I’m sure this show, which pits 12 pooches, pictured, against each other for the title of "Greatest American Dog," sounded like a good idea to someone, at some point. Kinda like EW’s December 3, 1993 cover of Frasier’s dog, Eddie. (It’s true, y’all.) But somehow, it’s even less fun than you’d expect. (And read about the show’s shocking July 30 elimination by clicking here!)
The canine competitors and their owners live and train at the "Canine Academy." Each episode, they’ll duke it out in a Dog Bone Challenge to determine which pair gets to stay in puppy paradise, a private luxury suite. The winner also gets to decide which pair will rough it in an outdoor dog house (slightly larger in size than a tent). The rest of the contestants and their pets will share communal bedrooms, which producers clearly hope provides some drama. In the premiere, the challenge was musical doggy chairs. When the music stopped, the owners had to get their dogs to jump up on a tiny platform and sit. Why was I surprised that I was seeing this on a major network? Each episode, there will also be an elimination challenge in which the dogs and owners perform in front of three judges — including an editor-at-large of Dog World and Dog Fancy.
This week, working in groups of four (or eight), the owners had to come up with a skit that would showcase their dogs’ basic skills (e.g. sit, play dead, pirouette, skateboard). Some rose to the challenge — like film producer Laura and her mohawk-rockin’ Pomeranian, Preston, from Team Aloha, which did an Hawaiian theme. Others crumbled: Aspiring comic Michael took it upon himself to emcee his team’s doggy disco and overshadowed his Boston Terrier, Ezzie. Judge Victoria Stilwell, host of It’s Me or the Dog, noted that Ezzie was licking her lips, which is a stress signal, and also cowering in Michael’s sequined presence. She didn’t look like she was having fun, Stilwell said. Michael choked back tears. The wind was literally knocked out of him when he eventually got the boot. I was sorta sad to see Michael and Ezzie go, following their "farewell lap" of the ring; she’d stolen English Bulldog Tillman’s skateboard while he was rehearsing and Michael had pretended to lift his leg on the furnishings in the Dog Bone Suite. They were promising.
After the jump, I pick the pooch who should’ve hit the road, and my early favorites (yes, I think the blogfather will make me keep watching).
The other two pairings in the bottom three this week were Beth Joy and her professional actress/soul mate mix breed, Bella Starlet, and Brandy and her Miniature Schnauzer, Beacon. Beth Joy lost control of Bella Starlet during their French-class routine at Bark Wag High. Though judge Allan Reznick of Dog Fancy fame praised Bella’s pirouettes, he wanted more than one trick. Perhaps he heard that Bella Starlet is the "Pam Anderson of dogs" (and that she and Beth Joy have matching swimsuits in their arsenal), because that mutt lived to bark another day. I was rooting for Brandy and Beacon to get gone. Nothing against Beacon, who admittedly had a problem with the commands to wag one’s tail and sit. I’m just over Brandy, who Stilwell called out for "physically manipulating" her dog. She pushed Beacon’s butt down to a sitting position — a big no-no. That was ironic since Brandy said earlier she is protective of Beacon and, "I won’t tolerate other people touching my dog." At least we’ll have the chance for more awkward conversations between Brandy and Ron, Tillman’s owner, who said he couldn’t remember whether that was the day he was jumping in front of a train or drinking bleach when Brandy invited him to her dog-friendly wedding.
As for my early favorites, I’d say they are Preston and Tillman. (Tillman won me over when he refused to keep playing musical chairs; Preston’s owner, Laura, got me when she brought David and his beloved Parson Russell Terrier, Elvis, some blankets in the Dog House.) I’m also fond of Leroy, the Border Collie who jumped over a gate to be the first one to hit the pool (it IS a reality show!); Presley, the young Boxer with the hot owner, Travis; and Star, the Brittany who’d saved the life of her older owner Bill’s diabetic wife. Star needs a vet in next week’s episode. I couldn’t watch even if I wanted to!
