Announcer: The ultimate canine contest
Is back with a brand-new season
Designed to take the competition to the next level.
- Oh, great jump.
Announcer: We've got the nation's top underdogs,
Working dogs, and police k9s taking on extreme obstacles...
- Oh, my god! - Oh!
Announcer: Where every breed imaginable,
From cattle dogs to dobermans,
Bulldogs to border collies... - Good boy.
Announcer: Will bring you even faster sprints...
- Come on. - Oh, look at that.
Announcer: Higher jumps... - Yeah!
Announcer: And the biggest takedowns
In "top dog" history.
- ♪ who's a good boy? ♪
- Oh!
- Some guy in a decoy suit getting tackled
By a flying dog--
It don't get no better than that.
[dramatic music]
Announcer: Tonight only one team
Will earn the top dog title...
- Whoo!
Announcer: $10,000... - Good girl.
Announcer: 5,000 donated
To an animal charity of their choice...
- That's a good boy.
Announcer: And a chance to compete
In the grand finale to be named...
- Yes!
Announcer: "america's top dog."
[cheers and applause] - [barks]
- Oh, look at that. Don't get jealous, control box.
We got some-- mmm.
- Did you make this yourself, stretch?
'cause this is good. All right, you're all amped up.
- Don't I look excited? - You do.
- I just got back from the groomers.
Hi! [humming]
- [laughs]
That didn't take long at all, did it?
- [laughs]
- Hello, and welcome to "america's top dog."
I'm curt menefee, and speaking of top dogs,
Right beside me, my top dog,
His bark is worse than his bite,
Trust me, folks, david koechner.
You know him, you love him. How you doing, brother?
- I'm doing very well.
- We've got five great dogs competing tonight,
Including three underdogs-- an australian cattle dog
Who doesn't plan on letting his disability
Keep him from smashing his competition,
A mixed breed with energy to spend...
- Rogue's name's very fitting.
- A dog that has a mind of its own.
- And a k9 favorite from season one,
Who's coming out of retirement to compete as an underdog
For another shot at doggy glory.
And if that wasn't enough,
We also have two working dogs--
A training assistant who moonlights as a trick dog
And a tutu-wearing rottweiler
Who's ready to dance all over this competition.
The three fastest teams advance on to the doghouse,
Where they'll run for a chance
To claim the title of tonight's top dog.
Covering it all for us down on the floor,
Our canine correspondent, rachel bonnetta.
What's going on, rachel? - Thanks, guys.
I have been hanging out with the teams--we're bonding.
I even gave them a few dog pounds.
They didn't return them 'cause they're dogs.
First, teams will take on the k-9 combine--
Six unique obstacles all based on real activities
And trainings dogs experience in the real world.
They'll start by paying homage to "air bud"
With a series of jumps in high jump,
Where each wall gets progressively higher.
Then it's off to zig zag.
The team must work together to balance their way
Across three large rocking planks.
Then it's fire escape, where intelligence and bravery
Are put to the test.
A series of buttons, levers,
And tugs require targeted commands,
All while following their handler up steep ramps
To enormous heights.
They'll then work their way down to palisade,
Where the dog jumps up,
Pulls the tug to raise the door.
Their jaws better be strong enough
To pull the 120-pound weighted door.
Next, they'll make their way across walk the plank.
With 15-inch gaps between each 18-inch-wide plank,
We are stepping up the difficulty factor.
Balance and courage will be key.
- Yes! Good boy!
- And, finally, my fave, splashdown,
Where courageous dogs will fly through the air
And the squeamish can ease into the water using the ramp.
But remember, flying is faster than swimming,
So the ramp entrance could cost them.
Then they'll swim to the other side
To pull a tug,
Stopping the clock and completing the course.
- Yes. Good boy!
- Only the teams
With the three fastest times will advance.
Good luck. Curt and dave, back to you.
- Our first team is an underdog coming to us
From jurupa valley, california.
It's bethany preud'homme
And her australian cattle dog, hammer.
Hammer is deaf in his right ear.
But that hasn't stopped him at all.
Listen up for the story of team hammer.
[country rock music]
- My name is bethany,
And this is my australian cattle dog, hammer.
Good boy.
I've always worked with dogs.
I really found my passion when I was in college.
I had a really hard time just sitting in class,
Like hammer's doing now.
I just was super antsy and wanted to go, go, go.
Hammer, leap!
And when I found myself ditching class
To go hiking with my dog, I said,
"you know what? I think it's time to figure out
How I can make a living doing this."
And that's when I got into dog training.
Debout. Coucher.
I got hammer at eight weeks of age.
And I found out that he may be deaf in one ear.
The breeder said, "if you don't like him,
I'll take him back."
And, of course, within the first night,
There was no way that he was going back.
I already loved him.
Hammer is very unique.
He always wants to be in your lap.
He can't really get close enough.
He would be held like a baby all day if you let him.
♪ ♪
Hammer is trained in protection.
He does agility.
He does obstacle courses, dock diving.
He can jump over pretty much anything.
Hammer is everything to me.
There's nothing like a cattle dog
In terms of just the way that they look at you,
And they always want that attention,
And he just gets me.
We're both feisty, and we're not gonna go down
Without a fight.
