Six Puppies and Us

The first few weeks of having a puppy are probably the most challenging. This episode shows funny and dramatic stories as the new puppies throw up a bewildering variety of challenges. Ralph, a beautiful sleek gundog, has decided that the fluffy living room rug is his toilet, and challenges the family's other, older dog mercilessly. Stan, a gentle giant rescue dog, has developed a phobia of one particular quiet country lane and refuses to go down it. Lola keeps her owners up all night by playing. Stewie, a tiny Yorkie cross, thinks he's a big dog and menaces the neighbourhood, and Byron nips repeatedly, terrorising his new family and wounding the children and their friends. As this two-part series follows the puppies through the first two months in their new homes, a trying and sometimes shocking time, the fascinating science behind their development and behaviour is explained. Why they bite and chew, why early socialisation is so crucial, and how to manage the 'fear imprint' stage.

In this second episode, the owners have made it through the first trying months, but now adolescence hits. For many puppy owners this is the most trying time of all. Common problems include aggression, humping and roaming. Half of dogs are abandoned at this stage due to owners refusing to work through their dog's problems. Stewie, the tiny Yorkiepoo, makes a bid for stardom, becoming the cover star of a leading puppy fashion catalogue. Lola is being trained by Colette to be her assistance dog, but only if Colette can stop her jumping up and biting. 15-year-old Jack France decides to follow in his dad's footsteps and train his border collie Jess to be a sheepdog-trialling champion.