WEBVTT 00:00:13.520 --> 00:00:16.480 For as long as we've shared our lives with pets, 00:00:16.560 --> 00:00:19.440 we've been seeking better ways to communicate with them. 00:00:19.520 --> 00:00:22.040 Do you wanna play? Yeah, look at that little tail. 00:00:23.360 --> 00:00:27.440 In Washington state, Alexis Devine and her sheepadoodle Bunny… 00:00:27.520 --> 00:00:28.440 Come play with me. 00:00:29.440 --> 00:00:32.840 …think they've found a way of making communication a reality. 00:00:34.480 --> 00:00:37.480 I have had Bunny since she was eight weeks old, 00:00:37.560 --> 00:00:39.320 so about almost two years. 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:44.000 I've wanted a dog for as long as I can remember. 00:00:44.080 --> 00:00:46.920 And as you can probably guess, it's completely changed my life. 00:00:47.960 --> 00:00:50.200 Like all first-time puppy owners, 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:52.920 Alexis wanted to build a deep bond. 00:00:54.320 --> 00:00:56.520 - -Are you happier now? 00:00:56.800 --> 00:01:01.920 But she went further than most, with a set of communication buttons… 00:01:02.760 --> 00:01:06.160 What do you want? Hmm? 00:01:06.760 --> 00:01:09.600 Each programmed with a pre-recorded word 00:01:09.680 --> 00:01:13.320 to help humans and animals speak the same language. 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:15.600 Play. Love you. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:18.280 Okay. I love you too. 00:01:18.360 --> 00:01:20.920 I love you, Bunny. 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:24.560 I'm not a scientist, not a dog trainer, not a speech language pathologist. 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.720 It just felt like there was so much potential for me to grow 00:01:27.800 --> 00:01:31.000 and learn things about myself through building this relationship. 00:01:32.400 --> 00:01:35.000 Sharing their progress on social media, 00:01:35.080 --> 00:01:38.760 Alexis kicked off her experiment with a single button, 00:01:38.840 --> 00:01:42.560 giving ten-week-old Bunny a way of asking to leave the house. 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:45.800 I just started by pressing it every time we would go outside. 00:01:45.880 --> 00:01:48.360 I would press the button "outside," say the word "outside," 00:01:48.440 --> 00:01:49.760 we would go outside. 00:01:49.840 --> 00:01:53.960 And after about three weeks of doing that consistently, she was using the button. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:01:56.240 Outside. 00:01:56.320 --> 00:02:00.080 Do you need to go outside? Yes? 00:02:01.320 --> 00:02:04.480 I squealed. I was like, "Oh, my God! Did you just say outside?" 00:02:05.240 --> 00:02:06.400 Outside. 00:02:07.800 --> 00:02:09.360 Wanna go outside now? 00:02:09.440 --> 00:02:11.760 It was a light bulb moment for both of us. 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:14.200 Outside. Outside. 00:02:14.280 --> 00:02:15.800 Outside later, Bunny. 00:02:20.080 --> 00:02:24.120 Now. Hap… Happy. Happy. Happy. 00:02:35.480 --> 00:02:39.240 In Washington state, chatty pooch Bunny is now two years old. 00:02:40.240 --> 00:02:43.160 She has 90 buttons with which to express herself 00:02:43.760 --> 00:02:47.160 and even seems to combine them into simple sentences. 00:02:48.480 --> 00:02:51.440 Later. Outside. 00:02:51.520 --> 00:02:53.080 Later outside? Yes. 00:02:53.160 --> 00:02:56.160 Their online clips have captured the imagination 00:02:56.240 --> 00:02:58.920 of over seven million internet followers… 00:02:59.400 --> 00:03:01.640 - Friend. - Yeah, Bunny friend. 00:03:01.720 --> 00:03:02.680 That's right. 00:03:03.600 --> 00:03:08.600 …intrigued by what appears to be genuine cross-species communication. 00:03:09.720 --> 00:03:10.600 Mom. 00:03:10.680 --> 00:03:13.000 Yes, that's me. What can I do for you? 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:17.760 Some of the most popular videos were Bunny saying, "Mom, love you." 00:03:19.440 --> 00:03:21.320 Love you. 00:03:21.400 --> 00:03:23.920 Love you, too. Come here. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:28.120 She uses it several times a week, and it's heart-melting every single time. 00:03:28.680 --> 00:03:30.160 Love you, Mom. 00:03:30.680 --> 00:03:32.880 Oh, I love you too, Bunny. 