Ready, ready? - [whines]
- So that's his game face. - [whines]
- Now, this little guy is deaf in one ear?
- He's actually deaf in his right ear,
Which is why I heel him on the right side,
So that way, his good ear is towards me.
- That's absolutely amazing.
- Hammer's a beautiful dog. That's a border collie, right?
- Australian cattle dog. - Ah, okay.
They're all the same to me. Cattle dog.
This one's gonna be good.
I just know it. - Yeah.
Let's see if this underdog's disability
Has an effect on him in the combine.
They are lined up, and here they go.
- Come on now. [smooches] come here.
- Oh, bethany jumping over the wall.
Hammer not following.
- Ah! - [barking]
- Come on.
- There we go. Now she understands.
- I like the technique. There we go.
- Third time's the charm.
- Good boy. Hammer, okay.
- Now into zig zag.
- Let's go. Easy, ham, wait.
- You can see bethany keeps hammer on her right side
Where he can hear better.
Seems to be working so far.
- Wait. Let's go. Go, go, go, go. Come on.
- Bethany slowing hammer down just a little bit,
Making sure he understands
That we have to do this together.
- Right here, buddy.
- Through the zig zag in comfortable time
And now on to fire escape.
- They ought to call this paint by numbers.
- Why? - I don't know, no reason.
- Well, he got the right color. - He did it.
- He hit the red button,
Made it turn green, let the ramp down,
And goes up to level three.
- Nice job, buddy. Let's go.
- Lever time.
- Ready? - I think hammer's got this.
- Easy. Voilà.
- Just like that.
No problem getting up to the top level.
- Any dog named hammer you know means business.
- Let's find out how good he is at tugging.
- Oh, they always run over there.
They want to see what's happening.
- Hammer. Get it, get it, get it.
- There we go.
- Hammer headbutted that tug, and it worked.
We've never seen that one before.
But, hey, whatever gets the job done, right?
- Very good. - This is a good start here.
Back down to street level and on to palisade.
Now hammer is on the small side,
But based on his training,
Jumping should be one of his strengths.
- Get it.
- Oh! - And it is.
- So now the palisade door opens, and the sprint begins.
- Good. Easy, easy.
- Let's watch him walk the plank.
- Easy, go. Easy, go.
- Oh, he's comfortable doing this.
- Quick work. - Good boy.
- On to splashdown. - I hope he's a jumper.
- They didn't dive from the dock.
- Go.
- But got in the water with ease.
- Get it. Come on, buddy.
- He's gonna swim across. - Get your ball, come on.
- He's chugging through that water.
Whoo. - Come on, buddy, come on.
Come on. Come on.
- Can he get to the finish line
And get the tug done? - Yes!
- What a way to set the pace. - Wow.
- Whoo! Good boy.
- 2 minutes, 14 seconds.
So, remember, the top three dogs
Move on to the doghouse.
It's gonna be hard to move this dog
Out of the competition. - That was nice.
- So now the gauntlet has been thrown down for our next team--
Rogue from spokane, washington.
- Good girl. - Kayla murfin and rogue
Are underdogs that have worked hard to get here.
And like our last team, a cattle dog,
But rogue has some bulldog attitude mixed in.
- My name's kayla murfin.
I'm from spokane, washington. This is my dog rogue.
She's a 6 1/2-year-old australian cattle dog,
American bulldog mix.
Rogue's name, it's very fitting.
Those who go rogue are kind of marching to the beat
Of their own drum, and that is this dog to a t.
Doesn't care what anybody thinks or what anybody says.
She was awful for a long time. [laughs]
You were. You were terrible.
Over the six years that I've had her,
She's made enormous strides.
She is trained in agility, dock diving,
Lure coursing, bite work.
Good girl.
Rogue means absolutely everything to me.
Oh, good girl.
I was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes
At the age of just under seven.
As I got older,
I did what a lot of diabetics in their teenage years do,
And I just stopped testing my blood sugar.
I stopped taking my insulin.
I truly destroyed my health. I destroyed my body.
Rogue gave me a reason to get out of bed and stay healthy,
'cause if I'm not healthy, I sure can't keep up with her.
So she's really done a number at saving my life, honestly.
Rogue is true definition of an underdog--
Small, mixed breed,
Nobody would see coming from a mile away.
This underdog is gonna be the top dog.
- Okay, I'm with kayla, rogue, and stephen over here.
Kayla, I saw you standing here
Before you came up on this platform,
And you just kind of went... [sighs deeply]
I'm guessing you're a little nervous.
- I'm a little nervous.
I think when I take the leash off and we go,
She's probably gonna get real excited
And try and zoom me a little bit.
So that's the biggest source of my nerves.
- Yeah. Well, don't worry.
We've seen a lot of handlers on this show fail
To keep up with their dogs. - Oh, yeah.
- So that is a very normal thing.
- Yeah, that's my issue, for sure.
- It is time for team rogue
To take the course.
Are you ready to see this?
- I'm ready to see it. - All right, here we go.
[buzzer sounds, cheers and applause]
Let's see if this underdog can overcome the combine.
- Come here. - Oh, oh, oh.
- Missed the wall. - Hup, yes.
- There we go.
