Every dog owner thinks he knows how his or her canine companion thinks. I doubt that many dog owners already know everything covered in this single one-hour program on PBS’s Nova series, (re-)broadcast last night. Here’s a brief intro:

Watch Dogs Decoded on PBS. See more from NOVA.

Sample tidbit: genetically, via mitochondrial DNA (passed down, unchanged, in the maternal bloodline), dogs are gray wolves. Not similar to gray wolves. Identical to them. MicroPooches, Irish wolfhounds, chihuahuas, mutts, pit bulls, Labradors, collies, shar-peis, Afghan hounds, setters, Mexican hairless, basset hounds, German shepherds, poodles… gray wolves.

For now, if it’s not being rebroadcast any time soon on your local PBS station, you can watch the whole thing online, in eight- or ten-minute chunks, by following the link highlighted above, just below the embedded video.