05x05 - Dog Myths

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: on this episode of
"mythbusters," it's a dog's
life.

The team is on the trail of
three canine conundrums.
It's a dog-eat-convict

World out there.
Narrator: first up, it's
prison break, mythbusters-style,

As adam and jamie sniff
out whether you can beat the
bloodhound.

Man, that's incredible.
[ Growling ]
narrator: then kari, grant,

And tory test mythical
techniques to sneak past a guard
dog.

Oh, my god, this is not
working, this is not working,
this is not working.

Mush.
Narrator: finally, adam and
jamie test the proverb that you

Can't teach an old dog new
tricks.
Sit.

[ Laughs ]
narrator: who are the
mythbusters?

Adam savage...
Is everybody ready for
diving?

Narrator: ...and
jamie hyneman.
Gets me all worked up just

Looking at it.
That was beautiful!
Narrator: between them, more

Than 30 years of
special-effects experience.
That was heavy.

Narrator: joining them,
grant imahara...
Are you feelin' lucky, punk?

Narrator: ...tory belleci...
Did somebody order some
exploding pants?

Narrator: ...and kari byron.
High expl*sives and
electricity, whoo!

Narrator: they don't just
tell the myths.
They put them to the test.

Have you heard the one about
the dyslexic philosophers
convention?

No.
The top of discussion is, is
there a dog?

What are you going on about?
It's time.
We're doing an all-dogs

"Mythbusters" dog special.
We have been inundated with
myths from the fans and on the

Website, and now it's time to
put them into a show.
Okay. Sounds like fun.

Yeah.
[ Dog barking ]
okay, here's what I see.

It's another in a long line of
adages like "a rolling stone
gathers no moss" and "finding a

Needle in a haystack."
We should test the myth that you
can't teach an old dog new

Tricks.
You ready, old dog?
Arf!

[ Laughing ] let's go.
Narrator: man's best friend.
They're smart, they're talented,

And crucially, they're quick to
pick up new tricks.
But the question is, are our

Canine companions' learning days
behind them when they reach old
age?

Arf!
What's that, you say?
What's the plan?

Excellent question.
I think it's pretty
straightforward.

I think we bring in a couple of
dogs, and we see if we can teach
them some tricks.

Well, they got to be old
dogs, 'cause, after all, that's
what this is about.

Maybe we can each take one.
We'll train them separately.
They should be also as close

In age as possible.
I mean, preferably they're from
the same litter, couple of

Brothers, brother and sister,
something like that.
And we can do some kind of,

Like, a dog show.
What do you think?
A mythbusters dog show at the

End?
That's perfect. Let's do it.
Narrator: and just as perfect

Are these beautiful old dogs,
bobo and cece, an untrained


Pair.
Bobo and cece appear to be
alaskan malamutes.

Now, this breed is notoriously
difficult to train.
They're headstrong, so if we can

Train these old dogs, this being
a worst-case scenario, we should
be able to train any old dogs.

Mush.
[ Laughs ]
narrator: adam and jamie have

Just one week to get these
homeless furballs pulling in the
right direction, so they're

Going to need some expert help.

Adam and cece have enlisted dog

Trainer beverly ulbrich.

So what we've got is somewhat

Of a contest between jamie and

I, and what I need your help

With is to get cece here to

Learn how to heel, sit, stay,

Down, and shake hands all in the

Next week.

Can we do that?
I sure hope so.
Let's give it a shot.

A little bling-bling here.
Narrator: with her shiny, new
training collar, cece is ready

For lesson number one --
heeling.
The idea with the walk is you

Want the dog paying attention to
you, not everything else around
you.

If you think about, like, how a
pack travels, there's one pack
leader, and the rest of the dogs

Are behind it, just following
naturally and easily.
And obviously right now, she's

Trying to be that pack leader.
Beverly's theory about dog
training is to let them know

You're the pack leader.
So it's all about conditioning
the dog both positively and

Negatively in ways that the pack
leader would do.
You give them affection when

They do right, and you give them
a scruff on the neck, just like
the pack leader would do, when

They do wrong, and as long as
you repeatedly do that and you
do that exactly when they're

Doing stuff right and exactly
when they're doing stuff wrong,
they'll become much more

Manageable 'cause they all want
to be part of a team.
Narrator: that's the theory,

And for old dog cece, it seems
to be working.
Already she's surprisingly

"Well-heeled," which begs the
question...
How old is "old" when it

Comes to dogs?
Well, how old is "old" when
it comes to people?

It's pretty subjective.
However, the best estimates that
the vet has is that bobo and

Cece were born about seven years
ago, which, in human terms, for
their size, makes them

Approximately 50 years old.
That'd be about in the butter
zone for our test.

Indeed.
Narrator: outside, and
school's starting for old dogs

Jamie and bobo.

And head teach jean donaldsen

From the spca confirms we're

Starting from scratch.

Bobo.
[ Clicks tongue ] can you sit?
He probably has never been

Taught.
You may as well be saying it in
swahili.

He has no clue.
Narrator: undaunted, jamie
and jean get classes started.

And at this dog school, the
curriculum is slightly
different.

Jean's technique is
influenced by pavlov, skinner,
even darwin.