- Jumping, no problem for rogue, just got
To stay on the course. - Yes, good girl.
- She's nice and patient with this dog.
- Boom, that's like a flight. - Yes, good job.
- Okay.
- But rogue is so excited, he's running in circles.
- Let's kick it. Let's kick it.
Move.
- This is what kayla was afraid of.
- Good girl.
- There we go. - Good job, come with me.
- Zig and zag it. - Easy, easy, wait.
- This is an interesting mix.
It's an american bulldog
And an australian cattle dog.
- That's a long swim. - That really is.
Well, that would leave it somewhere like hawaii,
Like, between america and australia.
I don't know if I've ever seen that before.
- Good girl.
- And now up into the fire escape.
- Let's go.
- It's a nice steady pace we've got going here.
- Yes, they're calm, they're going through it methodically.
- Come over here.
- And now they must tap the red button.
- Push it. - There we go.
- Red goes green. - Ramp comes down.
Now they go up one more level.
- All right. - Let's see how he does here.
- Push it. Good girl.
- And there you go. - Wow.
- They get the lever with no problem.
Now to the top of fire escape.
- Rogue, pull. Pull it.
- Come on, rogue.
- She's trying to figure out to grab that tug.
[laughs] - rogue, come here.
- Rogue, adorably, does not comply.
[laughing] - I know.
It's like, "something is around here.
What is it? What is it?"
- "what do you want me to do?"
- Look at that tail. - Get it, rogue.
Give it a pull. Give it a pull.
- All right, so 30 seconds have passed,
And kayla is able to pull
The tug herself to let the ramp down.
- Come on. Come down.
- That was the cutest disobedience
I think I've ever seen. - [laughing]
[dramatic music]
A dog that has a mind of its own.
- Good job, come here. - All right, here we go.
Let's see if rogue will grab the tug here for palisade.
Got it. - Yes.
Both: Not quite. - Come on, rogue.
- Get it. Yes.
Both: There we go. - The door comes open.
At this point, team rogue is 30 seconds
Behind team hammer.
- They only have to be in the top three,
So they could be okay.
- Here comes walk the plank.
- Come on, rogue. - There we go.
- Good pirate. - Yes.
Okay. Now on to splashdown.
- I want this dog to get a nice jump.
Do it, rogue.
- Go. Good girl!
- Down the ramp and into the water.
- Get it, get it, get it. - Two for one.
- However you get there, right?
- I love it.
- Come on, good girl.
- On to the finish line.
Grab that tug and take it on home.
Yes!
Not quite the fastest time,
But, again, all they've got to do is finish top three.
- Good girl, you did that. Good work.
- With a time of 2 minutes, 46 seconds,
Rogue takes the second-place seat.
Now, two teams have already taken on the k-9 combine.
But, dave, three more are ready to prove
They've got what it takes to chew up this course.
- Remember, only the top three teams advance.
That's where these dogs want to be and mark their territory.
- Good boy.
- Next up, a rookie trainer from raytown, missouri.
My sister lives in raytown, missouri.
- Are you serious? - I swear to you.
Hello, mary rose. [laughs]
You're a nice person.
- Ace is the demonstration dog
For kylie's dog-training business
But is also an expert trick dog.
♪ ♪
- I'm kylie pendergrast. I am 25 years old.
This is my dog ace.
He is a chow, staffy, min pin mix.
And he loves eating sky raisins, aka flies.
[flies buzzing] so that's what he's doing now.
[laughs]
♪ ♪
Teeter.
I became a dog trainer
Two years ago
And haven't looked back since.
Ace is my assistant dog trainer.
Ace helps me teach other dogs.
Eating sky raisins still.
[flies buzzing]
Ace knows about 85 tricks.
He has his novice,
Intermediate, advanced, and expert trick dog titles.
He jumps fences. He climbs trees.
Good boy.
He can get drinks out of the fridge.
He can turn off and on lights.
I may not have
The most experience,
But I could literally be here all night
Telling you how amazing ace is. [laughs]
He can do so much more than I can.
Don't tell my other dogs, but he's kind of my favorite.
♪ ♪
- Remember, only the top three dogs and teams
Move on to the doghouse.
So, if team ace can beat hammer's time of 2:14
And take over the first-place position,
They're guaranteed a spot in the doghouse.
♪ ♪
Here we go.
[beeping, buzzer sounds]
And here goes ace.
- All right.
- Now, kylie says he can jump 6 feet.
Looks like that's not an issue.
- [laughs] up and over.
- All right, so less than ten seconds to get over the wall.
Let's see if they can keep up that pace in the zig zag.
- Wait, wait, wait. - Good enthusiasm.
- Yes. - All right.
- Kylie was talking about being a rookie trainer.
She seems to be pretty experienced
In telling ace what to do, and ace is good at following.
Ace is a chow, staffordshire terrier,
And a miniature pinscher. - Oh, a mini pinsch.
- Up next is the fire escape.
- Here we go, straight up the ramp.
- Second level, can they find the red button,
Push it down, turn it green?
- Yep. - Yes, the nose knows.
- [laughs] easy.
- Up the ramp to level three.
- Up. - Lever time.
Lever box. All right.
- Ah, that's no problem. Ramp comes down.
