND HOW FAR DO YOU RUN?

HERE I AM IN A
MESOLITHIC VILLAGE,

AND I'M BRINGING DOWN
SOMETHING TO THROW IN THE DUMP.

AND HALF A MILE OFF,
THIS WOLF SEES ME COMING,

AND HE DISAPPEARS.

WELL, WHEN I DUMP
THE STUFF THERE,

HE DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO IT.

BUT SOME OTHER
GUY THAT DOES HAVE

A VERY SHORT FLIGHT DISTANCE

SITS JUST OVER THERE, WATCHES,

AND THE MINUTE I GO AWAY,

COMES IN AND HE GETS THE FOOD.

THAT'S THE ANIMAL
THAT'S GOING TO WIN.

THAT'S THE ANIMAL
THAT'S GOING TO SURVIVE.

ALL RIGHT, THAT'S THE
WOLF THAT'S GOING TO BE

PART OF THIS TRANSFORMATION

INTO THE BEAUTIFUL
THING WE CALL DOGS.

Abraham: COPPINGER SUSPECTS
THAT THESE ANCIENT WOLVES

DIVIDED INTO TWO GENETIC GROUPS.

THE ONES WITH THE
SHORTEST FLIGHT DISTANCE,

ABLE TO FEED AROUND HUMANS,

BEGAN TO TRANSFORM.

14,000-YEAR-OLD REMAINS SHOW US

THAT THE NEW ANIMAL TO EMERGE,

KNOWN AS PROTO-DOG,

WAS A VERY DIFFERENT
BEAST FROM THE WOLF.

THE WOLF IS A POWERFUL
HUNTING MACHINE,

A HIGHLY INTELLIGENT ANIMAL

WITH A LARGE BRAIN AND SKULL.

ITS LONG, POWERFUL
JAWS HOLD BIG MOLARS

AND CARNASSIAL TEETH AT THE BACK

FOR CUTTING THROUGH
BONE AND TEARING FLESH,

AND FORMIDABLE
CANINES AT THE FRONT,

FOR GRIPPING PREY.

BUT THE WOLF
CHANGED DRAMATICALLY

WHEN IT BECAME THE PROTO-DOG.

THE BRAIN AND THE SKULL SHRANK,

PROBABLY BECAUSE
SCAVENGING DID NOT DEMAND

THE SAME BRAIN POWER AS
ORGANIZED PACK HUNTING.

PROTO-DOG DIDN'T NEED THE
KILLING TEETH OF A PREDATOR.

THE SNOUT BECAME SHORTER.

THE BODY REDUCED, TO BECOME
TWO-THIRDS THE SIZE OF THE WOLF.

PROTO-DOG DID NOT NEED

TO BRING DOWN
LARGE PREY ANIMALS.

THE WOLF HAD TRANSFORMED
ITSELF INTO A CREATURE

THAT LOOKED VERY MUCH

LIKE THE DOG OF TODAY.

BUT JUST HOW RAPIDLY
WOULD THIS TRANSFORMATION

HAVE TAKEN PLACE?

Coppinger: ONE OF THE
BIG, PUZZLING THINGS

TO ME AS A SCIENTIST IS

HOW QUICKLY IT SEEMS
TO HAVE HAPPENED.

WE ALL GREW UP

BELIEVING THAT IT WOULD TAKE

LONG PERIODS OF TIME

AND A SLOW PROCESS OF EVOLUTION

IN ORDER TO EVOLVE,

IN ORDER TO TRANSFORM
A WOLF INTO A DOG.

BUT, BOY, FROM THE
ARCHEOLOGICAL RECORDS

OR WHATEVER, IT WAS
AN INSTANT OF TIME.

Abraham: HOW COULD IT BE
POSSIBLE FOR ONE SPECIES

TO EVOLVE SUDDENLY INTO ANOTHER?

CLUES WERE TO
EMERGE UNEXPECTEDLY

FROM AN EXPERIMENT CONDUCTED
IN THE OLD SOVIET UNION.

Coppinger: I REALLY THINK

THAT THE BELYAEV EXPERIMENT
WAS ONE OF THE MOST

SIGNIFICANT
EXPERIMENTS IN EVOLUTION

THAT TOOK PLACE
IN THE 20th CENTURY.

AND IT AFFECTED MY
LIFE AND MY THINKING

IN SO MANY WAYS.

Abraham: THE EXPERIMENT

WAS BEGUN IN THE 1950s

ATA FOX FARM IN SIBERIA.

THE FOXES WERE BEING
BRED FOR THEIR FUR.

BUT THEY WERE WILD ANIMALS
THAT WERE HARD TO HANDLE

AND OFTEN TOO STRESSED TO BREED.

DMITRI BELYAEV, A
GENETICIST, WAS TAKEN ON

TO SEE IF HE COULD DEVELOP FOXES

THAT WOULD BE EASIER TO KEEP.

HE BEGAN HIS EXPERIMENT BY
BREEDING TOGETHER THOSE FOXES

WITH THE LEAST
EXCITABLE TEMPERAMENTS.

BELYAEV SELECTED FOXES
BY A SIMPLE METHOD...

HE EXTENDED A GLOVED
HAND INTO EACH ANIMAL'S CAGE.

THE FOXES THAT ATTACKED,

COWERED, OR BIT
HIM, WERE EXCLUDED

FROM BREEDING.

BUT THOSE THAT SHOWED
TOLERANCE OR CURIOSITY

WERE MATED TOGETHER.

IN EFFECT, BELYAEV WAS
SELECTING THE FOXES

FOR THEIR FLIGHT DISTANCE.

THE SUBSEQUENT
RESULTS WERE STAGGERING.

THE NEW GENERATIONS OF
FOXES WERE TRANSFORMED...

NOT JUST IN BEHAVIOR,
BUT IN THEIR APPEARANCE.

WITHIN JUST TEN YEARS,

THE SELECTED FOXES SHOWED
NEW VARIETY IN THEIR COLOR.

