Something equally remarkable is that he will also understand when you're upset or hurt and will actively try to cheer you up by coming to cuddle you or putting his paw on your lap or bringing you his favourite cuddly toy. Even before we spot the wrong he's done, he'll pre-empt our possible annoyance with distinct body language and wanting to cuddle us. What's remarkable is his ability to choose to show sorrow and ask for forgiveness if he's been naughty. If he hears someone he knows on the phone, he'll 'ask' to see them (getting his collar and your coat for example). We have to spell out lots of words otherwise he knows what we're talking about and acts on it. But our Border Collie, a normal sort of mutt, is just about as intelligent. The Border Collie in this docu is amazing. Man's best friend has recently gone one step further - helping us identify genes responsible for causing human diseases. Why are dogs so good at reading our emotions? Horizon meets Betsy, reputedly the world's most intelligent dog, and compares her incredible abilities to those of children. Swedish scientists demonstrate how the human/dog bond is controlled by a powerful hormone also responsible for bonding mothers to their babies.

Where does this relationship come from? In Siberia, a unique breeding experiment reveals the astonishing secret of how dogs evolved from wolves. From the latest fossil evidence, to the sequencing of the canine genome, to cognitive experiments, dogs are fast turning into the new chimps as a window into understanding ourselves. Research into dogs is gaining momentum, and scientists are investigating them like never before.

But what makes the bond between us so special? We have an extraordinary relationship with dogs - closer than with any other animal on the planet.

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