Now to the top. - Top tug.
- See how quickly they can get this tug.
- Go, go, go, go. Ace, get it.
Get it.
Good boy. Bring it here.
- He's got the tug. Just needs to pull it.
There we go, got it. - Nice.
- This pair has been together for six years, and it shows.
- Certainly does. - Go, go, go, go, go.
- On this pace, they're even with first-place team hammer
And about 20 seconds ahead of second-place team rogue.
- Go, go, go.
♪ ♪
- All right, let's see those jumping skills.
- Get it. Get it.
Ace. Go, go, go, go.
- Give us a big jump, ace, a big jump.
- A little short.
Jump up one more time. There we go.
- Yes, good boy! - The door is open.
- Let's go. - All right.
Now they're gonna have to hustle
If they want to automatically advance.
- Wait. - Waiting.
- Oh, that's eating some time. - Okay.
- Here we go. Oh, yeah.
They don't walk the plank, they run the plank.
- Argh.
- Now it's on to splashdown and the big finish.
- Go, go, go, go, go.
- And it looks like the slowdowns at palisade
And shaky bridge cost them.
Hammer's time passes,
And they won't secure that first-place spot.
But they'll still want to finish quickly here
To try and post a time strong enough
To hold off the next two competitors.
- Ace. Hey.
Get it, get it. - Come on, ace.
- Bring it here. Bring it here.
- Distracted.
He's just got to pull that tug.
- Bring it here. - There we go.
All right. - Good boy.
- Cost him a little bit of time at the end.
But once again, the top three dogs will move on.
- Good boy. - So the time that they
Lost there at end may not come back to haunt them.
2 minutes 33 seconds is the official time.
They've taken over second place,
While team hammer has now secured
A spot in the doghouse.
And team rogue will sit on the hot seat,
Which is not a place you want to be,
Because up next
Is a fan favorite from season one.
You know him. You love him.
The k9 turned underdog, team cam.
[rock music]
- I'm justin wilmot.
I'm a detective with the leon county sheriff's office,
And this is k9 cam.
Cam is now retired,
And we're back to finish what we started.
He's the cam newton of k9s. He's the best.
- Deputy wilmot doing a great job.
An amazing run for them both.
- That's what I'm talking about right here.
- He's a super-competitive guy
And will be tough to beat in the final.
- In the finals, the crowd was going nuts for k9 cam.
And when I called his name to come off the bite,
He didn't hear me.
Cam! Here!
Out. Here!
- Misses it by four seconds.
- The doghouse will break your heart.
- That may have cost us top dog,
But we're gonna make sure it doesn't happen this time.
So the reason I decided to come back
Was not only to win top dog
But to make an impact.
When I was nine years old, I got alopecia.
It's essentially an autoimmune disease
Where your body attacks the hair follicles.
Kids that look different have it really hard.
I was made fun of a lot.
After the episode, I had a young lady
Reach out to me that had alopecia.
And she was excited to see somebody that looked like her,
And she was rooting for me.
If I can impact anybody else,
Then that's totally worth it.
[upbeat music]
Are you a handsome boy? Yes, you are.
- Cam is newly retired. - He is, yeah.
- Okay, so he's been sitting on his butt.
- Sitting on his butt.
- Is he gonna be a little slow out here?
- I don't think slow is gonna be his problem.
- I can't wait to see you guys out there.
Best of luck. - Yeah, thanks.
I'm gonna meet you on the finish line.
- Awesome.
- Guys, back to you. I got to go.
- Well, just like many other greats before him,
It is time for cam to come out of retirement and compete.
[dramatic music]
All right, now, remember,
This course is all new to team cam,
But walk the plank is similar to an obstacle
That gave them trouble in season one.
- Let's go.
- Oh, no. He's gone rogue.
They have to go back and start again.
- Stay on me. Focus on me.
- It's gonna be interesting to see how they do.
If they can beat 2:33, they guarantee themselves
A spot in the doghouse.
Here we go.
[beeping, buzzer sounds]
So detective wilmot is still with the marshals service,
But cam is officially retired, so this is kind of
The last chance for these two to run together.
- Here we go.
Captain comeback, as they call him.
Both: Oh! - He ain't fooling around.
- [grunts]
- I wish I was in cam's shape right now.
I got to hire him to turn this dad bod into a dog bod.
[imitates barking]
- Cam is flying through the zig zag.
What retirement? - Hold on.
- Doesn't seem to be bothering him right now.
So they make it through the zig zag with no problem.
- On me. On my heel, heel.
- Up the ramp on fire escape in less than 30 seconds.
- On me, on me. - All right.
Button, button, who's got my red button?
Red goes green.
- Cam here.
- It's a different type of roulette.
- This one. There you go.
- There we go.
Teamwork, whatever it takes, right?
- Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork!
- Good.
- All right, here comes the lever box.
- Here. Oh, packen.
- Quickly dispatched. - Here, cam.
- All right, up top.
Just need to grab that tug.
- Hup. Here.
- Come on, old fella.
- Come on. [laughs]
- 8 1/2-year-old german shepherd.
- Cam, good. Yes, yes.
- There we go. - Let's go.
- The ramps are down. - Let's go.