SOME WERE BORN
WITH MOTTLED COATS

OR BLACK-AND-WHITE PATCHES.

THEIR EARS BECAME FLOPPY.

THEY STARTED TO BARK,

VOCALIZE.

THEY BECAME HIGHLY PLAYFUL,

EVEN INTO ADULTHOOD,

AND WERE NO LONGER
AFRAID OF PEOPLE.

SOME OF THE FOXES EVEN
BEGAN TO ANSWER TO THEIR NAMES.

BELYAEV HAD STUMBLED
ACROSS THE DISCOVERY

THAT SELECTING FOR THE
QUALITY OF TAMENESS ALONE

COULD SET OFF A CASCADE
OF OTHER CHANGES.

WE CAN STILL SEE EVIDENCE
OF THIS QUANTUM LEAP

AT THE SAME RESEARCH
CENTER TODAY.

Coppinger: UP TO THAT POINT,

WE ALL KIND OF BELIEVED DARWIN.

DARWIN SAID

"NATURE DOES NOT GO IN LEAPS.

"THINGS DON'T HAPPEN FAST.

THEY HAPPEN GRADUALLY."

AND THE ANSWER WAS,
WITH BELYAEV'S EXPERIMENT,

HE WAS WRONG.

THEY DO GO IN LEAPS.

AND SOMETIMES BIG LEAPS,

THINGS THAT YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT.

THE THEORY IS, HERE,
IS THAT WE'RE DEALING

WITH SOME UNDERLYING STRUCTURE.

WHEN WE'RE DEALING
WITH TAMENESS,

WE'RE DEALING WITH
A SET OF GENETICS

THAT IS PRODUCING A
CHARACTERISTIC RESPONSE.

Abraham: IT IS NOTA COINCIDENCE
THAT MANY DOMESTICATED ANIMALS

ARE BLACK AND WHITE.

WHEN SELECTION IS
MADE FOR TAMENESS,

IT IMPACTS ON THE ENTIRE
MAKEUP OF THE ANIMAL.

SCIENTISTS HAVE
DETERMINED THAT ADRENALINE...

THE FIGHT-OR-FLIGHT HORMONE...

AND MELANIN... THE
SKIN-AND-FUR PIGMENT...

ARE CHEMICALLY CONNECTED,

SO THEY CHANGE TOGETHER,

AS ARE THE NEUROTRANSMITTERS
DOPAMINE AND NORADRENALINE,

WHICH CONTROL BEHAVIORS.

AFFECT ONE SYSTEM,

AND THERE IS A DOMINO EFFECT...

FROM COLOR TO BEHAVIORS.

COPPINGER'S SCAVENGING WOLVES

MAY HAVE UNDERGONE A
SIMILAR TRANSFORMATION.

Coppinger: WHEN,
ALL OF A SUDDEN,

BELYAEV DID HIS EXPERIMENT,

IT CHANGED THE WAY A LOT OF US

BEGAN TO THINK ABOUT DOGS.

PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT,
"WHY DID PEOPLE SELECT DOGS

TO HAVE THIS COAT COLOR
OR THAT COAT COLOR?"

AND SO ON.

"WHY DID PEOPLE
SELECT DOGS TO BARK?"

AND THEN ALL OF A
SUDDEN, WE REALIZED,

THOSE WERE A BUNCH OF
REALLY SILLY QUESTIONS.

BECAUSE WE COULD GET ALL OF THAT

JUST BY SELECTING FOR TAMENESS.

Abraham: BELYAEV
HAD CREATED FOXES

THAT LOOKED AND
BEHAVED LIKE DOGS.

HIS EXPERIMENT SUGGESTED

THAT THE TRANSFORMATION
OF THE WILD WOLF

INTO THE DOG COULD HAVE HAPPENED

IN THE BLINK OF AN
EVOLUTIONARY EYE.

THE STAGE WAS SET

FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE DOG

INTO THE INCREDIBLE
VARIETY WE HAVE TODAY.

HERE WAS AN ANIMAL
FROM THE WILDERNESS

THAT ACTIVELY SOUGHT OUT OUR
PRESENCE AND OUR FRIENDSHIP,

AN ANIMAL THAT FOLLOWED US

AND UNDERSTOOD OUR INTENTIONS.

THE DOG WAS THE VERY FIRST
CREATURE TO BE DOMESTICATED

AND LIVE AMONGST US.

HOW DID ANCIENT PEOPLE
RESPOND TO THE NEW CREATURE

THAT MYSTERIOUSLY HAD A
FOOT IN THE ANIMAL WORLD

AND A FOOT IN OUR OWN?

ON THE TEMPLE WALLS OF
THIS 1,500-YEAR-OLD PYRAMID,

THE DOG TAKES ITS PLACE

AMONGST THE SACRED ANIMALS.

THE DOG HAD BECOME
A CREATURE OF MAGIC.

THIS IS THE DOG BELIEVED
TO FEATURE IN THE MURAL.

KNOWN AS THE XOLOITZCUINTLE,
THE DOG OF THE GOD XOLOTL.

BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN
USED IN RITUAL PRACTICES

BY THE CHICHIMECA PEOPLE,

THE XOLOITZCUINTLE,
THOUGH VERY RARE,

STILL EXISTS IN MEXICO.

ITS UNIQUE HAIRLESS SKIN

IS BELIEVED TO HAVE
GIVEN THESE DOGS

SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE
FOR THE CHICHIMECAS.

THE GENETIC MUTATION

THAT CAUSES THESE DOGS
TO BE BORN WITHOUT HAIR

ALSO RESULTS IN THEIR
MISSING CERTAIN TEETH,

MAKING IT UNUSUALLY
EASY FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS

TO IDENTIFY THE DOGS AT
THEIR SACRED BURIAL SITES.

THE XOLO IS NOT ALONE IN ITS USE

AS A RITUAL DOG.