00:03:32.960 --> 00:03:35.280 She'll press, "Love you, Mom" and then come right over to me 00:03:35.360 --> 00:03:37.080 and place her chin in my hand. 00:03:38.360 --> 00:03:39.800 Mom, love you. 00:03:39.880 --> 00:03:42.520 Love you too! 00:03:42.600 --> 00:03:46.320 Until now, we've believed dogs are only capable 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:48.480 of expressing basic needs. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:51.080 But many clips appear to show Bunny exhibiting 00:03:51.160 --> 00:03:53.120 far more sophisticated cognition. 00:03:53.200 --> 00:03:54.160 All done. 00:03:55.320 --> 00:03:56.320 Please. 00:03:57.360 --> 00:03:59.720 She did say the other day, she said, um, 00:04:00.920 --> 00:04:02.120 "You human, hi." 00:04:02.640 --> 00:04:04.360 While I was on the couch working, 00:04:04.440 --> 00:04:06.200 and she was at the board, she's looking at me, 00:04:06.280 --> 00:04:11.520 looking down at the board, looking at me, "You human, hi." Like, "Huh? What?" 00:04:12.240 --> 00:04:13.560 Yeah, it's mind-blowing. 00:04:13.640 --> 00:04:15.040 Cat. Mom. 00:04:15.120 --> 00:04:18.120 But the big question remains, has Bunny grasped 00:04:18.200 --> 00:04:20.000 the true meaning of each button? 00:04:20.080 --> 00:04:21.280 You hear a cat sound? 00:04:21.360 --> 00:04:23.800 Or is she simply repeating the combinations 00:04:23.880 --> 00:04:26.400 that elicit the best reactions from Alexis? 00:04:27.520 --> 00:04:28.920 Yes, cat. 00:04:29.000 --> 00:04:31.800 I've considered myself a hopeful skeptic since day one, 00:04:31.880 --> 00:04:35.480 and the longer I do this, the less skeptical I am capable of being. 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:41.000 One clip that suggests Bunny may understand words 00:04:41.080 --> 00:04:44.720 showed what appeared to be a startling self-diagnosis. 00:04:45.440 --> 00:04:46.320 Help. 00:04:47.320 --> 00:04:48.240 Ouch. 00:04:49.080 --> 00:04:50.320 Help, ouch? 00:04:50.400 --> 00:04:53.160 She went over to the board, she pressed, "Help, ouch." 00:04:53.760 --> 00:04:54.880 Where "ouch?" 00:04:56.240 --> 00:04:57.120 Paw. 00:04:57.200 --> 00:04:58.560 In your paw? 00:04:58.640 --> 00:04:59.640 Let me see your paw. 00:05:00.160 --> 00:05:03.760 I felt between her toes, and lo and behold, there was a foxtail on there 00:05:03.840 --> 00:05:07.400 that I was able to remove before it required medical intervention. 00:05:07.480 --> 00:05:12.000 This was the stranger in her paw. She's got a mat between her, ow, toes. 00:05:13.640 --> 00:05:14.880 Bye. 00:05:14.960 --> 00:05:18.480 The extraordinary potential of a dog identifying pain 00:05:18.560 --> 00:05:22.920 in a specific area of its body alerted the University of San Diego, 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:25.920 who now monitor Bunny around the clock 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:27.760 as part of an ongoing study. 00:05:28.880 --> 00:05:29.720 Play. 00:05:29.800 --> 00:05:32.280 Among others, they hope she can answer a question 00:05:32.360 --> 00:05:34.600 that has long puzzled scientists, 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:37.200 do dogs have a sense of self? 00:05:37.800 --> 00:05:40.480 Something usually attributed only to humans. 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:41.560 Who? 00:05:50.360 --> 00:05:51.240 Who? 00:05:53.760 --> 00:05:56.360 It started about six months ago, um, 00:05:56.440 --> 00:05:59.200 when she would look in the mirror and press ,"Who this?" 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:01.200 Who this? 00:06:01.880 --> 00:06:05.640 She went nose-to-nose with herself in the mirror, pressed, "Dog, Bunny." 00:06:06.680 --> 00:06:07.800 Look. 00:06:07.880 --> 00:06:08.960 Bunny no. 00:06:09.480 --> 00:06:10.560 Which is just incredible. 00:06:10.640 --> 00:06:14.080 It doesn't prove anything, obviously, but it's fascinating, amazing… 00:06:14.680 --> 00:06:15.960 Dog. 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:19.480 Dog why? And that. Um. 00:06:22.240 --> 00:06:23.560 Okay, let's go for a walk. 00:06:23.640 --> 00:06:27.200 So far, Bunny's raised more questions than answers. 00:06:27.280 --> 00:06:31.520 But in just two years, she and Alexis have become poster girls 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:34.560 for a new trend of pet communication. 00:06:34.640 --> 00:06:35.640 Come, this way. 00:06:37.320 --> 00:06:40.480 With luck, technology will someday allow dogs 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:42.440 to truly express themselves. 00:06:44.600 --> 00:06:47.040 But one pet is already a high-flyer 00:06:47.120 --> 00:06:49.680 when it comes to speaking our language. 