- They're still under a minute and a half,
But they need to start hustling
If they want to advance to the doghouse.
- They've got to get some speed here.
- They need to pull the tug at palisade,
Cross over walk the plank...
- Come on! - Yes, good boy.
- Got it. Door is open.
- Leave it. - On to walk the plank.
Shaky bridge caused them problems back in season one.
They can't afford any mistakes here.
- Not a second to waste. Come on!
What a night it has been so far.
- Amazing night. - We're watching
The comeback kids team cam run the combine.
- Go. Good.
Let's go. Yes!
- They're approaching walk the plank,
An area that they had trouble with in season one.
- Here.
- Let's see if walk the plank will be an issue this time.
[dramatic music]
- Good, yes!
- It won't. No problem at all.
If they can beat team ace's second place time of 2:33,
They automatically move on to the doghouse.
- Yes!
- At this pace, they'll be able to do that and more.
- Yes! Attaboy!
- Into the water for the swim. - Come on, handsome man.
- No dive, so that's gonna cost them some time,
But his doggy paddle is impressive.
- Let's go. Let's go, you handsome boy.
I'm waiting on you. - [laughs] "handsome boy."
- That's my man! That's what I'm talking about.
- 2 minutes, 2 seconds. - Hey, nice!
- They needed to beat 2:33,
And they do it comfortably.
So team cam is automatically moving on to the doghouse,
Along with team hammer.
- How do you feel? - Awesome.
I love being with him, competing.
It's our last hurrah together.
- Mm-hmm. - And proud of him.
- You are gonna be moving on to the doghouse.
You are free to go and celebrate.
- Awesome. - Kayla...
- Thank you so much. - You did such a great job.
- Thank you.
- What a bummer. Definitely disappointing.
♪ knick knack, paddy whack, give that dog a bone ♪
♪ that old team is going home ♪
- Your showtune days coming back.
I like that.
- I thought you'd join in with me.
- We've got one--no, don't expect me to sing.
One last team to go, team aero.
Ryan cambio and his therapy dog, aero,
Work to help special-needs kids
In local high schools.
- Lie down. What are you doing?
That's very nice. Hi.
Lie down.
My name is ryan, and this is aero the rottweiler.
Good job, aero.
Aero is trained in bite work, tracking, scent work,
Competition obedience, rally, dock diving.
Good boy, aero.
His job title is therapy dog.
He is always, on his therapy visits,
Wearing either a cape or a tutu.
He specifically works with students
With a myriad of disabilities, whether it be
Physical, neurological, or any combination of the two.
There was one student
Who was having an especially difficult time.
And as we approached graduation with him,
None of us anticipated
That he would be able to walk in his cap and gown
And go through the commencement ceremony.
And we had the idea of,
"okay, well, why can't aero do graduation?"
I always get choked up when I talk about it, too.
But it was amazing.
- Anthony bruner escorted by aero.
[cheers and applause]
- It was the coolest thing that I have ever experienced
In my life.
It's an honor to be able to have a dog like him by my side
And to be able to hold his leash.
♪ ♪
- [barks]
- Okay, well, aero's already won my heart.
Is that a tutu for a collar?
- It is absolutely a tutu for a collar, a rainbow tutu.
- Is he a fashionista, perhaps?
- He is very much so a fashionista.
- Wow. He's like a little superhero.
- I got to admit--
I'm impressed by seeing a big dog in a tutu like that.
- So a dog in a tutu impresses you?
- Yeah. Doesn't it impress you?
- Oh, come on. You know what?
I think you're a silly man, curt.
You're a silly, silly man.
Woof, woof, woof. [laughter]
[imitates barking]
Are you impressed now? Woof.
- This used to be a family show.
- [laughing]
Aero is ready to sashay across the k-9 combine.
Let's see what they can do.
- Remember, there's one spot remaining in the doghouse.
It will either be aero or ace.
For aero to move on, he'll have to beat 2:33.
[beeping, buzzer sounds]
All right, let's see the big boy run.
Aero leaps right over that first wall.
No problem with the second.
- Oh, wow. - It's like he's levitating.
- That's like a hurdler.
- On to zig zag. What a good boy.
- That's a big dog, too.
- A huge dog, dave,
But looking very graceful so far.
Sticking right by his handler's side.
- Ready? Good boy.
Wait.
- Just smoothly through the zig zag.
- Hup, hup. - Now up the first ramp here
On fire escape.
Ryan talks about how calm aero is,
But ryan as a handler sounds calm, too.
- Yes, he does. - I mean, there's no rushing.
There's no stress in his voice.
- There's no panic here. - Get it, nice.
- So they get the first challenge,
Now bring down the ramp.
It's almost a whisper as they go up to the third level.
- To the lever level. - Let's go.
- Yes. - Easy.
- And the treat. - Let's go.
- Now up to the top.
- Hup, hup, good boy. Aero, bring.
Good. Bring, bring, bring.
- [barks]
- [groans] there's always some confusion up here.
- Good. Right here, buddy, good boy.
- He's figured it out and pulls the flag up.
They're just moving along this course in good time.
- All right, they're pacing a bit behind team ace.
But keep in mind, ace had that slowdown at palisade.
Let's see how they do.
- Go. Wait.
Good, here, bring. - Can you pull that tug?