HUMANS HAVE BEEN

SACRIFICING DOGS FOR AS LONG

AS 12,000 YEARS.

ON VIRTUALLY EVERY LAND MASS

AND IN EVERY MAJOR CULTURE,

DOGS HAVE BEEN
BURIED WITH PEOPLE.

IN ISRAEL, ARCHAEOLOGISTS
HAVE UNEARTHED

THE 12,000-YEAR-OLD REMAINS
OF A WOMAN HOLDING A PUPPY.

IN KAZAKHSTAN, DOG SKELETONS
HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED

BURIED IN THE FOUNDATIONS
OF HOUSES 6,000 YEARS OLD,

APPARENTLY AS SPIRITUAL
GUARDIANS OF THE HOMES.

WHAT WAS IT THAT FIRST
DREW ANCIENT PEOPLE

TO BURY THEIR DEAD WITH DOGS?

I THINK, IF WE'RE RIGHT,

AND THAT THIS PROCESS

OF A WOLF TURNING INTO A
DOG HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY,

IT SEEMS TO ME THAT
IT PROBABLY HAPPENED

WITHIN A HUMAN LIFE SPAN.

AND IF YOU CAN
IMAGINE BEING SOMEONE

LIVING IN ONE OF THESE
FIRST EARLY SETTLEMENTS,

AND ACTUALLY SEEING
WITH YOUR OWN EYES

THIS WOLF TURN INTO A DOG,

IT REALLY SEEMS LIKELY TO ME

THAT YOU MIGHT THINK THAT A DOG

REALLY HAD SOME
KIND OF MAGICAL POWER.

SO THAT BEING ABLE
TO INCLUDE A DOG

WITH A BURIAL, ESPECIALLY
OF A REVERED PERSON,

AN IMPORTANT PERSON
IN THE COMMUNITY,

WOULD HAVE GIVEN
THIS ADDED PROTECTION

TO GUARD THAT SPIRIT

AS THEY MOVE ALONG
INTO THE AFTERLIFE.

Abraham: DOGS ARE STILL
BELIEVED TO HAVE MAGICAL POWERS

IN THE FAR REACHES OF MEXICO.

Abraham: GUDELIA
MENDIATA KEEPS XOLO DOGS

BECAUSE SHE BELIEVES
THEY HAVE THE POWER

TO HEAL ILLNESS AND PAIN.

Yavente.

Ay, quebonito cariñoso.

Cariñoso.

Abraham: AFTER A LIFETIME

OF HARD WORK AS
A CLOTHES WASHER,

GUDELIA HAS SEVERE
RHEUMATISM IN MANY OF HER JOINTS.

HER SOLUTION IS THE
HEALING POWER OF HER DOGS,

WHOSE SKIN IS
HOT TO THE TOUCH...

ESPECIALLY THE PUPPIES'.

Cuandoestánchiquitos...

Interpreter: WHEN
THEY ARE SMALL,

I WASH THEM REALLY WELL.

AND THEN I PLACE THEM

SO THAT THEY CAN
GET RID OF MY CRAMPS.

YOU PUT THEM HERE, LIKE THIS,

AND THEN THEY BURN — BURN FROM

HOW HOT THEY GET.

IF YOU HAVE RHEUMATISM,

YOU PUT THEM WHEREVER IT HURTS.

Abraham: WE CAN
BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND

WHY THE ANCIENT
CHICHIMECA MIGHT HAVE FELT

THESE HAIRLESS DOGS
POSSESSED SOMETHING UNIQUE

WHEN WE LOOK ATA
XOLO PUPPY LITTER.

MANY OF THE PUPS IN THE
LITTER OF A HAIRLESS DOG

WILL BE BORN WITH FUR,

BECAUSE THE GENETIC MUTATION
THAT CAUSES THE BARE SKIN

WILL ONLY BE PASSED ON
TO A FEW OF HER LITTER.

THE HAIRLESS PUPS
ARE VERY SPECIAL.

WHEN DOGS JOINED OUR
COMMUNITY THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO,

IT SEEMS THAT WE QUICKLY
EMBRACED THEM AS MAGICAL

AND SPIRITUAL COMPANIONS.

BUT PEOPLE WERE TO DISCOVER

THAT DOGS COULD ALSO OFFER
US SOMETHING ELSE UNIQUE,

THAT COULD MAKE OR
BREAK THE SURVIVAL

OF OUR COMMUNITIES...
THEIR BARK.

IN STAFFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND,

A MAN APPROACHES AN
ISOLATED COUNTRY HOME.

WITH NOBODY AROUND FOR MILES,

IT'S A PERFECT TARGET
FOR AN INTRUDER.

BUT THIS HOUSE HAS
24-HOUR PROTECTION.

Man: IT'S A VERY INTIMIDATING

KIND OF DISPLAY, SEEING
THESE LARGE DOGS

RUSHING UP TO
THE GATE LIKE THAT,

PRODUCING THESE DEAFENING BARKS.

IT'S THE ULTIMATE
DETERRENT, IF YOU LIKE.

MY STEALTH IS GONE.

NOW EVERYONE KNOWS I'M HERE.

Abraham: WITH THE
PERMISSION OF THEIR OWNER,

THE GUARDS ALLOW
ZOOLOGIST JAMES SERPELL

TO ENTER THEIR TERRITORY.

HI, DOGS. HELLO, DOGS.

HELLO, DOGS.

Abraham: A RECENT STUDY
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM

SHOWED THAT A BARKING DOG

IS A STRONGER DETERRENT
AGAINST BURGLARS

THAN A BURGLAR ALARM.

GUARD DOGS ARE LARGER
THAN THE FIRST PROTO-DOG.

THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS
SHOW THAT THEY EMERGED IN EUROPE

AT LEAST 4,000 YEARS AGO,

TO PROTECT PEOPLE AND PROPERTY.

DOBERMANS ARE A POPULAR
CHOICE OF GUARD DOG TODAY.