We could talk about it in terms
of operant conditioning and
other things, but it boils down

To that, if the dog's behavior
is good, you reward it.
If it's bad, you ignore it.

So I've got leverage in my
hand, and at the moment, he's
not gonna give me a full down,

But I got to pace some things.
This is called shaping by
success of approximation.

So I'm waiting for that right
front leg.
As soon as he crosses it, I'm

Gonna pay him.
Waiting for the leg.
There's the leg.

Narrator: with bobo getting
down and cece also responding
well to the first day's lessons,

Doesn't that mean this myth is
already busted?
I think the myth is looking

Pretty bad at this point.
The real test will come, I
think, with the handshake.

I think all the other stuff --
heel, sit, stay --
those are your pack commands.

Just getting the dog to
understand your words for what
it naturally wants to do.

But shaking hands?
That doesn't happen in the wild.
I think that's really gonna be

Where the rubber meets the road
and whether or not these dogs
can learn a real trick.

[ Dog barking ]
our next myth could get you
ripped limb from limb.

Cool! What is it?
We're going to the dogs.
It's time to test mythical ways

To get past the guard dog.
Oh, cool -- like throwing
them a big, juicy steak.

We have a whole list of ideas
for trying to get past guard
dogs.

Man, this sounds dangerous.
All right. We're in.
[ Dog barking ]

Narrator: when it comes to

Breaking and entering, the

Mythbusters are unsurprisingly

Experts.

Their criminal record includes

Safe cracking, climbing air

Ducts, and beating laser-beam

Alarms.

[ Alarm ringing ]
all right, let's get out of
here before the cops come.

Narrator: but today they're
filling the gap in their
criminal c.v. By testing

Mythical methods to bypass a
guard dog.
Okay, guys, what's the plan?

I think the first step is
obvious.
We need to get ourselves a dog,

And I don't want to use just
vicious pets.
I want to go find a guard dog

Training school and get a real
guard dog.
This is gonna be fun.

Oh, yeah, as long as we don't
get bitten.
Yeah.

[ Dog barking ]

Narrator: the researchers

Have found just the place to get

This myth off the ground --

Witmer tyson kennels, where

Police and guard dogs go to

School, and in case you're

Wondering, "who let the dog

Out?"

Mike the handler did.

This is eewan.

He's a 5-year-old german

Shepherd, and what we can do is

We can give you a demonstration

On how he stops people.

One of our main trainers here is
jim.
He's gonna play the bad guy, and

He's gonna try and escape.
Cool!
[ Laughter ]

Narrator: jim manages just a
few paces before eewan is on
him in a flash of fur and teeth.

And it's only that specially
designed protective suit that
prevents him from being the

Dog's dinner.
[ Growling ]
narrator: so, who's gonna be

Dessert?
Anybody want to try it?
Yeah, tory volunteers.

[ Laughter ]
narrator: grant works on the
principle that although there's

No "i" in "team," there is a
"me."
Dang!

This is getting scary.
Narrator: and tory is, once
again, in the firing line.

Whoa. Hey, good boy.
Good boy.
Whoa, this dog's got some bite.

Oh, yeah, I can feel the
pressure on my arm.
[ Sighs ]

Yeah, you got the big suit on
that's gonna protect you, but,
man, you see that dog barreling

Down on you with his teeth
exposed, and it's growling, and
then it takes a bite on you.

It's pretty scary.
And then there's a couple of
points where he got his teeth

Around my arm, and I could feel
the pressure bite down on my
arm.

You know, it wasn't -- the teeth
weren't piercing into my skin or
anything.

But you could definitely feel
the pressure.
[ Dog barks ]

Narrator: so that's eewan the
guard dog.
Fast, focused, and furious.

And the team now know what the
myth is up against.
Ooh, that pinched the skin!

[ Dog barking ]
it looks like we've got
ourselves a good guard dog.

Eewan is vicious.
Yeah, that dog was biting
with over 550 pounds of

Pressure.
Yeah, I wouldn't want that
biting on my leg, so what kind

Of mythical techniques do we
have to get past him?
We have distracting them with

A big, juicy steak.
We have acting aggressive,
acting submissive.

We also have wolf urine.
We have scent of a lactating
b*tch.

What?
It's supposed to calm them
down.

We also have urine from a b*tch
in heat, which is obviously
supposed to distract them.

Well, he is a male dog.
Well, we can't forget the
enclosure that we're supposed to

Build to do our experiments.
Well, let's keep that simple.
We'll close off an area with a

Chain-link fence, we'll put a
safe in the middle, put treasure
in it, and then we'll try our

Different techniques to see if
we can get to the safe, get the
treasure, and get out safely.

Narrator: kari, grant, and
tory are attempting to beat
eewan the well-trained guard

Dog.
They're going to test several
techniques to sneak past the

Four-legged guardian, get into
the safe in the center of the
compound, and then escape safely

With the loot.
The first tactic I'm going to
utilize is diversion.

I've got some steaks.
I'm gonna chuck it in one side
of the yard, and then I'm gonna

Try to make a run for it.
I see.
And that's supposed to draw the

Dog's attention away from you?
It always works in the
cartoons.

Good luck with that.
Narrator: kari gets into the
dog-proof safety suit and then

Gives it a test run.
[ Laughs ]
that's funny.