[dramatic music]
- Goes up and gets it.
- Good boy. - That's easy.
Aero beginning to pick up speed here.
He's starting to edge ahead of team ace's time.
Can he beat it? Let's see him walk the plank.
No problem.
All right, heading into splashdown
With just over two minutes.
- Jump in, dog. Just jump right in.
- Go. Go, go, go.
- Goes down the ramp and gets in the water.
- Going two for one.
- Hey, that's a good swim for a big boy.
- Yes, it is. - Grabs his tug.
And we'll see if he can get
One more tug in this therapy dog.
- Now he should have plenty time.
Uh-oh. A slip there.
- Yeah.
- He's just got to pull that tug.
- Come on, big boy, shake it off
And get to pulling-- time's a-wasting.
- Oh, no. He's not grabbin
- Bring. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Come on. Yeah!
- And they do it! - Good boy.
- Wow, they beat the time
Set by team ace by less than a second.
- Wow, that hurts.
- 2 minutes and 32 seconds. Incredible.
That puts team aero in third place,
As they secure a spot in the doghouse,
While eliminating team ace.
- I'm still proud of you.
- That was so quick.
It's the cape. Added speed with the cape.
- That's nice to see. - It really is.
- Good job, old boy.
- So the top three teams are all set.
And after watching how tight the competition
Was in the combine,
This is gonna be quite a showdown in the doghouse.
We have underdog cam, coming out of retirement
And aiming for redemption,
Therapy dog aero the cape-wearing hero,
Who just pulled off a heroic victory in the combine,
And underdog hammer, who's hearing disability
Won't get in the way of his handler's will to win.
You've seen our top three.
- I have. - Who do you think has
The best shot at becoming tonight's top dog
And winning that $10,000 prize?
- I can't believe you're making me pick a favorite.
But I'll give you one. - Okay.
- Aero.
- Because you wore the tutu and aero wears a tutu.
I thought you had a bond over tutus.
- Yes. Now I feel like we're one.
- There you go.
All right, with more on tonight's doghouse,
Here's our canine correspondent, rachel.
- Rachel. - Thank you, gentlemen.
These teams are about to set out
On the most epic journey.
Allow me to introduce to you the doghouse.
[dramatic music]
First, in a game of trust, our teams will transform
Into super dogs as they rappel 20 feet down
To the doghouse to door breach,
Where the handler will use a battering ram
To knock down the front door.
Then it's the game room
For the ultimate test in detection,
Where our dogs will search for two scented keys
That have been hidden.
Tonight's keys can be found under the football helmet
And under the trophy on the table.
From there, it is off to divide & conquer,
Where the dog goes up the spiral staircase
And the handler goes up the ladder.
Separation is not often trained for.
So this presents a unique
And surprisingly difficult test of obedience.
Then on to a portion of the course
Riddled with obstructions, the low crawl,
Followed by the tangled mess that is spider web,
Designed to slow down the nimblest of teams.
Then they'll unlock the door with two keys their dog
Found back in the game room.
And, finally, they'll finish the course
With everyone's favorite test of athleticism and obedience,
The takedown.
They'll chase down the "top dog" decoy.
Once the dog is recalled to the finish mat,
The time stops.
The team who completes doghouse
In the fastest time will be tonight's top dog.
They will win $10,000,
An additional $5,000
To the animal charity of their choice,
And they will be back to compete for the title
Of america's top dog in the grand finale.
Guys, I hope you were listening
Because I don't think I can repeat all that again.
I'm tired. I'm going to go actually take a break.
So bye.
- Up first, it's our retired k9 turned underdog cam.
Let's see how detective wilmot plans to tackle
The doghouse this time.
- The first season during the doghouse,
We were four seconds from being top dog.
Dang it!
But I'm gonna make sure that doesn't happen this time.
That's a big bear.
After six months of retirement,
Cam's doing better at exercises.
Crawl.
Cam is really good at crawling.
That's a good dog.
Scent work. He can apprehend a bad guy.
That's kind of his bread and butter.
We're ready to be top dog, aren't we?
Yes, sir. We are.
- All right, remember, $10,000 is on the line.
And former k9 turned underdog team cam
Is ready to run.
Are you? - I am ready.
- Let's go.
♪ ♪
[cheers and applause]
And down the rappel cam and justin go.
They did the fastest time in the k-9 combine.
- By a lot. - By a lot.
- They are a power couple.
- Heel, heel. - Remember, detective wilmot
Is competing to raise awareness for alopecia.
- And coming back after being on "america's top dog,"
Cam retired since then but just as fast.
Now they work their way into the door breach.
- And breach. I like breach.
- All right, now remember,
There are two scented keys here.
One is hidden under the red helmet,
The other under the trophy on the table.
Since cam is a former k9,
The scent he's working with is narcotics.
♪ ♪
- Yes.
- Already found one under the helmet.
- Wow. - That was quick.
- This dog continues to impress.
- Here. Check down here.
- They're taking a little bit of time here
To find the second one.
They found the first one so quickly
That it does allow them a little bit of leeway here.
- Cam check under. Check this.
Here.
- Bam, second key under the trophy.
- Here. - Nice.
- Which means they move on to divide & conquer.