Will you be tuning in next week? What are the odds that cocky J.D. and his English Border Collie, Galaxy, maintain residence in the Dog Bone Suite?
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Heavens to Besty- make it stop!
Wow, I’m sorry you drew the short straw among the EW staff as to who would cover this show. However, it’s pretty awesome that you appeared to say “well, if I’m covering this show, I might as well go all out” and provided a comprehensive recap of the premiere. But still…why is this on a major network? Is there any reason this should be airing outside of “Animal Planet” (or even ESPN since I’ve seen some competitive dog stuff there.)
Anyway, I didn’t tune in, but if they didn’t play off the theme song from “Greatest American Hero”, they missed a golden opportunity.
(“Believe it or not, they’re walking their dogs/ They never thought they could get them to pee/ Flying away on a paw and a prayer/ Who could it be?/ Believe it or not, this show’s on TV!”)
I enjoyed the show. I thought it was a little cheesy, but I love dogs(though not in an obsessive way to have a dog friendly wedding or have its face tatooed on my leg) I thought it was a nice change for something different.
Also, I have a boxer that looks like Presley, so I have to watch him and his hot owner Travis! (We must be the same age/generation Mandi because I always seem to agree with what you say.)
lol,Ceballos
The show’s cheezy. It looks like a mash-up of Big Brother and America’s Funniest Animals.
I enjoyed the show. I’m a dog lover and love this kind of entertainment especially in the summer!
I enjoyed the show. I’m a dog lover and love this kind of entertainment especially in the summer!
Do all the dogs have to be dolled up like canine Jon-Benet Ramseys?
Do all the dogs have to be dolled up like canine pageant kids?
I’ll keep watching as long as Travis is around, he’s really cute.
Above and beyond the show’s premise, competition and some reality show drama, I feel the show is very much about the human-animal bond. These people all have very special relationships with their dogs and it shines through quite clearly. The most important underlying theme of the competitions is about how well the person interacts with their dog, hence the bond they share. Approximately 73 million dog live in American homes and the top reasons people have dogs are for companionship, unconditional love and affection. With that said, I would assume this show will be a hit!
I NEVER watch reality shows much less any television at all. But being a dog-lover prompted me to give this show a try. I like it and will watch it to its end!
I was hoping for a little more talent. There is so much dog talent out there, that the current cast must have walked by the local Krispy Kreme with their dogs, and the loafing talent scouts picked them, instead of going out to find all the real talent out there.
The skateboarding bulldog is cute though.
I wish the show was conducted differently. I find when dog handlers are put in quick competition situations, they get too anxious and tend to put the dog as a second priority. In the musical chairs segment for example, a lot of the handlers showed frustration when they got eliminated, but then finally said “good dog” as they were walking towards the others who were out. Damage already done — dogs can pickup on emotions so easily!
I would rather see the show about training and the host give the competitors a challenging training task each week – something far more difficult than “sit” or “shake” – to perform. The one who can’t perform or performs the new task the weakest is eliminated. After all, there are no “bad dogs”, only “bad trainers”.
So far I think the team with the best attitude is Travis and Presley. I think he was the only one, when eliminated, from musical chairs, didn’t show his disappointment to his dog. (Yes, and I think Travis is cute too!)
It was pretty terrible. It’s a show that’s attempting to create drama between the humans and using dogs as a mere backdrop. The concept of the “Canine Academy” was embarrassingly cheeseball.
I also believe that the canines are a lot brighter than their human team members.
WoW, I really thought the show was pretty awesome. I loved watching the dogs interact with their owners. There are so many different connections between the different animals and their owners. I also loved Preston and Laura! I think they are just great together! I LOVE Preston’s hair! He is just adorable. And yes, Travis is SO cute! I will continue to watch this show because I think it is GREAT! And I definitely think it belongs on CBS. I love it!
This show would be much better without the owners.
THIS SHOW SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN ALLOWED ON THIS PLANET.