00:06:49.760 --> 00:06:50.720 Pretty bird. 00:06:56.380 --> 00:07:00.140 The undisputed masters of verbal communication 00:07:00.220 --> 00:07:01.380 are our pet parrots. 00:07:01.460 --> 00:07:02.660 Bye, bye. 00:07:03.380 --> 00:07:06.500 And if speaking our vernacular wasn't clever enough, 00:07:06.580 --> 00:07:09.580 parrots have even learned to fool devices 00:07:09.660 --> 00:07:12.540 designed to recognize human voices. 00:07:12.620 --> 00:07:13.660 Alexa. 00:07:18.420 --> 00:07:21.180 And although parrot owners usually don't know 00:07:21.260 --> 00:07:23.140 what takes place while they're out, 00:07:24.620 --> 00:07:28.060 new technology means now the evidence is there 00:07:28.140 --> 00:07:29.700 for all to hear. 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:34.660 Alexa, read my shopping list. 00:07:34.740 --> 00:07:37.340 You have 19 items on your shopping list. 00:07:37.420 --> 00:07:39.700 Here are the five most recent. 00:07:39.780 --> 00:07:44.820 Strawberries, strawberries, strawberries. 00:07:44.900 --> 00:07:48.980 - Strawberries, strawberries. 00:07:49.060 --> 00:07:51.180 Would you like to hear the next five items? 00:07:51.260 --> 00:07:54.740 Who ordered the strawberries, Beeps? 00:07:54.820 --> 00:07:58.420 Thankfully, parrots' tastes don't extend to champagne 00:07:58.500 --> 00:07:59.740 with their strawberries. 00:08:01.420 --> 00:08:02.380 Peekaboo. 00:08:02.460 --> 00:08:05.980 We're seeing how our pet parrots are master communicators. 00:08:06.060 --> 00:08:07.260 Peekaboo. 00:08:07.340 --> 00:08:10.780 But how did they acquire this incredible ability to speak? 00:08:11.660 --> 00:08:12.700 Peekaboo. 00:08:14.820 --> 00:08:17.860 In Venezuela, researchers believe 00:08:17.940 --> 00:08:19.620 they've finally identified 00:08:19.700 --> 00:08:21.980 the origins of this "copycat talent." 00:08:27.140 --> 00:08:31.180 A study of green parrotlets flagged variations in the noises 00:08:31.260 --> 00:08:35.820 used by the parents when calling to each of their different offspring. 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:45.300 It seems the parents allocate an individual sound to each chick. 00:08:48.420 --> 00:08:52.540 And the chicks respond by repeating the same noise back at them. 00:08:58.340 --> 00:09:01.020 It's like the parents have named their kids, 00:09:01.100 --> 00:09:04.380 and their first spoken words are their own names. 00:09:11.140 --> 00:09:14.300 As they mature, this copycat superpower 00:09:14.380 --> 00:09:18.220 allows them to communicate with us in remarkable ways. 00:09:22.620 --> 00:09:24.860 In Knoxville, Tennessee, 00:09:24.940 --> 00:09:27.340 meet Einstein the African grey 00:09:27.420 --> 00:09:29.780 and her pal Adam Patterson. 00:09:29.860 --> 00:09:31.500 Let's go make some people's day today. 00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:32.860 - Oh yeah. - Yeah? 00:09:32.940 --> 00:09:34.620 Over a 15-year friendship… 00:09:34.700 --> 00:09:36.100 Blow their minds that you can talk. 00:09:36.180 --> 00:09:41.220 …their ability to communicate has developed into a unique partnership. 00:09:41.300 --> 00:09:42.780 -Einstein, you ready? -You ready? 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:46.300 I'm ready. You guys seen the tigers today? Can you do a big cat? 00:09:47.420 --> 00:09:49.860 Can you do a cat? Cat. 00:09:50.900 --> 00:09:53.580 From mimicking her parents when she was a chick, 00:09:53.660 --> 00:09:56.420 34-year-old Einstein has matured 00:09:56.500 --> 00:10:01.060 into a lifelong vocal learner, copying noises just for fun. 00:10:01.660 --> 00:10:03.100 Can you do a tiger? 00:10:03.180 --> 00:10:05.500 Roar. There it is. 00:10:06.020 --> 00:10:09.460 The way that African greys learn, and pretty much any animal, 00:10:09.540 --> 00:10:10.660 but especially greys, 00:10:10.740 --> 00:10:13.700 'cause we can see it a lot easier 'cause they're so smart, 00:10:13.780 --> 00:10:16.020 is through associative learning. 00:10:16.100 --> 00:10:17.980 Einstein will make a vocalization. 00:10:18.060 --> 00:10:20.220 Can you say "hi?" Can you agree? 00:10:20.300 --> 00:10:21.820 - Yes. - Yeah. 00:10:21.900 --> 00:10:25.540 And if we like that sound, we'll start reinforcing it. 00:10:25.620 --> 00:10:29.900 So, what's the reinforcer? Well, I think the biggest part of it is praise. 00:10:29.980 --> 00:10:33.700 She grabs our attention, we'll turn around and say, "Good!" 00:10:33.780 --> 00:10:36.780 Then we'll give her a little treat, sunflower seed, peanut, peas. 00:10:36.860 --> 00:10:38.940 -Can you introduce yourself? -Einstein. 