THEY WERE ORIGINALLY
DEVELOPED IN GERMANY

IN THE 1870s BY A TAX COLLECTOR

CALLED LOUIS
DOBERMANN, WHO WANTED

AN INTIMIDATING, FEARLESS DOG

TO PROTECT HIM ON HIS
ROUNDS AND ENCOURAGE

RELUCTANT TAXPAYERS TO PAY UP.

BREAK-INS AT THIS HOME WERE
ONCE A REGULAR OCCURRENCE.

THE DOBERMANS
HAVE PUT A STOP TO IT.

THE GUARDING INSTINCTS
OF DOGS CAME FROM WOLVES,

WHO ARE HIGHLY TERRITORIAL.

JAMES SERPELL BELIEVES

THAT WE HAVE RELIED
ON THESE INSTINCTS

SINCE THE DOG FIRST CAME TO US.

Man: IN FORMER TIMES, THERE WAS

CONSTANT WARFARE,

CONSTANT COMPETITION BETWEEN
NEIGHBORING POPULATIONS.

PEOPLE WOULD HAVE
FELT VERY VULNERABLE,

BECAUSE HUMAN SENSORY
CAPACITIES AREN'T REALLY THAT GOOD.

WE HAVE REASONABLE
VISION, BUT OUR HEARING

AND OUR SENSE OF
SMELL IS VERY POOR.

ONCE YOU INTRODUCE
AN ANIMAL LIKE THE DOG

INTO A SITUATION LIKE THIS,

ALL OF A SUDDEN
IT'S AS IF PEOPLE

HAVE ACQUIRED
NEW EYES, NEW EARS,

A NEW SENSE OF SMELL,

THAT FAR EXCEEDS WHAT
THEY HAVE NATURALLY.

Abraham: IT'S THOUGHT
THAT A DOG'S SENSE OF SMELL

IS AT LEAST 1,000 TIMES
MORE SENSITIVE THAN OURS.

THEIR HEARING IS
ALSO FORMIDABLE.

NOISES THAT WE
CAN HEAR AT A MILE,

THEY DETECT AT FOUR MILES.

WOLVES, LIKE GUARD DOGS,

PATROL THEIR TERRITORY REGULARLY

FROM AS EARLY AS SIX MONTHS OLD.

HOWLING KEEPS OTHER WOLVES
AWAY FROM THE PACK'S TERRITORY

AND IS THEIR MAJOR
VOCAL COMMUNICATION.

THEY DON'T GUARD THEIR
TERRITORY BY BARKING, LIKE DOGS.

Serpell: WOLVES
CERTAINLY DO BARK.

BUT THEY BARK INFREQUENTLY,
COMPARED WITH DOGS,

AND THEIR BARK IS
KIND OF A SOFT BARK.

IT'S A "WOOF" KIND OF SOUND.

AND WHAT'S HAPPENED, CLEARLY,

IN THE EVOLUTION OF THE DOG

IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE SELECTED

FOR THIS TYPE OF BEHAVIOR

AND ACCENTUATED IT, SO THAT

IT'S BECOME MUCH
MORE PRONOUNCED.

Abraham: SO NEXT TIME

YOUR NEIGHBOR'S
BARKING DOG WAKES YOU UP,

DON'T BLAME THE DOG.

IT WAS HUMANS WHO CHOSE

TO EXAGGERATE ITS BARK
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO

AND TURNED IT TO OUR ADVANTAGE,

WITH FAR-REACHING RESULTS.

Serpell: I DON'T THINK
PEOPLE PERHAPS REALIZE

QUITE HOW MUCH HAVING
GUARD DOGS AROUND

HAS AFFECTED

THE EVOLUTION OF HUMAN
CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION.

IT'S INTERESTING THAT
THE SPREAD OF DOGS

THROUGH THE HUMAN
POPULATION OF THE WORLD

WAS EXTREMELY RAPID.

I SUSPECT IT WOULD GO
AROUND VERY QUICKLY

THAT HAVING THESE ANIMALS AROUND

GAVE YOU AN EDGE
OVER YOUR NEIGHBORS.

IT JUST ENABLED YOU TO
COMPETE MORE SUCCESSFULLY

AND PROTECT YOUR
OWN PEOPLE BETTER.

Abraham: IT SEEMS EVERYONE
WANTED A WATCHDOG.

OUR ANCESTORS KEPT THEM CLOSE,

AS THEY BEGAN TO
MIGRATE ACROSS THE EARTH.

Crockford: ONE OF THE WAYS

THAT YOU CAN
MEASURE HOW VALUABLE

PEOPLE MUST HAVE FELT DOGS TO BE

IS THAT THEY TOOK
DOGS WITH THEM,

EVERYWHERE THEY
MOVED IN THE WORLD.

SO EVERY NEW COMMUNITY,

AS THEY EXPANDED
AROUND THE WORLD,

EVEN IF THEY HAD
TO MOVE IN CANOES,

THEY TOOK THEIR DOGS WITH THEM.

Abraham: DOGS CAN NOW BE
FOUND EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

IN STOCKHOLM, AT THE ROYAL
INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY,

A PROJECT HAS
BEGUN TO INVESTIGATE

EXACTLY WHERE THEY
CAME FROM ORIGINALLY.

THEIR CONCLUSIONS SO FAR

ARE HIGHLY UNEXPECTED.

BIOLOGISTS ORIGINALLY
BELIEVED DOGS FIRST EVOLVED

FROM DIFFERENT TYPES OF
WOLVES IN DIFFERENT PLACES.

BUT GENETICIST
PETER SAVOLAINEN'S

ANALYSIS OF DOGS' DNA

PAINTS ANOTHER PICTURE.

SAVOLAINEN BELIEVES THAT DOGS
STARTED THEIR GLOBAL JOURNEY

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO
FROM JUST ONE PLACE ON EARTH...

A MOTHERLAND FOR
THE ENTIRE SPECIES.

