Last Chance dogs

This series addresses a growing social issue badly behaved dogs. Why do some owners flaunt the rules? Are they unable of taking care of their dog? Are they on a power trip deliberately making their dog a menace? Can a dog be rehabilitated? Should dangerous dogs be given a second chance? Meet the dogs that deserve one more chance in Last Chance Dogs. The programme looks at aggressive dogs on death row and the owners who couldn't control them. Dog trainer Gina Voglar works with the dogs to curb their behavioural issues and prevent them from being put down.

Gina believes that we've got it all wrong about dangerous dogs. It's not the dog we should be focusing on, but their owners. Billed as a kind of supernanny for canines, each week sees Voglar attempting to re-educate unruly dog-owners and retrain their out-of-control animals in a bid to change the dog's behaviour and prevent them from being put down.

Voglar says that, contrary to popular belief, it isn't that difficult to retrain a dog. "I think the hardest thing is to retrain your own attitude and beliefs. I've pretty much trained my own dogs and they've all been well behaved, regardless of the breed, because that's the way I wanted it. I believe everyone else can do it as well. Once you put that dog in its place, the aggression goes away."

There are different reasons why dogs get aggressive ("a lack of this or that"), but it all comes down to three main reasons the owner doesn't understand, the owner understands but is irresponsible, or the owner is responsible and understands but isn't in control, she says.

"It's not that I'm trying to change the person I just repeat my message until it gets through. When I tell them "don't constantly pat the dog, or say good boy", it sometimes takes a while for them to understand or listen to me. But usually they finally get it. That making a difference in someone's life is what makes me happy."