00:10:39.020 --> 00:10:39.940 Very good. 00:10:41.100 --> 00:10:44.700 And she goes, "Oh, well, that got me a lot of attention and food." 00:10:44.780 --> 00:10:48.380 "Maybe I'll make that sound again." And so she'll keep making that sound, 00:10:48.460 --> 00:10:50.700 we'll keep reinforcing it until she's doing it a lot. 00:10:50.780 --> 00:10:52.260 What do you say to a good-looking man? 00:10:52.340 --> 00:10:54.420 -Hey, baby. -"Hey, baby." Can you be more polite? 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:56.020 -Hey, sweetheart. -"Hey, sweetheart." 00:10:56.100 --> 00:10:58.660 Everything is voluntary. She chooses to do it. 00:10:58.740 --> 00:11:02.700 And sometimes, I think she does it because she likes the sound of her own voice. 00:11:03.860 --> 00:11:07.300 Could she do, like, the Pokémon… 00:11:07.380 --> 00:11:09.940 The Pokémon! Einstein, what do you think? 00:11:10.020 --> 00:11:11.660 - No. - No? 00:11:12.300 --> 00:11:16.700 Einstein's vocal dexterity has a lot to do with her muscular tongue. 00:11:17.740 --> 00:11:20.420 In most birds, it's thin and stick-like, 00:11:20.940 --> 00:11:23.260 but a parrot's is more like ours. 00:11:24.860 --> 00:11:26.700 How about the pretty songbirds? 00:11:26.780 --> 00:11:28.620 Yeah, tweet, tweet, tweet. 00:11:28.700 --> 00:11:32.180 That's the sound you expect a parrot to make, right? 00:11:32.260 --> 00:11:35.460 But unlike humans, Einstein doesn't have vocal cords 00:11:35.540 --> 00:11:36.500 or a voice box. 00:11:36.580 --> 00:11:40.660 Instead, she has a bundle of muscles in her throat called the syrinx. 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:44.260 And it's this that enables her to form words. 00:11:44.340 --> 00:11:47.380 Einstein likes to dance too, but she doesn't like to dance alone. 00:11:47.460 --> 00:11:50.780 You have to dance with her. Can you get it going? Bob the head up and down. 00:11:50.860 --> 00:11:53.340 There she goes. Yeah. Can you get down, Einstein? 00:11:56.420 --> 00:12:00.780 Einstein has a repertoire of 200 sounds, including words, 00:12:00.860 --> 00:12:03.340 and knows at least 70 on cue. 00:12:04.620 --> 00:12:07.780 - Einstein, what're you doing? - What're you doing? 00:12:09.540 --> 00:12:13.060 But does this impressive feat of memory mean she understands 00:12:13.140 --> 00:12:14.620 the language she's repeating? 00:12:14.700 --> 00:12:17.420 - Hello, sweetheart. - You're special. 00:12:18.180 --> 00:12:21.420 According to Adam, there are signs that she does. 00:12:21.500 --> 00:12:23.940 She likes to give me a hard time 'cause people laugh. 00:12:24.020 --> 00:12:26.900 So, I'll ask her for a vocalization, a sound, 00:12:26.980 --> 00:12:28.940 and she'll give me the wrong one. 00:12:29.020 --> 00:12:32.260 How about a dog? Can you bark? 00:12:33.300 --> 00:12:34.420 And people laugh. 00:12:34.500 --> 00:12:39.660 So she loves kind of just messing with me, getting that laugh from the public. 00:12:40.260 --> 00:12:41.860 Can you do a red wolf? 00:12:41.940 --> 00:12:44.780 Well, that was a kiss. 00:12:44.860 --> 00:12:48.620 That wolf wants to give you a kiss. Let's try again. Let's howl like a wolf. 00:12:48.700 --> 00:12:50.100 Can you do a wolf? 00:12:50.180 --> 00:12:52.220 - There it is! Good job. - Wow. 00:12:52.300 --> 00:12:55.340 Being able to communicate with an animal like Einstein 00:12:55.420 --> 00:12:58.540 just really strengthens the bond that I can have with her. 00:12:58.620 --> 00:13:00.780 She talks to me in… in her own way 00:13:00.860 --> 00:13:02.100 sometimes vocally, 00:13:02.620 --> 00:13:05.620 sometimes behaviorally, and… and I communicate back with her. 00:13:05.700 --> 00:13:07.900 It's a very special… special bond. 00:13:11.980 --> 00:13:14.860 Even pets that aren't able to mimic our language 00:13:15.740 --> 00:13:18.140 find ways to make themselves understood. 00:13:21.180 --> 00:13:23.980 But of all our furry friends, who's top dog 00:13:24.060 --> 00:13:26.380 when it comes to communicating with humans? 00:13:31.140 --> 00:13:33.660 Dogs have been our best friends for millennia. 00:13:35.180 --> 00:13:37.620 And in that time, we humans have become experts 00:13:37.700 --> 00:13:39.780 - in reading their emotional state… 00:13:42.180 --> 00:13:43.860 …purely from their barks. 