Puppy Secrets: The First Six Months

They’re each about the size of a mouse and the weight of an apple, can’t see, can’t hear and you wouldn’t give them up for all the world. The entrancing new-born Chihuahuas in Puppy Secrets: The First Six Months (Wednesday, ITV, 8pm) are enough to turn even Cruella de Vil into an unbridled dog lover. Over two episodes, we follow different litters through the crucial first six months of life, among them labrador retriever crosses, border collies and an assorted mix who are destined one day to be rescue dogs. The facts are absolutely fascinating, and also immensely reassuring to anyone who’s ever wondered about the growing bundle of joy bouncing around the home.

A young puppy, we’re told by presiding boffin vet Mark Evans, should be sleeping for as much as 20 hours a day, so don’t worry if you’ve been fearing yours is rather slothful. And if those tiny jaws keep clamping themselves all the time in all the wrong places – ouch! – you needn’t be concerned (if you can disregard the pain): learning how to bite accounts for as much as four- fifths of puppy playtime.