Narrator: with kari about as
mobile as a dog's chew toy, she
adapts her heist plan.

I'm not gonna be able to
throw anything with this.
I'm gonna get one of the boys to

Go over the corner and throw it.
That's not cheating.
Everybody's got a partner in

Crime.
Narrator: tory gets the plan
under way by interesting eewan

In his meaty treat.
Ooh, look. He likes.
He's licking it.

Oh, you likey.
You like the meat.
I think you guys should probably

Go for it now, no?
Okay, go, go, go.

Narrator: tory's tasty t-bone

Taunting has bought kari enough

Time to get to the safe.

[ Laughing ] it's working.
Narrator: but then kari's
accomplice turns nasty as tory

Throws the steak into the
compound.
Not at me! Not at me!

Narrator: it's a poor throw,
but eewan stays focused on the
meat and starts to chow down as

Kari heads for an unofficial
exit on the far side of the
compound, but it's locked.

Hurry, he's eating the meat.
Narrator: meanwhile, eewan
has finished the first course

And goes back to tory for more.
But when tory doesn't have
another steak ready, eewan goes

To work.
Ohh!
No!

[ Laughter ]
okay, okay, okay.
Get him, get him, get him.

Oh, that was great.
It totally worked.
Narrator: well, kind of.

The delicious diversion did

Distract eewan long enough to

Get to the safe and secure the

Loot, but poor planning meant

That kari ended up as the main

Course.

But the necklace is somewhere
inside the suit.
I swear it's in here.

I grabbed it.
Narrator: so it's plausible
to distract a guard dog with

Tasty treats.
But without that suit, kari
would have been breakfast.

Well done.
Narrator: next up, grant and
tory are tackling two myths

Which an animal behaviorist and
fan of the show suggested.
[ Growling ]

Narrator: and they're both
based on the concept that, by
using body language, you can

Persuade the dog to leave you
alone.
First into the ring is grant,

And the theory is eewan will
take grant's submissive posture
as proof he's not a threat.

Oh, my god, this is not
working, this is not working,
this is not working.

I don't think it's working.
Narrator: but it doesn't
work.

Next, tory attempts to take
alpha-dog status by getting
aggressive.

Aah! Aah! Aah!
Narrator: but his top-dog
impression simply results in him

Being the dog's lunch.
With the score mythbusters 1,
guard dog 2, it's back to adam

And jamie.
So, how old is the phrase
"you can't teach an old dog new

Tricks"?
Well, it's pretty old.
It originated from some guy

Named fitzherbert who wrote a
paper on animal husbandry in


That's it.
Yeah.
All right.

"The dogge must learn it when he
is a whelpe or els it wyl not be
for it is harde to make an old

Dogge to stoupe."
Like I said, "you can't teach
an old dog new tricks."

Narrator: it's an age-old
adage, and the mythbusters can't
resist putting it to the test.

On day one, the training went so
well, the myth looked busted.
Sit.

Good girl.
Narrator: but in today's
session, without pack leaders

Beverly and jean to show them
who's boss...
Cece, sit. [ Laughs ]

Narrator: ...well, the dogs'
personalities are proving
obstructive.

We're a little too excited
this morning.
Bobo's a brat.

First of all, I don't think he's
as smart as he seems.
I can see it in his eyes.

He's a little like...
[ Dog panting ]
yeah, you can cut that with a

Shot of him.
You'll see it looks the same.
Cece is a very shy dog.

She is submissive, used to being
submissive, and it's very easy
for her to just shut down

Entirely.
Oh.
[ Laughter ]

Narrator: clearly, adam and
jamie need help from the
professionals.

What I'm seeing here that
might be happening is she might
be a little more intimidated by

You.
A lot of times, a dog,
especially if she's a female

Dog -- she may be more
intimidated by males, either
just by nature or because

Whatever men she's been with in
her life have been a little
rough on her or firm with her

Such that she's feeling that
way.
Narrator: but a session or

Two with confidence-inspiring
beverly, and timid cece is
responding not only to the

Expert...
We're gonna sit.
Good baby.

Good girl.
Narrator: ...she's listening
to adam.

Down.
There you go. Good down.
Good down.

Now she's really engaging.
This is great.
Narrator: outside, jean has

Bobo the brat focused, and he's
flying through all his lessons.
And jamie's not doing so bad,

Either.
Nice job.
I tell you -- I've seen a

Million genius dogs go nowhere
'cause of crappy training.
Narrator: with four days of

Training complete, our elderly
alaskan malamutes have come a
long way.

Give him it.
That's it. Good.
Good boy.

Narrator: but the proof will
come in the final exam when adam
and cece go head-to-head with

Jamie and bobo in a show-dog
showdown.
Bobo, you've got to behave,

Or we're gonna make you into a
coat.
Narrator: adam and jamie are

Competing in the mythbusters
"best in show" dog trial.
They've gone head-to-head to see

Whether it's really impossible
to teach an old dog new tricks.
This is their final exam.

We have set up a little dog show
place here.
We have a score card.

We have five tricks that we've
taught them.
We're gonna see how well they

Do.
Narrator: with mythtern jess
in position as judge and jury,

Everyone and every dog is ready.
All right, everybody, and
welcome to the "old dog, new

Trick" final exam.
Adam and cece, you're up first.
Let's start with the heel.