00:13:46.980 --> 00:13:49.860 So, in effect, we have made the effort to understand them. 00:14:00.020 --> 00:14:03.180 But let's not underestimate our chatty cats. 00:14:06.020 --> 00:14:08.620 - After 8,000 years of living by our sides… 00:14:08.700 --> 00:14:12.660 …they have learned a trick or two about communicating with us. 00:14:14.300 --> 00:14:16.860 Meowing is something cats do with their mothers. 00:14:20.700 --> 00:14:23.980 The only other creature they meow at is us, 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:27.060 because cats have learned how well it works 00:14:27.140 --> 00:14:29.260 at getting us to do what they want. 00:14:30.260 --> 00:14:32.780 They even change the sound of their meows. 00:14:33.540 --> 00:14:36.820 - Combining them with chirrups and purrs… 00:14:36.900 --> 00:14:39.980 …to make the most irresistible combinations. 00:14:44.100 --> 00:14:46.660 And now, a ground-breaking new study 00:14:46.740 --> 00:14:50.900 has found they may even copy one aspect of human voices. 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:52.940 - Our accents. 00:14:56.700 --> 00:14:57.700 This cat… 00:14:57.780 --> 00:15:00.060 - Aye. - You're a good boy, aye? 00:15:01.020 --> 00:15:02.660 - Aye. - Aye. 00:15:03.220 --> 00:15:06.140 …lives with his Northern Irish owner, 00:15:06.220 --> 00:15:08.540 a country with a distinctive accent. 00:15:09.060 --> 00:15:10.620 - Aye. - Aye. 00:15:12.500 --> 00:15:17.380 And in America, this cat lives with their owner in the Southern States. 00:15:17.460 --> 00:15:18.980 Well, hi! 00:15:19.780 --> 00:15:23.380 - Yes, you did hear that right. - Well, hi! 00:15:24.300 --> 00:15:27.300 - Okay. Okay. - Okay. Okay. 00:15:27.380 --> 00:15:30.820 - Okay. Okay. - Okay. Okay. 00:15:30.900 --> 00:15:33.780 While these two appear so in sync, it’s hard to know 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:35.180 who is mimicking who. 00:15:35.260 --> 00:15:38.820 - Okay. Okay. - Okay. Okay. 00:15:40.740 --> 00:15:44.380 So, some pets learn to copy us as they mature. 00:15:45.180 --> 00:15:49.140 But how can we become better at interpreting the sounds made by them? 00:15:52.620 --> 00:15:57.100 All pets are especially appealing when they are new-born bundles of fluff, 00:15:58.020 --> 00:16:00.540 which helps trigger our impulse to care for them. 00:16:01.700 --> 00:16:04.820 And the sounds they make are irresistible too. 00:16:07.980 --> 00:16:10.780 Tiny and vulnerable in their first weeks of life, 00:16:10.860 --> 00:16:12.940 most can’t see or hear, 00:16:13.020 --> 00:16:17.740 leaving them dependent on Mom for food and protection around the clock. 00:16:20.740 --> 00:16:22.820 But one pet doesn’t follow this rule… 00:16:24.420 --> 00:16:25.500 …the guinea pig. 00:16:29.860 --> 00:16:32.940 Little Melissa here was born one week ago, 00:16:33.020 --> 00:16:36.540 fully furred with her hearing and vision working perfectly, 00:16:37.300 --> 00:16:38.820 and for good reason. 00:16:41.940 --> 00:16:45.500 This is where Melissa would have been born in the wild, 00:16:46.260 --> 00:16:48.500 on the slopes of the high Andes in Peru. 00:16:51.500 --> 00:16:54.340 A landscape with few places to hide 00:16:55.860 --> 00:16:58.100 and plenty of large predators. 00:17:00.180 --> 00:17:03.340 That’s why it’s crucial she was born ready to run. 00:17:10.340 --> 00:17:12.900 Her ability to communicate comes in handy 00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:15.420 when Melissa gets separated from Mom. 00:17:19.140 --> 00:17:21.940 From the second she was born, Melissa has been repeating 00:17:22.020 --> 00:17:24.780 the chutting noise made by her mother. 00:17:27.580 --> 00:17:30.980 In the wild, it's the guinea pigs' way of staying close. 00:17:32.900 --> 00:17:36.420 There's safety in numbers, and Mom can even recognize the sound 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:39.580 of her own babies by the sound of their chutting. 00:17:45.420 --> 00:17:49.420 Guinea pigs go on to develop a huge range of different sounds 00:17:50.780 --> 00:17:53.900 and respond when humans attempt to join in. 00:17:56.420 --> 00:17:57.820 Here are some examples. 00:17:58.820 --> 00:18:01.900 Wheeking indicates excitement or anticipation. 00:18:04.900 --> 00:18:08.340 This is a sound guinea pigs often make around humans. 00:18:13.940 --> 00:18:16.580 Rumbling usually made around courtship 00:18:16.660 --> 00:18:18.860 or when trying to display dominance. 00:18:22.420 --> 00:18:24.780 While if your guinea pig is chutting, 00:18:24.860 --> 00:18:27.420 you know they’re feeling happy and safe, 00:18:27.500 --> 00:18:29.460 and you're doing something right. 