THE PROJECT EMERGED
FROM SAVOLAINEN'S WORK

AS A FORENSIC SCIENTIST,

ANALYZING DOG HAIRS
FOUND AT CRIME SCENES.

Man: IT STARTED WHEN WE DID
OUR EARLIEST FORENSIC WORK.

THEN WE COLLECTED SWEDISH DOGS,

BUT, OF COURSE, OF
DIFFERENT BREEDS.

ALSO EAST ASIAN BREEDS.

AND IN THIS QUITE SMALL SAMPLE,

WE, ANYWAY, SAW A TENDENCY
THAT THE CHINESE BREEDS,

LIKE CHOW CHOW, SHIH
TZU, PEKINGESE, AND SO ON,

THAT THEY HAD A HIGHER
GENETIC VARIATION

THAN THE EUROPEAN BREEDS.

OKAY.

Abraham: SAVOLAINEN REALIZED

THAT IDENTIFYING
GENETIC DIFFERENCES

IN BREEDS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

COULD SHED NEW
LIGHT ON THE QUESTION

OF WHERE DOGS COME FROM.

THIS PROJECT IS SETTING OUT

TO TELL THE GENETIC
VERSION OF THE STORY

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

TO DO THIS, THE TEAM WOULD NEED

A HUGE DATABASE OF DNA SAMPLES

FROM DOGS OF EVERY CONTINENT.

SAMPLES HAVE BEEN
GATHERED BY LOCAL VOLUNTEERS

FROM AFRICA TO ASIA.

WITH 3,000 DIFFERENT
DOGS SAMPLED TO DATE,

THE COLLECTION IS UNIQUE.

THE PROJECT STUDIES
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA,

WHICH IS PASSED ON UNCHANGED

FROM MOTHER TO OFFSPRING,

ALLOWING US TO TRACE A LINEAGE.

THIS SAME TECHNIQUE
HAS ALSO BEEN USED

TO TELL THE STORY

OF HUMAN ORIGINS,

AND THE RESULTS
ARE WIDELY ACCEPTED.

Savolainen: ALL
PEOPLE ON THE EARTH

HAVE THEIR MITOCHONDRIAL DNA

MOLECULES THAT
HAVE A SINGLE ORIGIN

FROM A SINGLE WOMAN

LIVING IN AFRICA AROUND
100,000 YEARS AGO.

AND THEN HER OFFSPRING

HAS ACCUMULATED A FEW
MUTATIONS THROUGH TIME,

WHICH IS WHY WE, TODAY,

HAVE DIFFERENT
MITOCHONDRIAL DNA TYPES.

WE CAN DO LIKE AN
EVOLUTIONARY TREE,

AND THIS SHOWS US EXACTLY HOW
WE ARE RELATED TO EACH OTHER,

ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE FIRST

WOMAN ANCESTOR OF ALL OF US.

AND EXACTLY THE SAME THING,

WE ARE DOING WITH
OUR DOG SAMPLES.

Abraham: THE DNA SAMPLES
HAVE BEEN MAPPED OUT.

THE RESULTS ARE CLEAR.

MUCH MORE VARIETY CAN BE FOUND

IN ONE PLACE ON EARTH
THAN ANYWHERE ELSE.

AND ALTHOUGH THE
GENETICS ARE COMPLEX,

THIS STRONGLY SUGGESTS
THAT THIS ONE PLACE

IS THE HOMELAND OF ALL DOGS...

EAST ASIA.

THERE SEEM TO BE JUST A SINGLE
GEOGRAPHIC ORIGIN OF DOGS,

AND THAT THIS ORIGIN WAS
SOMEWHERE IN EAST ASIA.

THE NEXT STEP FOR US

IS TO TRY AND SAY
MORE SPECIFICALLY,

WHERE IN EAST ASIA
DID THIS HAPPEN?

Abraham: HE BELIEVES THE
DOMESTICATION OF THE WOLF

TOOK PLACE IN ONE SMALL AREA,

POSSIBLY CHINA OR SIBERIA.

BUT HIS FINDINGS
ARE CONTROVERSIAL.

Savolainen: THERE IS STILL

SOME DEBATE, I GUESS.

BUT WITH OUR NEW DATA COMING,

WE WILLA GET MUCH BETTER
CASE FOR WHAT WE BELIEVE.

Abraham: IF THE DOG
DID FIRST EMERGE

FROM A SMALL NUMBER
OF WOLVES IN EAST ASIA,

THE DIVERSE RANGE
OF ENVIRONMENTS

THIS ONE SPECIES
WOULD GO ON TO CONQUER

IS ALL THE MORE REMARKABLE.

ONE OF THE SECRETS
OF THE DOG'S SUCCESS

WOULD BE A PHENOMENAL ABILITY

TO ADAPT TO ANY
CLIMATE IT ENTERED.

3,000 YEARS AGO, THE
INUIT PEOPLE MIGRATED

INTO THE HARSH
TERRAIN OF THE ARCTIC

FOR THE FIRST TIME.

WHEN THEY MADE
THIS EPIC JOURNEY,

THEY WERE PROBABLY NOT ALONE.

IN THESE FROZEN LANDS,

MAN WOULD COME TO RELY
ON THE SKILLS OF THE DOG

AS NEVER BEFORE.

THE FIRST DOGS

TO ARRIVE HERE WOULD ORIGINALLY

HAVE COME FROM
WARMER CLIMATES IN ASIA.

YET TEMPERATURES
HERE CAN FALL AS LOW

AS-58° FAHRENHEIT.

AND THESE SLED DOGS WILL NEVER

SLEEP A NIGHT UNDER A ROOF.

THEY EXIST ON A DIET OF
SNOW AND SEAL BLUBBER.

IN THE ARCTIC, THE
DOG HAD TO BECOME

AN ENDURANCE ATHLETE.

SLED DOGS ARE SMALL ENOUGH

TO BE CAPABLE OF
SURVIVING ON VERY LITTLE,

BUT LARGE ENOUGH
TO PULL HEAVY WEIGHTS.