- Up.
Cam here. Up.
- This is where they always have trouble.
- That a boy. Good boy.
- This dog has no trouble. - Good job.
- Cam going up the spiral staircase
All the way to the top and justin right there with him
To meet him. - I like it.
- Here comes the low crawl.
Being a police k9, this probably simulates
A lot of things they do out in the field working together.
- Now the spider room, I'm not so sure.
- Well, the spider web,
Imagine if you're going through thickets in the woods.
- There you go. - You know?
- Come on, buddy.
- And this 73-pound german shepherd
Has zero problems getting through.
Detective wilmot has both keys,
Just has to get the right one for the right lock.
Now down the stairs.
And this is where you know this k9 will excel.
- Yeah, yes.
- The bite work and the takedown.
- Cam will have to bite the decoy for three seconds
And then run back to detective wilmot.
- Packen!
♪ ♪
That a boy!
- This is old hat. [laughs]
One, two, three. Hey, get off.
- Cam, out here! - Okay.
- Yes! That's a good boy.
- It's like an old guy being retired for a year
And going back in the office and seeing everybody.
- [laughs]
- Reliving his old working days, right?
- [laughs] - 2 minutes, 7 seconds.
- Nice, wow. - That's a brilliant time.
- Justin and cam, great job. - Thank you.
- How do you feel? - Satisfied.
- Did you hit your head? - Yes.
- Oh, my goodness.
- You know, I came here for him.
I'm not gonna step aside for, you know,
A little bump on the head-- we got to get back to work.
- Well, there you go. You got the got the job done.
You did a great job.
- Cam didn't look like a dog that was in retirement at all.
- No. - 2:07 officially their time.
That's gonna be, I think, a challenging time to beat.
- Absolutely. - We've got two more dogs
Waiting for their turn to try and do just that--
Working dog aero and underdog hammer.
We've just seen former k9 turned underdog
Team cam run the doghouse and set the time to beat...
- That a boy! - 2 minutes, 7 seconds.
- Yes! That's a good boy!
- So next up is your favorite team, team aero.
- Wait. Good boy.
- Yeah, the cape and tutu are gone,
So I guess the fun and games are over.
- Before they run the doghouse,
Let's see if they're equipped
To handle the challenges they're about to face.
♪ ♪
- Aero absolutely loves scent work.
He loves using his nose,
And he is accurate.
Yes. Come on.
Aero's nose never fails.
[shouts] that's a good boy.
Rottweilers are naturally defensive.
So, with aero, picking up the bite work was very easy.
Ha ha. Good boy.
♪ ♪
To win "america's top dog"
Would put a literal label on what I already know.
♪ ♪
- Okay, team aero minus the costume is ready to go.
[dramatic music]
They're off. - Good boy.
- That's a big dog to be rappelling down that wall.
- Big old fella. - Remember how calm they were
When they ran through the k-9 combine?
They're calm here.
Let their run through the doghouse begin.
2:07 is the time they need to beat.
- Here, here, here.
Good boy, here. - [barks]
- Aero sounds as excited as I am.
- Now the door breach.
- Wait, ready?
- And they knock it down with a 15-pound hammer.
- All right, so we're looking for two keys.
- One under the trophy you see right there
And another underneath the helmet.
♪ ♪
- All right, nice. - Got one real quick.
- Right away. - So aero is on pace with cam
Right now, which is impressive,
Considering cam's k9 experience.
- Good boy, buddy. Let's go, let's go, let's go.
- This is where team cam lost a little bit of time.
Looking for that second key took them a while.
- Yes.
- Looks like aero thought he smelled something.
Nope, that's not it.
- Right here. Right here.
♪ ♪
- Approaching the 30-second alarm now.
Looking everywhere except-- oh, there we go.
- Yes. Oh!
Yep, okay, there we go.
- There's the alert. And there's the second key.
- The trouble spot for the dogs
Often is divide & conquer. - This is the challenge.
Can he get him to go up that spiral staircase?
Right on it. - Up, up, up.
- Yes. - All the way to the top.
Aero, no problem. Ryan meets him up there.
- Great job. - And aero's waiting for him.
So they've got a good chance here.
- All right. - Low crawl.
- The big dog through the low crawl.
♪ ♪
- And they've taken care of that.
- Yeah.
- So now they go through the spider web.
- All right. - Come on, buddy.
Good job, buddy, right here, right here.
- They've got to unlock that door next with both keys
And then get down for the takedown.
Clock is winding.
One lock undone, second lock undone.
- Breach the locks.
- Okay, they're gonna need to hustle now.
Team aero down the stairs.
♪ ♪
All they have to do is bite with a quick release,
And they got this.
[cheers and applause]
Oh, no. He missed.
And that will cost them the win.
- Good boy. - Unfortunately, for them,
They won't beat the time set by team cam.
But let's see how they finish.
- Aero, here. Yeah, buddy!
- There we go.
- Oh, good.
- And they finish with a time of 2 minutes and 15 seconds.
So close, but they had a tough task
Trying to beat a former k9 competitor.
- Can I say hi?
- Good boy. - Yes, you're a good boy.
- There it is. - Okay, you're sitting right
On my foot, and it hurts a little.
- Good boy, buddy.
