The 39-year-old telly favourite hosted CBBC's flagship show from 1999 to 2006, but the presenter revealed that moving to London for the job was awful.
When Matt first started on Blue Peter in 1999 he had never been to the capital and had to leave almost as soon as he had arrived.
"I didn’t like it at all and after a couple of weeks I had to get out, to a place with trees," said Matt.
Upon moving back to Buckinghamshire, a lady let the keen outdoor-loving host run sheep on a paddock.
BBC • GETTY
Countryfile's Matt Baker reveals Meg the dog caused TOTAL CHAOS on Blue Peter
It could be chaos in the studio, because when we were live on air she’d skulk away from me and run around.
Matt Baker
Having trained sheepdogs since he was 14, the young presenter asked bosses at the BBC if they could have a dog on the show.
"Meg came from a neighbour’s farm in Durham, and she was the most full-on action dog Blue Peter ever had," laughed Matt.
"It could be chaos in the studio, because when we were live on air she’d skulk away from me and run around, trying to herd all the camera operators and floor staff and guests – her instinct was to round everything up."
Meg suffered from cancer in her hip which caused a terrible stiffness, which Matt described as "horrendous".
BBC
Matt Baker reveals Meg the dog caused TOTAL CHAOS on Blue Peter
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The latest issue of Radio Times is out now [RADIO TIMES]
"Losing her in 2011 was the worst. You have to learn to hold the memories close and not feel hard done by. I’ve known this loss many times, and it fills me up to think of it," said Matt, having continued to look after Meg when the dog left the show with him in 2006.
The pooch lives on in The Archers, BBC Radio 4's drama about Ambridge village, after joining Matt during a recording session.
"It turned out their bank of sound effects was lacking the bark of a working dog. So they recorded her, and now whenever you hear a dog bark on The Archers, that’s Meg," said Matt, full of pride: "I prefer to spend time with them [dogs] than with people."
The One Show host now lives on a smallholding in Hertfordshire with his wife Nicola and their two children, having grown up on a sheep farm in Durham owned by his family.
The full interview can be seen in the latest issue of Radio Times, which is out now.
Countryfile continues this Sunday on BBC One at 7pm.
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