00:18:32.340 --> 00:18:34.980 All pets gauge our mood from the way we behave, 00:18:35.980 --> 00:18:40.820 but only one has turned reading our body language into an art form. 00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:46.180 Dog owners will be familiar with the feeling 00:18:46.260 --> 00:18:49.340 of being closely observed by their pooches. 00:18:51.140 --> 00:18:55.140 They watch us so intently, it seems they become mind readers. 00:18:57.300 --> 00:18:59.140 Take Gabriel here. 00:18:59.900 --> 00:19:04.340 After a busy morning checking his emails, he decides to take Strike for a walk. 00:19:07.060 --> 00:19:09.900 He hasn’t said a word or looked at Strike, 00:19:09.980 --> 00:19:13.980 so how is it that Strike seems to have taken the lead? 00:19:14.980 --> 00:19:15.860 Literally. 00:19:17.380 --> 00:19:20.060 To find out, let's run that again. 00:19:27.500 --> 00:19:31.860 As Gabriel finishes his email and decides it’s walkies time, 00:19:31.940 --> 00:19:37.100 Strike is watching him closely enough to pick up on several minute cues. 00:19:40.300 --> 00:19:42.300 Gabriel’s eyes flick to the clock, 00:19:42.980 --> 00:19:46.460 something Strike has noticed in the run up to a walk before. 00:19:47.780 --> 00:19:50.180 Gabriel checks his phone one last time, 00:19:50.260 --> 00:19:52.980 another indication that he’s planning a move. 00:19:56.740 --> 00:19:59.020 Even before he’s grabbed his keys, 00:19:59.100 --> 00:20:01.780 Strike is already planning his exit. 00:20:02.660 --> 00:20:06.860 So by the time Gabriel’s actually ready to deliver the good news, 00:20:07.820 --> 00:20:10.140 Strike is already three steps ahead. 00:20:15.060 --> 00:20:18.540 It's canine clairvoyance at its finest. 00:20:26.780 --> 00:20:31.340 But dogs aren’t the only pets with an uncanny ability to understand us 00:20:31.420 --> 00:20:34.060 and even sense our needs. 00:20:41.340 --> 00:20:45.540 In Cornwall, NHS worker Emma is making the most of summer 00:20:45.620 --> 00:20:47.580 on the southwest coast of England 00:20:47.660 --> 00:20:50.820 with her four-legged friend Ted by her side. 00:20:52.460 --> 00:20:56.940 Ted is just a big chunk that just loves affection. 00:20:58.700 --> 00:21:00.420 Ted isn’t a dog… 00:21:02.860 --> 00:21:06.260 but a three-year-old giant French Lop rabbit, 00:21:06.340 --> 00:21:08.820 weighing in at almost seven kilos. 00:21:10.620 --> 00:21:12.100 He's my best friend. 00:21:12.180 --> 00:21:14.220 He goes everywhere with me. 00:21:16.420 --> 00:21:20.660 He thinks he's a dog. Maybe he thinks that because that's the way I've treated him. 00:21:24.380 --> 00:21:27.780 When we're out of the house we go anywhere that he can find snacks 00:21:27.860 --> 00:21:29.180 and forage food. 00:21:30.300 --> 00:21:35.180 He is food-motivated, as you can tell by his figure. 00:21:37.940 --> 00:21:41.340 It’s not surprising that Ted’s at home in the fields, 00:21:41.420 --> 00:21:46.100 but his favorite place is a little more unusual for a rabbit. 00:21:46.620 --> 00:21:49.300 When we go to the beach, he just has the freedom. 00:21:49.820 --> 00:21:51.660 He just roams free, 00:21:52.260 --> 00:21:55.460 and just has literally the best life. 00:21:59.020 --> 00:22:00.500 He's super relaxed. 00:22:01.020 --> 00:22:04.660 A lot of rabbits are just bundles of nerves, 00:22:05.180 --> 00:22:06.220 but he's not. 00:22:08.700 --> 00:22:13.420 I think when you remove the cages, that's when their personalities show. 00:22:15.060 --> 00:22:17.860 Keen to share Ted’s relaxing presence… 00:22:18.660 --> 00:22:19.940 Teddy! 00:22:20.020 --> 00:22:23.540 …Emma has enabled him to make a profound impact on others. 00:22:23.620 --> 00:22:26.500 Ooh, what's Darcy got? 00:22:28.660 --> 00:22:31.500 Darcy has sensory processing disorder… 00:22:32.940 --> 00:22:35.140 …meaning she has trouble managing information 00:22:35.220 --> 00:22:36.980 that comes in through the senses. 00:22:37.740 --> 00:22:39.740 Oh, come back! 00:22:39.820 --> 00:22:42.220 Which can lead to a heightened emotional overload. 00:22:42.300 --> 00:22:44.060 Ribbit. Ribbit. 00:22:44.140 --> 00:22:47.260 Tough for both her and for Mom, Nancy. 00:22:47.340 --> 00:22:48.420 What's he doing? 00:22:48.500 --> 00:22:50.620 He's checking you out. 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:55.340 Darcy is full of life, full of energy all day, very relentless. 00:22:56.340 --> 00:22:59.620 She's full-on, and it's hard to ground her sometimes. 