Good girl.
Narrator: with cece in good
position alongside adam and not

Pulling on the lead, judge jess
hands out full marks.
Nice work, adam.

Narrator: and that's the
story of cece's day.
Sit. Good girl.

Narrator: she obediently
follows all of adam's commands.
Down.

Good down.
Good down. Back up.
Okay. Shake.

Good shake. Very good.
Narrator: proving that, in
just one week...

Stay.
Narrator: ...she's learnt all
five of the new tricks.

Okay. And eat it.
Good girl. Very good girl.
Narrator: the pressure's on.

Jamie hates losing.
He'll be determined to match
adam's faultless performance.

Down. Down.
Good. Shake.
Good boy.

Narrator: bobo succeeds in
all of the tasks to
judge jess's satisfaction...

Bobo, stay. Stay.
Narrator: ...until the stay.
Maybe jamie's fur-coat threat

Backfired.
You stay there.
Narrator: bobo wouldn't hold

For the required 20 seconds, but
judge jess has generously given
him a 1/2 point for his efforts.

9 1/2 Out of 10 ain't bad at
all, so it seems to me that you
can, in fact, teach an old dog

New tricks.
I agree.
This one's totally busted and

One of the more cuddly myths
we've ever done.
Narrator: with old dogs

Busted, adam and jamie have
sniffed out another mutt myth.
So, can you clearly

Communicate what clever canine
conundrum you're currently
concocting?

What?
What's the myth?
Bloodhounds.

What about them?
We're gonna test whether you
can trick bloodhounds like they

Show in the movies.
You and I get to play
fugitives?

Something like that.
Oh, cool!
Narrator: bloodhounds are the

Ultimate canine supersleuths.
Used for police work all over
the world, their capacity for

Sniffing out a human trail is
legendary, and where there's
legend, there's myth.

So, what's the plan with this
one?
Well, we got to get a trained

Bloodhound.
All right.
And then I guess we just run him

Through the paces of things
we've seen them get tricked by
in the movies -- backtracking,

Running into river, changing
your scent.
Yeah.

All right, well, which one of
us should be the runner?
Well, something tells me that

You'd be better at laying down a
scent trail than I would.
[ Laughing ] okay.

I'm gonna say yes just 'cause I
want to do it.
Let's get straight into this.

Narrator: straight into it?
Sure.
Can you guess what my role is

Today?
I am the chasee, and I'm gonna
go over there and try every

Trick in the book to throw these
dogs off my trail.
We're gonna see what works and

What doesn't.
Narrator: prison breakee
adam's all suited up to be the

Fugitive, and here's what he's
facing.

This is morgan.

He's a 2 1/2-year-old

Bloodhound, and he currently

Works with the san mateo county

Sheriff's office canine unit in

San mateo.

Narrator: morgan,
handler matt, and jamie are
going to need all their tracking

Experience because there are six
myths that they're up against.
Sourced from the movies and

Fan e-mails, each one will
supposedly confuse and confound
the trailing hound.

Looking more like an extra in a
george clooney movie, it's
nearly time to say "oh, adam,

Where art thou?"
But first, the plan.
Now, the dog and his owner

Are just over there, so I'm
gonna have to whisper the next
test 'cause they don't know what

This is.
This next test, I am gonna be
zigzagging, I'm gonna be

Doubling back on my trail, and
I'm gonna finish off with a
lovely climbing of the tree.

Narrator: whoa.
So let the games begin.
Adam has five minutes to get as

Far away as he possibly can from
morgan, the human-seeking
m*ssile.

Okay. That was the zigzag.
Narrator: adam, looking like
a recently escaped benny hill

Character, lays down as many
zigs, zags, and double-backs as
he can before scampering up a

Tree...
Hello, team.
This is convict one. I'm hidden.

Narrator: ...which means it's
time to release the hound, and
matt's first move is to show

Morgan what the
search-and-rescue community know
as the scent article.

Smell. Get him.
Narrator: in actual fact,
it's one of adam's unwashed

T-shirts.
To get an understanding of
exactly how morgan can find adam

From sniffing his dirty laundry,
let's go to a graphic.
The scent a bloodhound detects

Are the millions of skin cells
we're constantly shedding.
These minute particles carry a

Person's unique scent signature.
They rub off on anything we come
into contact with, and we leave

A trail of them wherever we go.
Adam may as well have left
signposts, because what's

Immediately striking is the pace
at which morgan works.
Matt and jamie, not to mention

The unfit crew, are at full pace
trying to keep up.
Where is he?

I'm sensing maybe adam did a
little doubling back.
Narrator: jamie's on the

Right track, but it's morgan's
nose that got him there.
And pretty soon our police pooch

Is barking up the right tree.
Awesome! Good boy!
Where'd he go?

Awesome! Good boy!
Where is he? Good boy.
Narrator: so that's myth

Number one busted, and adam is
on his way back to prison,
although he doesn't seem all

That upset.
I just want to say -- if this
looks like fun, it's twice as

Much fun as it looks like.
This is like -- who hasn't
wanted to try this?

