Games - That's My Dog

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	Games - That's My Dog

That's My Dog is a game show that aired in both TSW in the UK and The Family Channel in the United States. Two families and their dogs competed in games and stunts oriented toward the dogs for the chance to win prizes.

Hosts and production notes

The host for the UK version was Derek Hobson. The host for the American version was future comedy writer Steve Skrovan, who was later replaced by Wil Shriner for the show's third and final season. Skrovan had two female assistants, Roxie Styce and later Susan Pari, during his stint on the show. Originally Wil didn't have an assistant, but later in his version, he was accompanied by a dog named "Tiny", who showed signs with the name of the next event, and brought the medals for the dogs at the end of the show.

The announcer was Dean Muchio, whom also announced Family Secrets (hosted by Bob Eubanks) and the short-lived 1990 version of Let's Make a Deal (first with Bob Hilton second with Monty Hall) (both of them aired on NBC).

In America, That's My Dog was taped at Universal Studios for the second season, then later at Disney MGM Studios. Both are in Orlando, Florida.

Gameplay

Two teams of three (sometimes two) family members and their dogs competed in a series of events fit for the dogs. These included going through a maze, performing tasks, the dogs' masters answering dog-related questions, and finally a standard dog obstacle course.

U.S. Version

In the U.S. version, the dogs competed in 5 games. The dog (and family) with the most points at the end of the game won a year's supply of dog food and prizes for the rest of the family.

Round One

The first was usually a head-to-head competition played under a 30 or 60-second time limit. Usually, both dogs often received points based on their performance, with the better performing dog earning an additional ten points. For example, in one event, the dogs went down a line of doggy treats (on pie plates), and for each one eaten, they would get 2 points, with a 10-point bonus for the dog who could eat more of them faster.

Round Two

From then on, each dog played separately. In round 2, each dog had (usually) 30 seconds to perform a stunt for points. For instance, in one event, the dog had to bring slippers back to their master, picking up 5 points for each slipper brought back and 10 bonus points for each matching pair. Another event gave the dog 30 seconds to jump over a bunch of hurdles of varying heights, starting at one point for the lowest one, and six points for the highest. If a hurdle got knocked over, it was out of play.

Round Three (Mixed-Up Maze)

The third round was the Mixed-Up Maze. Each dog had 45 seconds (60 in the later Shriner episodes) to get from the starting gate to their master at the finish line (who, true to the theme of the show, would be waiting in a doghouse structure). Along the way, the dog might be distracted by a sandbox filled with dog food, a toy car, a water bowl, and other things. A dog making it through would earn 20 points, with the faster dog getting 10 bonus points (only applicable if both dogs completed the run). If a dog left the maze at any point other than the regular exit by jumping over the outer wall, that dog would be disqualified for the event and score no points for the run (and in later episodes, a "Runaway Dog" graphic would pop up on the screen and sirens would go off) although jumping inside was acceptable.

Note: During the early shows of the first season of the Skrovan version, the maze was played first.

Canine Quiz Round (Skrovan Version)

During the first season of the Skrovan version, the dog's masters play the "Canine Quiz Round". Host Skrovan asks a series of doggy-related questions and the first player to buzz-in (or in this case bark-in) gets a chance to answer. An incorrect answer from the bark-in player allows his/her opponents to answer. Each correct answer is worth 5 points. Later on in the first season, the last question of the round was worth a special prize from the doggy bag.

Round Four

Round 4 had two different formats. In the first format, the "Talent Showcase", the dogs would perform a talent of some sort within a 30-second time limit, then a panel of three audience members would give the dog up to 30 points (10 from each panelist). In the second, each dog would do a stunt much like in round 2, usually lasting 30 seconds, and would score points based on their performance. In the second format during the last season of the Shriner version, the dogs & their masters went to the Doggy Bowl to play another game.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for That's My Dog ]

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