00:23:00.140 --> 00:23:02.980 You can go around there, you might need to come this way. 00:23:03.780 --> 00:23:07.380 Although dogs more commonly fulfill therapy roles, 00:23:08.060 --> 00:23:11.140 Emma has seen incredible results with Ted. 00:23:11.900 --> 00:23:15.020 I think you need the calmness, um, and 00:23:16.340 --> 00:23:18.340 be able to approach an animal 00:23:18.420 --> 00:23:21.060 that's not, like, unpredictable and a bit flighty. 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:22.140 What'd you reckon? 00:23:22.220 --> 00:23:26.420 Ten minutes in Ted’s company seems to transform Darcy’s mood. 00:23:35.540 --> 00:23:37.260 The more that she sees him… 00:23:38.060 --> 00:23:39.220 Who's the silly now? 00:23:39.940 --> 00:23:42.460 The more engagement and communication she seems 00:23:42.540 --> 00:23:45.780 to do through Ted, which is the whole point of why we do it. 00:23:45.860 --> 00:23:47.820 What's the best thing about Mr. Teddy? 00:23:47.900 --> 00:23:50.020 - Ear. - His ears? 00:23:52.420 --> 00:23:54.540 What is it about his ears that you like? 00:23:54.620 --> 00:23:56.900 Is it 'cause they're small or big? 00:23:56.980 --> 00:23:58.020 Small or big. 00:23:58.100 --> 00:23:59.020 Which one? 00:23:59.100 --> 00:24:01.140 - Um, big. - They're big ears. 00:24:01.220 --> 00:24:03.660 And are they soft? 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:04.580 Yeah. 00:24:04.660 --> 00:24:07.300 - Are they cold or are they hot? - Hot. 00:24:07.380 --> 00:24:10.100 Ted helps Darcy to relax. 00:24:10.780 --> 00:24:12.180 There you go, rabbit. 00:24:12.740 --> 00:24:14.900 - He's a rabbit. - His name's Teddy. 00:24:14.980 --> 00:24:17.260 Instead of her mind trying 00:24:17.340 --> 00:24:20.220 to process everything that's going on around her, 00:24:20.300 --> 00:24:22.780 I think it… it gives her a focus. 00:24:23.580 --> 00:24:26.620 Here. No. You can't eat them. 00:24:26.700 --> 00:24:30.060 They're for you now. They're for you. They're for you. 00:24:30.140 --> 00:24:34.860 I can't get my head around it, but it's… it's incredibly powerful. 00:24:36.100 --> 00:24:40.020 He definitely doesn't realize the good that he's doing. 00:24:40.100 --> 00:24:41.860 Am I allowed to keep him at home? 00:24:42.860 --> 00:24:45.380 Yes, can I take him home with me? 00:24:45.460 --> 00:24:47.620 You can't take Mr. Teddy home. 00:24:47.700 --> 00:24:49.460 - Why? - 'Cause he lives here. 00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:54.100 - I love… I love him. - You do love him. But I love him. 00:24:54.180 --> 00:24:56.500 I personally think he was sent to me… 00:24:56.580 --> 00:24:58.220 Do you like giving him cuddles? 00:24:59.260 --> 00:25:02.260 Yep. He's very soft, Teddy. 00:25:02.340 --> 00:25:05.420 …to do the work that we do. 00:25:07.820 --> 00:25:12.660 Time spent with our pets can have a huge impact on our well-being, 00:25:12.740 --> 00:25:16.380 but why do they have such a profound effect on us? 00:25:21.060 --> 00:25:24.940 Just looking at the large eyes and round faces of our pets 00:25:25.700 --> 00:25:28.220 reminds us of our own human babies. 00:25:30.700 --> 00:25:34.500 Even causing the same release of the love chemical, oxytocin, 00:25:34.580 --> 00:25:36.580 in both us and them. 00:25:41.580 --> 00:25:45.180 Some of the most powerful communication between animals and their owners 00:25:45.260 --> 00:25:47.700 occurs in working relationships. 00:25:50.620 --> 00:25:53.540 At the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya, 00:25:53.620 --> 00:25:56.180 Ranger Paul and Otis the bloodhound… 00:25:56.260 --> 00:25:58.220 Otis, boy. 00:25:58.300 --> 00:26:00.660 …have been partners for seven years. 00:26:01.900 --> 00:26:03.340 Working as a ranger, 00:26:03.420 --> 00:26:06.260 it's a combination of me and my dog 00:26:06.780 --> 00:26:08.940 as one team, knowing each other. 00:26:09.980 --> 00:26:12.140 Out. Out. Out. Jump. Jump. Jump. Jump. 00:26:12.220 --> 00:26:13.980 I trust Otis and Otis trusts me. 00:26:15.180 --> 00:26:16.220 Good boy! 00:26:17.020 --> 00:26:20.220 I know nothing could happen to me because he will protect me. 00:26:20.300 --> 00:26:22.780 That's the sound he wants to work. 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:28.420 Ol Pejeta provides sanctuary to hundreds of animals… 00:26:30.420 --> 00:26:32.180 many on the brink of extinction. 00:26:32.900 --> 00:26:36.300 One of the most endangered are the black rhino, 00:26:36.380 --> 00:26:40.140 under huge threat from poachers who kill them illegally 00:26:40.220 --> 00:26:42.340 and smuggle their horns to Asia. 00:26:42.860 --> 00:26:46.260 We patrol with him along the fence to make sure there is no intruders 00:26:46.340 --> 00:26:48.380 who have get inside the wire. 00:26:51.220 --> 00:26:53.980 And these two are the most threatened of all. 00:26:56.580 --> 00:27:01.460 Fatu and Najin are the last two northern white rhino on the planet. 