Episode 4

We chart the ups and downs of ten puppies and their families through their all-important first six months together. Every year, we welcome a quarter of a million puppies into our homes and in this series we explore how the nation's favourite pet develops, learns and adapts to their new world, but also the profound effects they can have on the lives of their owners. We capture both the mayhem and delight a new puppy brings, from toilet training and first walks, to sleepless nights and getting used to their new owners. On hand to offer our families expert advice is dog behaviourist Louise Glazebrook.

In this episode, we meet our final puppies. First-time homeowners Alex and Pete welcome rescue pup Pippa, who comes with an extreme chewing habit, while the Woolf family bring home cockapoo Rosso as a playmate for eight-year-old son Rio. The first thing they have to contend with is toilet training.

We catch up with Emma Lowe, who is training young labrador Hunter to act as a therapy dog for her son Alfie, who has Down's syndrome and autism. Can Hunter show signs that he can react to Alfie's moods and act independently of her, providing him the comfort Emma so desperately wants? And the battle between professional psychic Delia and her giant breed leonberger pup Shiva reaches crunch point when Shiva begins to bite and scratch. Can Louise help Delia and her companion have a happy home together?

We also catch up with all our ten families and their puppies at the end of their first six months together to discover if, in the end, puppy ownership has all been worth it.