The Wonder of Dogs

Episode one
Does leg length make a difference to the way a dog moves? Do you care what the answer is? If yes, then ‘The Wonder of Dogs’ will have you gripped as it poses questions about the evolution and physiology of this most diverse of species.

Ever-affable animal-lover Kate Humble, vet Steve Leonard and excitable historian Ruth Goodman head up this three-part series, with further help from the 120 dogs that live in one Oxfordshire village. Their owners are rarely part of the canine investigations – a shame, as the subtext of inter-species friendship has previously made for some wildly intriguing and hugely entertaining TV.

Still, it would be unfair to judge this programme on that omission, as it’s clearly been designed to tread more scientific ground. And it does so nimbly, darting from one study – how a dog shakes off water, for example – to the next (how a greyhound runs faster than other dogs). As it goes, it draws in expert interviews and plenty of pet footage. But to think this is enough to entertain for three hours is truly barking.