Kid Nation Backlash…coming soon
I’ll be watching it again – it’s a good counterbalance to watch after something like this week’s Doctor Who. (Don’t want to ruin it for anyone who hasn’t watched today’s new episode, but will say it showcased some of our lessor traits as humans.) So, even though it’s not intellectually stimulating, etc., it’s a good highlight of (most) owners wanting to make it all about their dog.
I agree with Kath, I don’t get all the dog costumes.
Now I have that theme song in my head. Curses!
I have to agree with C. There is a show called “It’s me or the Dog”. it’s a “Supernanny” or “Nanny 911″ for dogs. I would have liked to see dogs who have difficulty at home, brought in and have dog trainers show these owners how to handle thier problems. Each dog would be given the same challenge and the one that gets it right, gets immunity.
A dreadful show, with a couple of redeeming features. One being the expressions on the face of Brit dog-trainer Victoria, who’s clearly wishing she hadn’t got herself into a mess where she has to look at dogs being made to fulfill the roles of Barbie dolls or babies. The other being the hope that the dogs may bond as a pack and attack the more dreadful owners.
I’m a boxer owner & rescuer, so I’m partial to Presley. He’s the typical boxer. However, this show will not be fair if it’s all about obedience, because boxers are a stubborn breed, as evidenced by his performance in musical chairs. Kudos to Travis for recognizing that. I think Presley, Tillman & Star are the only ones whose owners treat them like dogs with their own personalities and not forms of entertainment. I hope the show rewards that in some way. So help me if some little dog that gets dressed up all the time wins this thing, I’ll really be mad at all the time I wasted on this show.
I want to know what kind of dog PRESTON is. He is a little white male, and adorable. I love to watch the show.
Last night’s Greatest American Dog was a huge disappointment. Will teach me not to recommend anything until I’ve seen it. I have been involved with dogs for most of my life. I won’t go into more detail, but I will add that all my friends, who are also experienced and respected dog people, were just as disappointed.
Horrible show! Real dog trainers everywhere are hanging their heads in dissapointment. The opportunity was there for a worthwhile interesting show and they blew it! I have seen amazing obedience/agility dogs in ALL of those breeds.I haven’t seen an untrainable dog, but plenty of untrainable owners! Poor dogs, what a diservice.
I loved watching Preston and his lady Laura… they are volunteers with my therapy dog program- and really have the most incredible relationship! My pomeranian Bailey and I shared Christmas morning with them, visiting the children at the hospital. I’m proud of Laura, she treats Preston with love, respect and always displays positive reinforcement! I only hope she has the chance to show America just how intelligent Preston is, because the first episode could not capture their unique relationship. Preston is the smartest little dog I’ve ever met!!! And Laura is nothing like the stereotypical LA girl who carries her dog around in a purse… I’m happy CBS cast against the cliche. Hopefully as teams are eliminated, people will get to know the kind, classy, beautiful (on the inside) Laura Nativo that I’ve been fortunate to spend time with… GOOD LUCK PRESTON AND LAURA… everyone at Love on Four Paws is barking for you!!! PS, for all who question… Preston is a happy POMERANIAN.
I liked the idea of the show, and the first challenge because it was testing obedience and the dog/guardian relationship. But judging the “greatest” dog by stupid pet tricks? Terrible idea.
Also, they could be doing more to promote animal rescue by having more mixed breeds or PB shelter dogs. I’d like to have seen at least one BBD (generic Big Black Dog.)
The show was very entertaining. It is refreshing to watch t.v. when they are not blowing someone up. I just wish they could all win.
I absolutely loved the show and will look forward to watching it every week! The dogs are adorable and I am in love with David from NY!!! He is my kind of man and if he is single and available, please have him contact me. Would love to meet him!!
i had an open mind when i watched the show. it could of been a really good show to watch. i was left feeling bad for the dogs. then i seen parts of this weeks show, with the dogs at the table with food in front of them. what kind of bad habbits are they trying to teach these dogs. why couldn’t they have a show about dogs just being dogs with some obedience and agility thrown in.