Narrator: put a puppy in a
hat and get to it yodel, and
it's no wonder that dogs are

A man's best friend.
But as kari, tory, and grant are
finding out, that's not always

The case.
They're testing mythical ways
to beat a vicious guard dog.

Distraction by dinner proved
successful, but changing their
behavior was a dog's breakfast.

So, the next thing we're
gonna move on to.
Scents.

Scents.
Both: makes "sense."
All: ahh!

Narrator: oh-h*-h*!
So the team are going to test
three theories from the fan

Site.
With a spritz of the scent of a
lactating dog mother, eewan will

Be a puppy in grant's hands.
Kari will douse herself in
wolf urine to intimidate him,

And a hint of scent of a hot
lady dog, and our alpha male
will be distracted enough for

Tory to slip by unnoticed.
First up is grant with
eau de dog mother.

What's the theory behind
this?
Well, the lactating

Mother smell -- they secrete a
pheromone that makes the puppies
feel more at ease.

It calms them down.
So this is supposed to calm
the guard dog down?

Yeah.
Narrator: grant and his
pheromones enter the compound,

But eewan is no one's puppy.
It's not working.
It's not working.

Narrator: that's another one
busted.

What's next, kari?

Now, this is a myth that
quite a few people believe, so
I'm really interested to see if

It's true, see if it works --
wolf urine.
[ Wolf howling ]

Now, urine is a big
communicator in the canine
world, as I'm sure you've seen

Dogs marking their territory
everywhere.
Imagine a wolf marks its

Territory where a smaller dog
is.
Narrator: basically, with a

Splash of stinky wolf wee fresh
from the internet -- where else
do you get it? -- Kari's trying

To intimidate eewan by smelling
like the big bad wolf.
Ugh!

[ Laughs ]
narrator: and at this point,
you can feel lucky you're on

The other side of the screen.
That's strong.
Hoo!

Narrator: but will our guard
dog be scared off?
Oh, oh, oh.

Wait, wait.
Oh!
Oh, it's working!

Yeah!
No way!
Oh, no, no.

Narrator: instead of
immediately taking a piece of
kari, eewan hesitated, but in

The end, he wasn't fooled by
kari in the wolf's urine-soaked
clothing.

If you would take a bath in
wolf pee, you might survive
being attacked by a guard dog.

But I would definitely say
plausible because there was
serious hesitation there.

Narrator: next, and the guys
are going to try and distract
eewan with eau de hot lady dog.

This is "fresh from the
kennel" "b*tch in heat" urine.
Narrator: mmm. Tasty.

But what's the plan?
The theory is that that scent
will attract him.

He'll think that there's a
female dog present, and he'll
want to go...get nasty.

And then I will sneak by him
while he's looking for that
female.

Narrator: kari wafts the
tempting odor under the guard
dog's nose.

Oh, yeah.
Narrator: and suddenly eewan
has his mind on another job.

Come on, big boy.
Come over here. You smell that?
Narrator: he's definitely

Interested, and kari ups the
stakes with a urine-soaked rag
and a little trail of scent

Along the fence line.
Tory tippy-toes inside, and
incredibly, the plan appears to

Be working.
Eewan, oblivious to the
intruder, is simply thinking hot

Lady dog thoughts.
Look at the drool coming off
of that dog.

Those chops are soaked.
I can't believe it.
We just did b*tch in heat, and

It worked.
The dog was totally distracted.
He had his face down in the

Urine the whole time.
Every once in a while, he would
look up, check me out, see what

I was doing, but then he would
go back to the urine.
I just slowly walked over to the

Safe, got the jewels, and slowly
walked out.
I mean, he didn't even act like

He was gonna try to attack me.
It was pretty impressive.
Yeah!

Yeah!
It worked!
b*tch in heat.

Give it up.
Nice.
Narrator: while tory shakes

His booty after securing the...
Booty, the final results for
beating the guard dog are in.

But this shaggy dog story ain't
over yet.

Many mythbusters moons ago, in

The story of the salsa escape,

Adam proved that he's a dab hand

At literally breaking out of

Prison.

And I escaped!
Narrator: but now the team is
testing the myth that, on the

Resulting manhunt...
Yeah, zigzagging didn't work
at all.

Narrator: ...the bloodhounds
can be foiled with a few
fiendish tricks.

So, gentlemen, this is like a
game of hide-and-seek.
Just face the tree.

Jamie, let me know every minute,
you know, that I'm gone, up to
five minutes, okay?

Okay.
And try and not let the dog
see where I'm going.

Okay.
Look at the tree.
Narrator: and he's off.

With a five-minute head start,
adam attempts to lose his
pursuers with multiple river

Crossings.
And just like the movies, he
makes his way up one stream for

At least 100 feet before getting
back to dry land.
But did his tactic wash away the

Trail?
At the first watery obstacle,
the evidence is no...

Oh, great.
Narrator: ...because morgan
doesn't even pause.

He's following and finding adam
like he has a homing device.
That's a good boy!

That's a good boy!
No way!
That's impossible!

What a good boy you are.
Dude, that took him less time
than the first two tests.

You're just a stinky guy.
What can I say?
[ Laughs ]

[ Laughs ]
I guess all the sweat from
running equals, you know, a

Bunch of fear pheromones or
something.
Man, that's incredible.