00:27:04.660 --> 00:27:08.980 Paul and Otis are key members of the team defending them from poachers. 00:27:10.340 --> 00:27:11.700 We have to make sure 00:27:12.700 --> 00:27:15.260 they are 24/7 protected. 00:27:16.060 --> 00:27:18.740 They are helping us a lot, they are using their nose 00:27:18.820 --> 00:27:21.620 to make sure these rhinos survive. 00:27:27.100 --> 00:27:29.700 Their success doesn’t just depend on Otis’ 00:27:29.780 --> 00:27:32.340 incredible capacity to track a scent, 00:27:32.860 --> 00:27:36.300 but his ability to communicate his findings to Paul. 00:27:36.820 --> 00:27:38.420 Come on, good boy. 00:27:38.500 --> 00:27:41.580 Today he’s flagging an unfamiliar smell. 00:27:41.660 --> 00:27:44.540 The team saw footprints 00:27:45.540 --> 00:27:47.900 of three people inside the park. 00:27:47.980 --> 00:27:50.660 I will call for the backup team. 00:27:52.020 --> 00:27:54.420 Backed by a heavily armed escort, 00:27:54.500 --> 00:27:56.260 Otis leads the hunt. 00:27:59.580 --> 00:28:03.220 To avoid detection, the team must operate quietly, 00:28:03.300 --> 00:28:07.140 so Paul and Otis communicate with each other through his lead. 00:28:09.100 --> 00:28:12.220 The dog will read your body language, and it's the same to you, 00:28:12.300 --> 00:28:14.940 you will read the dog, his body language. 00:28:16.980 --> 00:28:21.020 I, as an handler, I can read the dog and understand what he is saying. 00:28:22.300 --> 00:28:26.740 As long as he is pulling you and you feel that the dog is still pulling you, 00:28:26.820 --> 00:28:29.220 you'll know the dog is having the scent. 00:28:35.980 --> 00:28:40.980 You have to be very, very careful because these people are armed. 00:28:44.780 --> 00:28:49.820 With Rhino horn valued at around $30,000 a pound, 00:28:49.900 --> 00:28:51.460 the same as gold, 00:28:51.540 --> 00:28:54.820 poachers will stop at nothing to secure their prize. 00:28:56.900 --> 00:28:59.100 Because we are the obstacles of them 00:28:59.180 --> 00:29:01.740 to achieve what they want, 00:29:01.820 --> 00:29:04.180 they have shoot us many times, 00:29:04.260 --> 00:29:07.780 so you have to be afraid because you never know what will happen next. 00:29:12.860 --> 00:29:15.300 Thankfully, the scent has gone cold. 00:29:15.380 --> 00:29:16.940 If there were intruders, 00:29:17.620 --> 00:29:19.340 they’ve left empty-handed. 00:29:22.900 --> 00:29:27.180 It’s another successful mission for Paul, Otis, and the ranger team. 00:29:27.260 --> 00:29:31.060 Bad luck to the poachers, good luck for us we had Otis. 00:29:31.140 --> 00:29:32.660 He have never let us down. 00:29:33.420 --> 00:29:34.380 Good boy. 00:29:34.900 --> 00:29:38.180 Thanks to their relationship, there hasn’t been a rhino 00:29:38.260 --> 00:29:39.820 poached here in years. 00:29:40.780 --> 00:29:43.540 The last time we lost a rhino, 2016. 00:29:44.420 --> 00:29:47.100 Since that time we didn't lost any rhino. 00:29:54.580 --> 00:29:57.780 Our instinctive urge to communicate with our pets 00:29:57.860 --> 00:30:01.980 means we’re always looking for ways to let them know how we feel. 00:30:02.060 --> 00:30:03.060 Teddy. 00:30:03.140 --> 00:30:05.700 And thanks to some clever new technology, 00:30:06.180 --> 00:30:07.980 they’re starting to answer us back. 00:30:08.900 --> 00:30:10.060 Mom. 00:30:10.140 --> 00:30:12.500 - Love you. - Love you too! 00:30:12.580 --> 00:30:15.540 But nothing beats spending quality time together 00:30:15.620 --> 00:30:20.540 to understand exactly what your pet is trying to tell you. 00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:23.100 - Next time, 00:30:23.180 --> 00:30:26.660 we uncover our pets' incredible super senses. 00:30:27.700 --> 00:30:30.140 How Kenny the Cat is leading the way. 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:32.140 Those instincts really come into play. 00:30:32.220 --> 00:30:33.100 Yeah, go, go, go, go. 00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:35.460 He's got a really good sense of direction. 00:30:35.540 --> 00:30:38.620 A devoted dog's life-saving hidden sense. 00:30:38.700 --> 00:30:41.940 He's not just my pet, Barna is like a guardian angel. 00:30:42.020 --> 00:30:46.820 And some goal scoring goldfish reveal their secret for success.