E03 | Wonderful World of Puppies | First steps

The Puppies are back with extraordinary, moving and funny stories from the most important months of their lives, starring puppies great and small, some with very unusual jobs. This time, there’s the latest on the progress of Hungarian Vizsla pup, Gilbert. He is suffering from a condition which affects his back legs. Regular physio and hydrotherapy have seen small improvements but now he must move from his birth home to his forever home. Luckily, for Gilbert, he has been found a new human mum and dad who devote a lot of time to him and, at last, he is able to stand unaided and even take his first tentative step. We meet Barley, the giant twenty kilo Newfoundland pup. Newfoundlands were originally bred in the Canadian Arctic to be water rescue dogs and Barley’s human parents want to train her to do just that. But… Barley doesn’t seem very keen on training… or on water! We meet a newly born litter of Labradors who will all become assistance dogs, helping people with physical or learning disabilities. Even from their early weeks, our puppies are assessed for their potential to carry out such responsible roles. On a farm in County Down, Northern Ireland, we meet puppies that have been bred to look like wolves, but behave like domestic dogs – Tamaskans. They could probably do with an inner wolf to give them the courage they need to venture outside and then come face to face with one of the larger inhabitants of the farm. We catch up with our litter of Mexican Hairless - or xoloitzcuintli – puppies as they experience their first bath & oil. And we join our Essex girls - the cockapoo sisters - for a reunion in the park.