- Ryan, you guys did such a great job.
Maybe we should have kept the cape on him.
- Right? I think it was the cape.
- Yes. Absolutely.
- Like, it was all about the cape.
- Justin, cam, one more round.
- You got a good dog. - Thank you.
- Oh, gracious in defeat, aren't they?
- That's so lovely. - That was.
- [barking] - all right, that means 2:07
Is still officially the time to beat.
The team that has one opportunity
To stop them is team hammer.
- Nice job. Good boy.
- Can they beat team cam's time
Of 2:07 in our final run of the night?
- Our final run of the night.
And right now team cam has the fastest time.
- Yeah. - 2:07 is the time to beat.
The team that has one opportunity to stop them
Is the hearing-impaired underdog team hammer.
Let's see if anything is gonna set this puppy back
In the doghouse.
♪ ♪
- Hammer is super intelligent. He's a problem solver.
So he's great with nose work.
And the hardest part with training cattle dog
Is cattle dogs were bred to nip and retreat.
♪ ♪
But hammer is smart enough to figure out
That he needs to hold on to the decoy,
Not let him go until I tell him to.
We are ready to kick butt in the doghouse.
- This dog's got all the top qualities--agility, speed.
- Everything you need... - Everything you need.
- To succeed in the doghouse. - Yes.
- You ready to do it? - I'm ready to do it.
- I think they are, too.
[dramatic music]
Hammer and bethany, go.
- Good boy, buddy. - That's a nice rappel.
And, again, you know, it's an underdog,
Deaf in one of the ears, perseveres.
- Yes.
- All the things you want to root for here.
♪ ♪
- All right, keep in mind,
2:07 is the time they need to beat.
Can hammer and bethany
Beat the time set by detective wilmot and cam?
- Let's do a breach, shall we? Bang!
- Battering ram knocks down the door.
Inside the game room,
One scent is under that trophy,
And the other's under a helmet.
- The game is get on the scent.
♪ ♪
- Hammer, search, search.
- All right, so there's one key underneath the helmet.
There we go. - Okay, good boy.
- Now, if he hurries up and gets the second key,
They've got a chance. - Yes.
Because despite how quickly cam found that first key,
He did spend a fair amount of time
Trying to find that second.
- What's his scent, peanut butter?
- Peanut butter is his scent.
- Uh-huh. All right.
Get the butter. Oh.
- Oh, they're right there at the table.
There we go.
- Yes, all right. - That's an alert.
Climb up on the table, make sure you see me.
- Okay, here we go.
- All right, so now they've got a chance.
- Divide & conquer, don't get divided.
- They're pretty even with team cam here.
Go, keep going all the way to the top.
- Let's make a mad sprint. - Hammer did it.
- Here we go.
- The race is on. Get through the low crawl.
- Good, tight competition we got going.
Yes!
- Boy, let's go. - Is our time gonna hold up?
- Through the thicket of the spider web.
- Small size advantage for hammer.
He's not getting tripped up by these bungee cords at all.
- Here, wait. - Now it's up to the human
To get these padlocks quickly--go, go, go, go, go.
The humans need to practice the padlock.
- Doors are open.
Now quickly on to the decoy where he'll bite and release.
- Hammer, hammer, hammer. Go, go, go, go.
- 2:07 is the time to beat.
They're approaching that right now.
- This is gonna be a close one.
- This will determine... - Attack, attack, attack!
- Who is tonight's top dog. - Get it, doggy. Get it.
- Now it's a matter of letting go and getting back to circle.
- How quickly can he release get back?
- Hammer, out. Okay.
- Oh, they just missed out. [audience aws]
- Whoo-hoo! - We did it!
- So close! - [laughs]
- 2:09--
Just two seconds over the target.
- Team cam, from disappointment
On "america's top dog" as a police k9,
Retiring and coming back to compete as underdogs.
- Oh, my goodness. Are you kidding me?
- Congratulations, team cam.
- Champs. Champions.
- Platz.
- Congratulations. - Thank you.
- Justin, how do you feel? - I'm extremely proud
Of everything that we accomplished.
Retiring him and then thinking we were done,
I'm so excited that this is, you know,
Something we were able to come back and do.
I love being able to work with him
And to do it for a bigger cause,
Bigger than me, for every kid out there with alopecia.
I'm just so, so lucky to be in this situation.
Great job, bubba.
- Ten grand in your pocket. You are tonight's top dog.
Now you have the chance to come back to compete for $20,000
And the title of "america's top dog."
- Mama needs a new car. - Mama needs a new car, baby!
Justin, congratulations.
- Thanks. - Cam, congrats.
Good boy. Oh, what a night!
- Tonight we saw what a difference dogs can make
In the lives of people.
And before we go, we wanted to make sure we highlighted
A great organization that does just that.
Paws with a cause
Works to enhance the quality of life
For people with disabilities
Through custom-trained assistance dogs.
For more information and how you can help,
Please go to pawswithacause.Org.
That does it for tonight. Man, this was fun.
- This was so much fun. - For rachel bonnetta
And my dog david koechner, I'm curt menefee,
And we will see you next time on "america's top dog."
[triumphant music]
- Whoo!
[cheers and applause] - [barks]