Episode 2

S01 E02 • Thursday, Feb 11, 2016 • Feb 11

Chris Packham and Liz Bonnin battle it out over five more rounds as they put our favourite pets through their paces, beginning with which animal is easier to train? Chris uncovers brand new research in Budapest which suggests that dogs' brains may actually respond positively to our praise, which could make them easier to train. Not to be outdone, Liz meets an amazing cat called Cosmos who can choose his own TV channels. Round two looks at communication. Chris knows that humans can understand most dog barks, but how well do cat owners understand cat meows? Liz puts them to the test. Border collie Gable can recognise over 150 words, and in Vienna, Chris discovers whether dogs can distinguish between happy and sad human faces. In round three, Liz runs her version of the 'stress factor' where, along with a team of researchers, she finds out which is better at reducing our stress, a cat or a dog? Round four is about independence. Liz meets Bob, a cheeky roving cat with several owners. Closer to home, Chris is dismayed to see his own poodles display signs of anxiety when he leaves the house. The final round looks at the big question: do our cats and dogs really love us? The love hormone oxytocin has already been studied in dogs. But in a world first, the programme looks at oxytocin in cats too. Chris and Liz get the exclusive results of this groundbreaking new research at the end of the series and reveal some surprising new science about how we bond with our pets. Chris and Liz sum up their findings, but who will come out on top, the cats or the dogs?