[ Laughs ]
it's a dog-eat-convict world
out there.

[ Laughs ]
at this point, the water doesn't
look like a terribly good thing

To try and use because, from
what we've learned about talking
with these guys and what we just

Saw, water actually likes the
scent.
The scent is, you know, kind of

Hydrophilic, apparently.
It likes to collect in low
areas, like where the water is.

Water's no guarantee that the
scent's gonna go away.
Narrator: incredibly, that's

True.
As long as the water is
slow-moving or still, it has the

Potential to retain the trail
better than dry land.
So the myth that water will foil

A bloodhound doesn't -- well,
doesn't hold any water.
Quite simply, morgan is just

Too nosey.
Let's pause for a minute and
consider the amazing olfactory

Capabilities of the bloodhound.
For comparison, a human's
olfactory center is about the

Size of a postage stamp.
Whereas a bloodhound's is about
the size of a handkerchief.

This difference gives a
bloodhound almost 1,000 times
the smelling capabilities of a

Human.
That's a lot.
Yeah.

Narrator: adam is once again
on the run.
Maybe he escaped before he had a

Chance to use the prison gym.
[ Breathing heavily ]
narrator: could this be the

Method that messes up morgan?
This time I used
"mythbusters" brand ground

Pepper.
I had a confidant of mine stash
it in this barn where I knew it

Would be, and I sprinkled it all
over the floor of the whole
barn, and I jumped out the

Window.
And the theory -- this is right
from the movies -- is that the

Dog smells pepper.
[ Imitates sneezing ]
can't smell human smell anymore.

[ Dog barking ]
narrator: with his trail trap
of nasal disaster set, adam

Hunkers down in his hidey-hole,
and morgan and his team of human
handlers, ignoring the

Spectacular scenery, soon arrive
at the barn.
Where did he go?

Where did he go?
Couldn't be in there.
Let's go. Come on.

Where did he go?
Narrator: but after a couple
of circuits and no sneezing,

Morgan finds the trail leading
away from the shed and right to
a very busted adam.

[ Laughing ] whoa!
You found me.
[ Laughs ]

Narrator: despite the peppery
problem, morgan once again gets
his man.

Well, I think we've proved
that it doesn't work.
It didn't hurt morgan.

So what's next?
I got another one up my
sleeve, but I'm not gonna tell

You what it is.
I can't wait.
Narrator: kari, grant, and

Tory have beaten the guard
dog...
b*tch in heat.

Give it up.
Nice.
Narrator: ...and been bitten

By the guard dog.
[ Dog barking ]
you know what?

The most obvious one -- using a
steak -- actually beat the guard
dog.

And the b*tch-in-heat scent --
that one worked, as well.
And, you know, I really feel

That if you were covered head to
toe in the wolf urine, we would
have gotten a better result.

Ha! If you could stand it.
But after watching all of these
techniques, I think that we

Could ramp this one up
mythbusters style.
We're gonna build our own

Technique to beat the guard dog?
Yeah, and I've already got
some great ideas.

Narrator: with the myths
tested, the team has a
challenge.

Can they build something that
would let them sneak past a
whole pack of guard dogs?

Okay, it will attach to
itself, so once we get going, I
think it'll be good.

Narrator: kari, after two
days of hard work, has built
what can only be described as a

Human hamster ball.
Meanwhile, grant has gone
high-tech.

[ Laughs ]
narrator: he's mounting his
battlebot with a taxidermy

Tabby.
To make it more lifelike,
dr. Franken-grant is using a

Little robotic wizardry.
He's alive -- alive!
[ Laughs evilly ]

Narrator: and tory, well,
he's scraping the bottom of the
barrel.

Well, I'm done.
And, uh, really, it speaks for
itself.

Narrator: back at the
enclosure, grant is first up.
I think, initially, the dog

Will be somewhat confused by
robocat, as most people are, but
that primal instinct of chasing

The cat, or the furry shape that
is in cat form, will kick in,
and it won't be able to resist

Going after it, and that is the
moment when I'll send tory in,
and he'll get the jewels.

I feel it.
Or the dog will bite his jewels,
which will also be funny.

Okay.
Go ahead and release the dog.

Narrator: eewan is released,

And that age-old cat-and-dog

Story begins.

Cat runs away from dog.

Dog chases robotically
controlled dead cat.
It's a perfect cat-burglar plan

Until one little misstep by
remote-control kingpin grant
means accomplice tory is brunch.

Uh-oh! Oh, oh, oh!
Run, run, run!
"Run, run, run." Okay.

Narrator: yeah, it's kind of
hard to run with an 80-pound dog
using you as a chew toy.

Dude, dude.
I don't think it's working,
grant.

I don't know. Just a guess.
Oh! Oh! Yeah!
Good driving, kitty.

I don't think you know.
This is not your fun time to
play with your little cat.

There's a dog on my arm.
Narrator: so that's 1-0 to
eewan the guard dog.

Tory's next, and he's brought
his armored tin can.
As you can tell, I watched a

Lot of "a-team" growing up, and
I think that's kind of where I
came up with this guy.

Narrator: it might be a
barrel of laughs and tory, but,
for this test, he isn't wearing

The safety suit, so there's a
real element of danger.
Okay, here he comes.