THE BACKBONE OF
THE SLED DOG IS STIFF,

TO TRANSFORM MUSCLE
POWER FROM THE LEGS

INTO PULLING POWER.

THE PACK RUNS WITH A RHYTHM,

COMBINING THEIR STRENGTH
TO LIGHTEN THE LOAD.

ONE PAW WILL REMAIN ON
THE GROUND AT ALL TIMES,

MAINTAINING THEIR STABILITY
UNDER THE STRAIN OF THE WEIGHT.

SLED DOGS ARE CAPABLE OF RUNNING

THE EQUIVALENT OF
FIVE MARATHONS A DAY.

SOME SLED DOGS HAVE RUN

1,000 MILES IN EIGHT
DAYS, MAKING THEM

THE FASTEST LAND
ANIMALS IN THE WORLD

OVER LONG DISTANCES.

LIKE THEIR ANCESTORS,

INUIT HUNTERS LEVI
PALITUQ AND JASON PALLUQ

RELY ON THE SENSES OF THEIR DOGS

TO NAVIGATE THIS POTENTIALLY
TREACHEROUS LAND.

Man: EVEN IN A BLIZZARD

OR A COMPLETE WHITE-OUT,
WHERE THE GROUND

OR THE SNOW SEEMS TO
BE THE SAME AS THE SKY,

THERE IS NO EDGE IN THE HORIZON,

THEY KNOW HOW TO GET HOME.

Abraham: THE DOGS DO NOT
TRAVEL AHEAD OF LEVI AND JASON

SIMPLY TO PULL THEIR GEAR.

THE SNOW CAN COVER
SPLITS IN THE ICE,

AND THE FREEZING WATER BELOW
CAN KILL A MAN WITHIN SECONDS.

BUT THE DOGS CAN SENSE
CHANGES IN THE SNOW UNDERFOOT

AND WILL STOP IF
THEY DETECT DANGER.

Palituq: I'VE SEEN DOGS

FALLING THROUGH THE ICE,

WHERE A HUMAN WOULD NOT SURVIVE.

THEY FALL IN THE WATER,

AND THEY SEEM TO GET
OUT OF IT VERY EASILY

AND SHAKE EVERYTHING OFF,

AND IT'S OKAY FOR THEM.

Abraham: INUIT DOGS,
MALE AND FEMALE,

ARE INTENSELY COMPETITIVE
FOR THE TOP POSITION.

THE HUMAN SLED DRIVER

MUST TAKE THE
ROLE OF ALPHA WOLF.

IN THIS UNPREDICTABLE
ENVIRONMENT,

COMPLETE OBEDIENCE IS DEMANDED.

THE MOST DEPENDABLE DOG IS
HARNESSED AS THE LEAD DOG.

THEIR JOB IS TO ENFORCE
THE DRIVER'S COMMANDS

AND SET THE PACE.

THE LOWEST-RANKING
DOG IN THE PACK

FALLS AT THE BACK OF THE TEAM.

HE IS KNOWN BY THE INUIT

AS "LEAST-RESPECTED DOG."

BUT HE IS ONE OF THE MOST
HARDWORKING IN THE TEAM,

PULLING THE GREATEST LOAD.

THIS IS HOT AND HEAVY WORK.

BUT IN THE ARCTIC, COOLING DOWN

IS NO PROBLEM.

THE TEAM APPROACHES
THE HUNTING GROUNDS

ON THE SEA ICE.

THE DOGS LOCATE
SNOW-COVERED AIR HOLES

USED BY SEALS...
INDICATING TO THE MEN

WHERE TO HANG THEIR NETS.

AS THE HUNTERS WORK,

THE DOGS REMAIN
ON CONSTANT WATCH

FOR THEIR GREATEST ADVERSARY.

THERE IS NO OTHER ANIMAL

ON THIS ARCTIC TUNDRA

THAT WOULD TAKE ON
THE MIGHTY POLAR BEAR.

Palituq: THEY REALLY KNOW
HOW TO FIGHT THE BEAR.

I'VE SEEN DOGS GO

RIGHT UNDER THE BEAR AND THEN

GO OUT THE OTHER END.

AND I'VE SEEN DOGS

GO RIGHT UNDER

THE MOUTH, RIGHT UNDER THE NECK,

AND GO OUT THE
OTHER END, AS WELL.

Abraham: LEVI RECALLS THE TIME

WHEN THE INUIT PEOPLE
DEPENDED ENTIRELY ON THEIR DOGS.

Palituq: NOWADAYS,

WE USE THEM MAINLY
TO PULL LIGHT LOADS.

BUT BACK WHEN I WAS A CHILD,

MY PARENTS USED TO TRAVEL

ONLY BY DOG TEAM.

AND MY PARENTS TOOK
ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING WITH THEM

ON THEIR SLED.

THEY WERE TRANSPORTATION.

THEY WERE PROTECTORS.

THEY FOUND FOOD FOR US.

THEY HELPED OUR PEOPLE.

WITHOUT THEM,

WE WOULD HAVE NEVER SURVIVED.

WITHOUT THEM, WE
WOULDN'T BE HERE.

Abraham: UNPARALLELED
ADAPTABILITY

AND HARSH NATURAL SELECTION

IS WHAT LIES BEHIND THE
INCREDIBLE RESILIENCE

OF THESE DOG FAMILIES.

THE PUPPIES ARE
BORN ONTO THE ICE.

DOUBLE-LAYERED FUR
OFFERS SOME PROTECTION

TO THE PUPS, BUT
IN THIS ENVIRONMENT,

ONLY THE TOUGHEST

WILL MAKE IT.

INUIT ARE NO LONGER

FORCED TO RELY ON THEIR DOGS

TO GET AROUND.

BUT MANY STILL CHOOSE TO.

THE DOG HAS MASTERED
THIS FROZEN LAND.

WOULD HUMANS HAVE DONE
THE SAME WITHOUT THEM?

