13. A dog's great strength, speed and agility are explored

2011 - Season 1

In California, the American Kennel Club hosts an annual competition, which is visited by nearly 3,000 of the world’s top canines. Dogs and owners from all 50 American states are in attendance, so the competition is stiff. Each year, the strongest five contenders from each breed compete for the title of Top Dog. One dog vying for the crown is Masher. He is a papillon spaniel – a breed that is renowned for its agility. Will Masher best the competition and be crowned winner? Once a year, on the beautiful island of Honolulu, Hawaii, a talented group of defence dogs and handlers gathers for the Hawaiian Islands Working Dog Competition. This challenging contest summons teams from the army, police, marines and air force to compete for the title of Hardest Hitting Dog. With tests of their agility, stamina and obedience, these pooches represent some of the most talented working dogs in the forces. Watch them demonstrate the skills that have saved many human lives in the past. Labrador Lola is a real canine hero. Together with her handler Cristian, Lola helps find victims of earthquakes all over the world, as well as people who have gone missing in the wilds of her native Argentina. Lola can detect alive and dead bodies from hundreds of metres away. Her speed and agility also mean that she can be much quicker at finding people in trouble than humans can. Witness her impressive skills as she trains in a densely forested area just outside Buenos Aires.

12. The Uncommon Nose

2011 - Season 1

In 2008, Malaysia established the first ever unit dedicated solely to detecting pirated discs, bringing canine experts Paddy and Maddy over from Northern Ireland to help. Trained by FACT in the UK, the dogs work closely with the Malaysian government. The pooches have the ability to sniff through locked steel doors in order to point authorities to stacks of pirated movies. This programme joins black Labrador Paddy on patrol. His previous work has seen him uncover 35,000 pirated DVDs, and he is trained to specifically sniff for polycarbonate, which is used in the manufacture of the illegal discs. Sam, a springer spaniel, is one of the UK’s leading fire investigation dogs. Sam has been trained to sniff out potential fire accelerants in the aftermath of an inferno. He is able to smell and detect 16 different substances, even those that are odourless to human senses. Sam has worked on over 60 fire investigations, and his keen senses have even led to the arrest of an arsonist. Seven-year-old Eros and his handler Hidehiro Murase work for Japan’s Rescue Dog Trainers Association. As part of a tested and approved rescue dog team, the pair can be called upon in the event of a disaster anywhere in the world. This programme joins Eros and Hidehiro as they take part in a regular training exercise.

11. The Unassuming Hero

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The Sussex Police Working Dogs.

10. Instinct: The Sixth Sense (Part 2)

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Natural instinct to serve and protect.

9. A Study of Strength

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Dogs performing in extreme conditions.

8. Critical Sight

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Dogs sense of sight helps human masters.

7. Instinct: The Sixth Sense (Part 1)

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Exploring a dog's tracking ability.

6. The Mystery of Healing (Part 2)

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Investigating the healing power of dogs.

5. Above and Beyond Loyal

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Exploring dogs' famously strong sense of loyalty. Featuring a heroic Alsatian, a teenage girl and her champion sheepdog and a charity that uses animals to help autistic children.

4. Crucial Hearing

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Advanced sense of hearing aids masters.

3. Myth and Reality

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Dogs intuition about their owners.

2. The Mystery of Healing (Part 1)

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Investigating curative powers of dogs.

1. The Power in Movement (Part 1)

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Featuring a helicopter-based rescue.

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