It's coming at you, but
doesn't know what to do.
Narrator: it's all going

According to plan, but there are
a few scary moments.
How's it going in there?

Uh...it's not good.
Oh!
[ Laughs ]

Narrator: but tory manages to
inch his way over to the safe
safely and secure the loot.

I got it.
Yeah!
Yeah!

Narrator: it's during tory's
slow crawl home that eewan works
out, by gripping the wheel, he

Can get more leverage.
Aah! Here.
Narrator: and mike the

Handler calls it off before tory
gets injured by eewan's


I got it.
No, no, you didn't.
Man, you threw the towel in

Too soon.
I was robbed.
[ Imitating marlon brando ]

I coulda been a contender.
Narrator: while tory tells us
about the "coulda, shoulda,

Wouldas," eewan the champ is
warming up for round three with
kari, the human hamster.

Dog is in.

I see the dog.

He doesn't even see you.

Narrator: eewan looks

Confused.

He's checking you out, but
apparently...
He doesn't even see her.

...you are invisible.
Is that the ball of
invisibility?

Narrator: but it's not long
before he works out a high-tech
human hamster is trying to sneak

Across his yard, and he starts
tearing into kari's ball.
He's biting at the plastic.

Narrator: kari had built the

Hamster ball with an easy access

Hatch, but it's just too

Dangerous for her to use it and

Expose her unprotected arm.

So she has to cut a smaller

Hole instead, and sure enough,

She gets the goods.

Got the necklace!
She got it.
Okay.

I beat you, mutt.
I'm getting out of here.
Narrator: back at the door,

The deadly defect in kari's plan
becomes evident.
The major flaw in my plan is

That the dog will not stop
attacking long enough for me to
get out the door.

That is a problem.
Narrator: it's not a problem
for her willing teammates, who

Happily relieve her of the loot.
Pass us the jewels.
Can you get the door...

Nice. Okay.
All right, good luck.
You're on your own.

Nice work.
Nice!
Sweet!

Yeah!
Narrator: tory and grant
happily make off with the loot.

But with kari failing to escape,
that's 3 to eewan and a big fat


You know, guys, I think this
could work if we worked in
conjunction with each other.

Well, it looks like our
techniques for beating the guard
dog had a few design flaws.

Like trying to get out of
the hamster ball?
You know, I thought my barrel

Was gonna work, but it looked
like the dog had figured out a
way to tip it over.

And he wasn't fooled at all
by robocat's lifelike
appearance.

Yeah. I know I was.
Well, I think people totally
underestimate these dogs.

They're really well-trained.
Yeah, mike was saying that
you can actually train these

Dogs to ignore things, so I bet
if we did this test again, they
wouldn't even look twice at that

Steak.
All I know is that I don't
want to be anywhere near these

Dogs without the bite suit.
They're vicious.
Well, taking that and all of

Our techniques into account,
what do you guys want to call
this one?

I think we have to call
this one plausible.
Yeah, I agree, because we can

Distract the dogs, but you don't
know how long they're gonna stay
distracted.

It's just too risky.
And crime doesn't pay.

Narrator: adam is three down
against morgan, the world's most
sensitive sniffer, but that's no

Surprise because his hooter has
over 1,000 years of breeding
behind him.

[ Laughing ] you found me.
[ Laughs ]
let's talk about the origin

Of the bloodhound.
Okay.
Well, we have citations referred

To "sleuth hounds" hunting men
as early as the 13th century.
Yeah, but back then, noblemen

Mainly used them for hunting
deer or boar.
And it is commonly believed

That the breed was refined and
originated at the
saint-hubert monastery in

Belgium in the 11th century.
Huh.
What's next is washing off

And changing my clothes.
We have a secret location about
two minutes from here.

We've got a wash basin and a
whole new set of clothes for me.
I'm gonna find it, wash myself

Off, change my clothes, take off
in a different direction.
We'll see if that fools the dog.

I have no doubt he can find my
wash basin.
The question is, can he follow

Me from there?
Narrator: as predicted,
morgan finds the wash location.

Oh, what a good boy.
That's a good boy.
Where did he go?

Narrator: but for the first
time, our intrepid trackers are
stumped.

But it's not because adam has
washed his scent off.
It's because there's too much of

It.
I'm guessing he took a
shower.

This just might be a lot of
scent.
I don't know if we're having

Trouble getting out of it or
what.
Narrator: adam's odor is

Overwhelming because of all the
water and the amount of time he
spent there.

I know. Where is he?
Narrator: matt realizes this
and works morgan over the area

Looking for the exit point.
Meanwhile, adam, with some time
on his hands, relaxes.

[ Dog barking ]
narrator: but morgan remains
focused.

In fact, the bloodhound is
famous for being patient and
stubborn -- characteristics that

Have been selected for just this
purpose.
That's a good boy!

That's a good boy!
Oh, good boy!
Foiled again.

What a good boy you are.
Nice suit.
[ Laughing ] thank you.

Whoa.
What the well-dressed escapee is
wearing this year.