Serpell: THERE MAY
BE ENVIRONMENTS...

FOR EXAMPLE, THE ARCTIC AREAS...

THAT WOULD HAVE REALLY BEEN

TOO HOSTILE FOR
HUMANS ON THEIR OWN

TO HAVE BEEN WORTH COLONIZING.

AND THAT RAISES THE
INTERESTING POSSIBILITY

THAT THE ONLY REASON
THERE ARE PEOPLE

LIVING IN THOSE AREAS
IS BECAUSE OF DOGS.

BECAUSE THEY HAD DOGS.

Abraham: THE RUGGED
DESIGN OF SLED DOGS

RECALLS THEIR
ANCESTOR, THE WOLF.

BUT AFTER 15,000
YEARS OF EVOLUTION,

DOGS ARE NOW VERY DIFFERENT.

UNIQUELY, THE DOG HAS
DEVELOPED THE ABILITY

TO READ HUMAN
EMOTIONS AND LANGUAGE

IN REMARKABLE WAYS.

Woman: GOOD BOY. SIT.

LIE DOWN.

SPEAK.

SPEAK.

SPEAK.

Abraham: DOGS ARE ONE
OF T ANIMALS IN THE WORLD

THAT REALLY SEEM
TO TAKE AN INTEREST

IN US AND UNDERSTAND

OUR EMOTIONS AND BODY LANGUAGE.

THIS ALLOWS US TO WORK TOGETHER

LIKE NO OTHER PAIR OF ANIMALS.

Woman: GOOD BOY!

STRAIGHTEN UP. STRAIGHTEN UP.

DOWN. CRAWL.

CRAWL. DOWN. CRAWL.

CRAWL. DOWN. DOWN.

CIRCLE. GOOD!

CIRCLE. GOOD BOY!

GOOD BOY.

WATCH ME. WATCH.

GOOD BOY. WATCH.

Abraham: IT IS THIS ABILITY

TO COMMUNICATE WITH DOGS

THAT HAS LITERALLY
CHANGED OUR LIVES

OVER THE MILLENNIA.

AND NO MORE SO THAN
WHEN WE USE THESE SKILLS

TO ASK DOGS TO CARRY OUT
WORK WE COULD NOT EASILY DO.

JOE RELPH HAS LIVED AND FARMED

IN THE CAMBRIAN
FELLS ALL OF HIS LIFE.

HE TENDS TO 2,000 SHEEP
ACROSS 2,000 ACRES

OF SOME OF BRITAIN'S
TOUGHEST FARMING TERRAIN.

NEITHER MAN NOR MACHINE

CAN MOVE SHEEP DOWN FROM
THESE STEEP, RUGGED HILLS.

FARMING HERE WOULD BE
IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT HIS DOGS...

LIZ, EVE, AND FLY.

HIS SHEEPDOG— THIS ONE IS LIZ...

MUST INTERPRET JOE'S
COMMANDS CAREFULLY.

FROM THE HUNDREDS
OF SHEEP AROUND,

SHE MUST PINPOINT EXACTLY
WHICH ONES TO MOVE.

THAT'LL DO IT, COME ON.

GOOD, LIZ, COME ON, THAT'LL DO.

Abraham: THE DOGS CAN
FOLLOW JOE'S COMMANDS

FROM AS FAR AWAY AS HALF A MILE.

IF A STRAGGLER GETS LEFT BEHIND,

THERE'S EVEN A COMMAND FOR,

"LOOK BACK— YOU'VE MISSED ONE."

THE TRUST BETWEEN
SHEPHERD AND DOG

MUST BE STRONG,

BECAUSE THE WORK

IS POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS.

Relph: IF THEY RUN AFTER A SHEEP

THAT'S MAYBE ON THE EDGE

OF A 200-FOOT DROP.

THEY'VE GOT TO BE ABLE TO
USE THEIR OWN BRAIN, AS WELL,

TO DEAL WITH THAT SITUATION.

WHEN YOU'RE
GATHERING ON THE FELLS,

I MEAN, IT'S 90% DOG
AND 10% US, I WOULD SAY.

I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT
THEM, YOU KNOW,

THEY'RE A GREAT FRIEND.

WE SPEND HOURS— A LOT OF DAYS

YOU MAYBE SPEND MOST
OF THE DAY WITH THEM.

YOU KNOW, ONCE THEY'RE RETIRED,
I WOULD NEVER PART WITH THEM.

WE ALWAYS KEEP THEM

TILL THEY DIE, YOU KNOW.

BECAUSE THEY'RE
PART OF THE FAMILY.

Abraham: JOE'S DOGS
ARE BORDER COLLIES,

BRED ORIGINALLY

ON THE SCOTTISH BORDERS

AND REFINED OVER THE
CENTURIES BY SELECTIVE BREEDING,

TO MOVE SHEEP WITH THE CONTROL

OF A CHESS GRAND MASTER.

HUMANS SUCCEEDED IN DOING THIS

BY HARNESSING KILLER
INSTINCTS DOGS INHERITED

FROM THE WOLF.

WOLVES USE A SPECIFIC
SEQUENCE OF BEHAVIOR

WHEN THEY SEE A MEAL.

FIRST, THEY EYE THE PREY.

THEN THEY STALK IT.

WHEN THE MOMENT
IS RIGHT, THEY CHASE.

THEN THEY BITE TO KILL.

SHEEPDOG HANDLERS

TRAIN THEIR DOGS TO HOLD BACK

FROM THAT FINAL BITE INSTINCT.

Coppinger: ONE OF
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL

PHENOMENA IN THE DOG WORLD

IS A TRAINED BORDER COLLIE.

BECAUSE WHAT HAPPENS IS,

THE DOG HAS THE SEQUENCE—
EYE, STALK, CHASE, BITE.

YOU CAN'T TEACH THEM THAT.

YOU CANNOT TEACH
ANY OF THOSE BEHAVIORS.

