Three dog owners spend two weeks working with a team of canine trainers and behaviorists on ABC Catalyst's science of "dogmanship," a set of methods for reading and improving the way dogs and humans actually communicate. One trainer builds on B. F. Skinner's reward-based reinforcement research, teaching each owner to identify what their dog wants most, pair a specific sound with its delivery, and stop sending mixed signals during training. An animal behaviorist then works on the other half of the equation, showing owners the stress signals dogs give off that most people miss, including yawning, lip licking, and full-body shakes, and the finding that many dogs experience hugs as confining rather than affectionate. The film also looks at how sensitively dogs read human body language and mood, a skill it credits to centuries of living alongside people. Across two episodes, each owner runs through a series of challenges designed to test whether these new communication tools change how their dog behaves and, they hope, how content it is.