America's Top Dog - General Discussion

[Hooper]

That comedian/commentator reminded me of the commentator played by Fred Willard in Best in Show.  Except Fred Willard was doing brilliant satire of, well, clueless commentators like the new guy on ATD.  If the producers of this show want someone who can do some humorous sporting event-like commentary and actually has some genuine affinity for dogs I recommend this guy. 

Overall I liked the new format. I agree that the zip line is pointless, but I liked seeing more diversity in breeds and handlers .  I don’t know exactly what the rules and time constraints are on searching for the scented keys, but all the handlers, including the professionals, needed to calm the f... down during the search.  And I was sad to see the cattle dog, aka red heeler, disqualified for doing exactly what he was bred and trained to do - nip/bite low on the leg.  I get why biting a body part that isn’t protected by the body suit is a no-no, but still...  that heel bite was less of a safety hazard than the bull dog that went for the crotch and hung on last season  😨

Anyway,  welcome back show.  It was 101 degrees at 9 pm when I was watching last night, and watching a silly dog competition was exactly all the physical and mental energy I could summon .

[CrazyInAlabama]

I liked the range of breeds this season.   However, I couldn't stand the new commentator. 

[mlp]

I enjoyed the show more last night.  The comedian seems to have decided that his role is not to be funny but to be pleasant and congenial.  He and Curt seemed to be interacting very well.  I'm glad they got rid of the zip line although rappelling makes only marginally more sense.

The schnauzer was ridiculous.  I was glad they disqualified the woman who touched the green light.  She may have pressed it accidentally but she clearly did it.  I liked the pit bull and the police dog who eventually won.  I was sorry one of them had to be eliminated.

[mlp]

I had no idea Season 3 had been on until 4 episodes showed up on my DVR, all aired on Saturday.  That makes me think A&E didn't get the viewers they wanted and is burning it off.  

They went back to the original arrangement of having 5 dogs in the first round and moving 3 forward based on times.  I didn't like the way they did it last season at all so I was glad to see that.  I still hate the zip line.  That has nothing to do with "trust" because the dog isn't being given any choice.

I liked the comedian this time around.  He settled down from trying to be funny/silly and just acted as an amusing sidekick to Curt which was much better.  I still don't care for the woman (forgot her name) who is just too "on" and "look at me."  

I've watched only the first episode so far but none of the dogs were as good as the police dogs in the first season.

[MrPissyPuppy]

I finished watching the third season.   The Siberian Husky (S3E6) is my favorite with his ever so slow and methodical work including the most polite & gentle bitework ever.  "I'm sorry, sir - I must hold on to your arm for 3 seconds, okay?"