THEY'RE WRITTEN

IN THE BRAIN.

WHEN YOU WATCH
HIM IN, HE COMES IN

IN THIS CLASSIC
EYE-STALK POSITION.

AND THE SHEEP

RECOGNIZE THAT AS
A HUNTING BEHAVIOR.

AND IF AN ANIMAL SEES
THAT, THEY SAY, "UH-OH!

"I'M GOING TO END UP AS MUTTON

AT THE END OF THIS ONE."

Abraham: THE SHEEP
RESPOND TO THE THREAT

BY GROUPING TOGETHER,

MAKING IT EASIER FOR THE
DOGS TO CONTROL THEM.

Coppinger: THE FASCINATING
THING ABOUT A BORDER COLLIE

IS THAT THEY'RE A NICE BALANCE

BETWEEN WHAT WE'D
CALL INNATE BEHAVIORS...

THINGS THAT ARE
UNDER GENETIC CONTROL,

AND VERY PRECISELY
UNDER GENETIC CONTROL...

AND LEARNED BEHAVIOR.

SO PEOPLE... WHEN YOU
BUY A BORDER COLLIE,

YOU BUY THAT GENETIC
SET OF BEHAVIORS.

AND THEN YOU TRAIN IT
THE WAY YOU WANT TO DO IT.

IT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE WHAT
YOU CAN DO WITH THAT DOG.

Abraham: PEOPLE HAVE BEEN

USING DOGS FOR HERDING

FOR AS LONG AS 9,000 YEARS.

TODAY, THEY ARE STILL USED

FOR HERDING SHEEP AND GOATS,

AND EVEN REINDEER, IN
DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.

A DOG IS SO VITAL TO
CONTROLLING THESE ANIMALS,

WE MAY WONDER HOW PEOPLE

WOULD HAVE EVER
DOMESTICATED WILD BEASTS

WITHOUT THEM.

Serpell: IT'S QUITE A BIG LEAP

FROM HUNTING WILD
SHEEP AND GOATS, SAY,

TO HERDING THEM.

AND YOU HAVE TO ASK,
WHAT MADE PEOPLE DECIDE

THAT HERDING WAS AN
ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE THING TO DO?

TO ME, WATCHING
THE SHEPHERD HERE

GETTING HIS SHEEP OFF
THIS VERY ROUGH GROUND,

IT'S LIKE SAYING, WELL, HOW
ON EARTH COULD HE HAVE...

HOW COULD HE DO THIS
WITHOUT THOSE DOGS?

AND THE SORT OF ANCESTRAL
TERRAIN FOR SHEEP AND GOATS

IS THIS KIND OF TERRAIN.

SO MY ARGUMENT WOULD
BE, PEOPLE WOULD NEVER

HAVE EMBARKED ON THAT
EXPEDITION, IF YOU LIKE,

TO DOMESTICATE SHEEP AND GOATS,

IF THEY DIDN'T HAVE

THE HELP OF DOGS.

I THINK IT WAS HAVING THE DOG

THAT PRECIPITATED
THAT DOMESTICATION.

MAYBE IT WOULD
NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.

MAYBE WE'D STILL BE
HUNTERS AND GATHERERS,

IF IT WASN'T FOR DOGS.

Abraham: EVERY DAY,
ACROSS THE WORLD,

FROM THE PLAINS

OF ARGENTINA

TO THE ICY MOUNTAINS
OF NEW ZEALAND,

HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF HERDING DOGS

SET OUT TO FEARLESSLY
PERFORM TASKS

THAT WE COULD NOT
ACHIEVE BY OURSELVES.

WHEN THE WOLF
STEPPED OUT OF THE WILD

AND TRANSFORMED ITSELF
INTO A DOG IN EAST ASIA

UP TO 15,000 YEARS AGO,

IT CHANGED HUMAN LIFE FOREVER.

IF WE UNDERSTAND
THE ESSENTIAL ROLE

THESE DOGS HAVE PLAYED

IN THE HISTORY OF
THE HUMAN WORLD...

AS A HUNTER, TO FEED US...

AS A GUARD, TO PROTECT US...

AS A HEALING AND
SPIRITUAL COMPANION...

AS A HERDER, TO GIVE US

MASTERY OVER OTHER ANIMALS...

AND AS A GUIDE INTO
UNKNOWN TERRITORIES...

THEN WE UNDERSTAND
WHY DOGS HAVE EARNED

A UNIQUE AND FUNDAMENTAL PLACE

IN THE HUMAN HEART.

IN THE NEXT EPISODE,

THE DOG'S INCREDIBLE
JOURNEY OF EVOLUTION

BECOMES AN EXPLOSION OF BREEDS.

THE FIVE EARLY TYPES
OF WORKING DOG

WERE TO BE SHAPED
BY THE ENVIRONMENT,

AND THEN BY HUMAN HAND,

WITH DRAMATIC RESULTS.

WE DISCOVER HOW THE
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

AND THE DAWN OF
THE VICTORIAN AGE

WOULD TRANSFORM THE DOG

INTO THE MOST VARIED
SPECIES ON EARTH.

Man: THE SHOW RING NOW

WAS LEADING IN THE TYPE OF DOGS

THAT WERE BEING EXHIBITED
AND THEREFORE BRED.

Abraham: WE DISCOVER
THAT 400 BREEDS

OF EVERY IMAGINABLE
SHAPE AND SIZE

WERE TO BE CREATED.

WE FIND OUT WHY THE MODERN WORLD

IS WITNESSING A CRISIS

IN OUR RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE DOG.

AND WE LOOK AT AMAZING NEW WAYS

IN WHICH THE DOG'S
SENSORY ABILITY

IS HELPING THE HUMAN WORLD,

WHEN WE MEET THE DOG
THAT IS SAVING A CHILD'S LIFE

EVERY DAY AND NIGHT.

TO LEARN MORE

ABOUT WHAT YOU'VE SEEN

ON THIS "NATURE" PROGRAM,