Morgan did really well on the
test overall.
It looked like we had a little

Bit of problem at the shed, but
actually, in reality, the thing
I liked about it is morgan never

Gave up.
You can see on the tape he's
always looking for the scent,

And he's always searching for
it.
And the two trails that went in

And went out were actually, I
think, from the way he worked
really close together.

So he just kept working until he
found the way out, and once he
found the way out, he nailed it.

How many more tricks you do
have up your sleeve?
I have exactly two left.

[ Chuckles ]
well, good luck, buddy.
[ Laughing ] thanks.

Everybody knows from the movies
that coffee is supposed to mask
shipped drugs.

It's supposed to mask the smell
from sniffing dogs, and it is a
very strong scent.

And so, I guess, the theory is
that it will overpower the dog's
olfactory abilities and can't

Pick up my scent.
And the cologne, again, is also
something that we're hoping will

Overpower my odor and throw him
off the trail.
Did you smell that?

Even I can smell that one.
Narrator: unlike the spicy
pepper experiment, which was

Designed to blind the dog's
sense of smell, this coffee and
cologne test is all about

Masking adam's odor and
confusing poor old morgan.
[ Dog howling ]

Oh, no.
No.
[ Laughs ]

That's a good boy!
Good boy!
What a good dog!

He smelled like a cheap date,
but, you know, at the end of it
all, unless you're a cheap date

Trying to escape, this isn't
gonna help you out because
morgan found him right away.

I suppose the secret's out
about what this test is about.
Yeah, this is just downright

Mean.
Oh, really?
Oh, yeah.

[ Laughter ]
this is a hard one.
Yeah, for us, this is hard.

Some people, not hard.
For us, this is hard.
The urban environment theory

Is that it makes it harder for
the dog to find me for two
reasons.

One is that the area is heavily
trafficked by other people.
The other is that it's harder

For him to smell my scent on
pavement.
Narrator: adam has laid down

A six-block urban maze of a
trail -- the ultimate test for a
bloodhound.

[ Dog howls ]
good boy.
[ Dog howls ]

Come here.
Smell. Get him!
Narrator: straightaway, it's

Apparent that morgan is a little
distracted by all the
interesting big-city smells.

Leave it. Let's go.
Where did he go?
Leave it. Let's go. Get to work.

Too much stuff going on here.
Narrator: matt, realizing
morgan has lost his focus and

The trail...
Leave it. Let's go.
Get to work.

Narrator: ...brings him back
to the start in an effort to
pick up on the scent again.

Smell. Get him. Let's go.
Narrator: the team have
clearly followed a different

Route to adam, but after 90
minutes of false leads, they
finally find their furtive

Fugitive.
[ Laughs ]
that's a good boy!

[ Laughs ]
narrator: an incredible find,
but as adam points out, there

Was an element of luck involved.
Well, I'm amazed that you
found me 'cause I didn't go that

Way.
I came that way.
I came through a car park, and,

In fact, I even left a couple of
scent pools for you.
I got down on the ground and

Grinded around, gave you a
little gimme.
And I came through an alley back

There and came this way.
I wouldn't chalk this up to
sheer luck.

But I wouldn't call it 100%
find, either.
I'd say it's somewhere in

Between.
And morgan's still a young dog,
still work-in-progress to

Learning what he's doing.
And this is, without a doubt,
the most difficult environment

For him to track someone in.
Morgan and I haven't yet
concentrated on urban

Environments, so it's possible
that if you did it with a dog
with more urban experience, you

Might get a different result.
[ Dog howling ]
narrator: it's true.

There are plenty of documented
cases of bloodhounds
successfully following a trail

Through heavily populated areas,
but there's no doubting it's
tough.

I don't know about you, but
I've had enough running for like
three myths.

I'm gonna change back into
civilian clothes and sleep for a
couple days.

All right. Let's clear out.
Narrator: as the team head
home after a hard day hunting

And being hunted, jamie decides
that the old film-industry
proverb "never work with

Animals" is totally busted.
This has been really a
wonderful experience for us

Because, you know, working with
an animal like this that is so
amazing, I mean, morgan was --

It's like magic what this dog
can do.
It's also really impressive to

See a man working with the dog.
It strikes me as something
that's more like an art.

This isn't just like a machine
that's picking up scents.

This is, you know, a combination

Of the man and his relationship

With the animal, taking

Advantage of what the animal can

Do, picking up those little tiny

Hints of what's going on, and

Trying to pull it together into

A composition that ends up

Catching the bad guy.

It's really something special.

Let's recap all the ways we

Tried to beat the bloodhound --

Backtracking, zigzagging,

Climbing a tree.

Busted.

River crossing.

Busted.

Washing off your smell and

Changing clothes.

Busted.

Covering your tracks with

Pepper?

Busted.

Masking your scent with

Cologne and coffee.

Busted.

And urban environment.

That would be plausible.

He did amazingly.

Yep, a good dog's hard to

Fool.

Correctomundo.

You know, the whole idea for

Doing the myth of teaching

An old dog new tricks came from

My dog trainer.

Well, a good idea is a good

Idea.

We'll take them wherever we can

Get them.

Well, in fact, in a few

Episodes' time, we're gonna be

Doing an entire episode based

Solely on viewer submissions.

So if you have an idea, log

Onto discovery.com/mythbusters,

And if it's any good, we'll put

It on the show.

We promise.