With only one elimination left until the finale of Greatest American Dog it was time to for the dogs to show their loving side. With two challenges that showed the dogs loyalty to their master, the show put a new spin on man’s best friend. On last weeks episode we learned that Galaxy’s leg was potentially injured and it put fear in JD that he would have to leave the competition. The next morning, Galaxy’s leg seemed magically healed but JD took him to the vet just to make sure. There he learned that Galaxy was as fit as a two year old, making the matter disappear and the competition continue.

For the Dog Bone challenge the four pairs had to compete in an endurance type challenge. Each were stationed on a stump facing each other. The last pair to get down from the stump would win the Dog Bone suite and a leg up in the next Showdown challenge. Since Andrew is so used to sleeping, Andrew’s lay down took Laurie out of the challenge. She knew he couldn’t stand up that long and was happy he lasted the time that he did. Next to go down were JD and Galaxy. Galaxy also laid down which isn’t surprising considering her injured leg. That left Travis/Presley and Teresa/Leroy. Since they were the final two, and Travis didn’t think Presley could last long, a deal was brought to the table. Travis wanted to give Teresa the win and in return they would share her leg up. Teresa wouldn’t take the deal though and seeing that Presley wasn’t enjoying the challenge, Travis called Presley down. In return Teresa took home her second Dog Bone win, giving her the leg up and a quick video chat with her boyfriend.

During their break between the Dog Bone challenge and the Showdown, the dogs and masters took some time to swim. Andrew didn’t seem to take well to the pool as he paddled even when dry while the other dogs seemed to love it. Presley and Travis swam together while JD let Galaxy wade while he sunbathed. Teresa had a different approach and that was letting Leroy do as he wished in the pool. At one point he seemed to be wild and JD felt it was bad training as Teresa didn’t reprimand him. She did give her reasons though and that was Leroy’s inability to herd. Rather he splashes the pool and “herds” the wave that is created from the splash. It makes sense, but I highly doubt that’s what he’s doing.

After the fun was done it was back to the game with the start of the Showdown challenge. Thanks to her leg up, Teresa was able to see what the challenge was before anyone else. She learned that the dogs would have to sit in half circle and not move from it. They would also be called and enticed by the three other players so it was important to get your dog to stay with you. Teresa used her advantage to train Leroy in the middle of the night. She tried to get him to stay as she threw toys and other things and it seemed to go well. The next day everyone was given the chance to bond with the other dogs. Teresa played it smart and tried to get the dogs to go for the toys when she yelled stay. Laurie’s game play was just having fun with the dogs. She wants to have a mix of play and love with them, to create a bond that would pull them away from their owners. Travis didn’t know what he was doing and just kind of hung out with the dogs while JD took his normal approach. He mimicked the owner’s voice and tried to get the dogs to play. The only one he had trouble with was Andrew, who actually ran away from him. It took him awhile to find Andrew, who ran outside to Laurie. The dog just couldn’t live without his mom and did anything to get to her.

When it came time for the Showdown everyone was filled in on how the challenge worked. Laurie and Andrew were up first and Andrew didn’t budge one bit. He actually yawned as the others tried to lure him away from Laurie. The judges loved Laurie’s technique as she wasn’t in a controlling position but rather calmly talking to Andrew. The others had some problems though and it actually put the judges in a three way stalemate for awhile. JD and Galaxy did well during the challenge as Galaxy hardly budged. The judges felt JD’s stance with Galaxy was harsh and almost robotic. He snapped back at them AFTER he knew he was safe, which may be ruled in next week. That left it down to Teresa and Travis. Although Presley ran completely out of the ring, the judges felt he performed loyalty over Leroy’s feared stay. That’s why Teresa and Leroy were chosen to leave, making the final three for the finale. Either JD/Galaxy, Laurie/Andrew or Travis/Presley will win Greatest American Dog and the $250,000. Who will it be? Tune in next week to find out!

While we wait for the finale, leave a comment and let us know who you think should win Greatest American Dog!

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The Greatest American Dog is still impressing me as a show about dogs is becoming one of the most heart warming yet dramatic reality show in a long time. Last week Elvis and his owner David were sent to the Dog House and lucky they were. The first night the two moved back into the house Elvis got into a fight with Tillman, setting a few people off. David didn’t want to deal with the drama so he moved back into the Dog House for the night. He avoided the drama for a bit but the next day Ron let him know he couldn’t stay in his room if their two dogs would fight, making David on the bad list for a few people.

After that little tiff it was time for the next Dog Bone challenge. Once again the winner would get a lavish bedroom and choose someone to put into the Dog House. For the challenge the dogs and their owners would have to go through several obedience challenges. The dog(s) who don’t finish within the allotted time would be out for that round. The last dog remaining would win the Dog Bone room for them and their owner and win the challenge. When the challenge began Elvis and David ended up being the first out. No surprise there. As the challenge continued everyone dropped out one by one and it came down to Travis/Presley and Laura/Preston. The final challenge was to be the first to turn left, then right. Travis and Presley were the first to finish and gave the youngest dog there the win. Travis then had to choose someone to spend time in the Dog House and he chose JD. Everyone feels that JD is a threat so they were happy with the decision.

Following the Dog Bone challenge it seemed like Bill and his dog Star were missing home. He’s the oldest guy there and he’d surely miss his family but he’s glad he’s there with star as he’s that close with his dog. Before they went to bed Bill told Ron that Star likes to find snakes and brings them into his house. The following morning Star did just that and got herself into a bit of trouble. Bill heard her yelp in the yard and ran to her rescue. Star was bleeding pretty bad and after a trip to the Emergency Vet we found out she got into a fight with a cat or maybe got caught in a wire. Everyone was worried as they weren’t sure what was going on and realized just how much they would be upset if their dogs got hurt.

Later on it was time for the Best of Show preparation and this weeks challenge was “Pettiquite”. Three simple actions were going to be done but during the challenge the dogs would have distractions. Unlike last week the 11 players were split into two random teams. Group one was JD, Elan, Travis, Beth Joy and Laura. Their “troublesome dog” was Kenji who was basically continouosly yelled at by Elan. Nobody agreed with how she handled her dog and felt it could screw them up as well. Group Two consisted of battling dogs with Ron, David, Teresa, Bill, Lori and Brandi. Their trouble was David and Elvis who seemed out of control. He continued to run rampant and everyone was scared he’d bite again.

At the Best of Show Group Two goes first. Everyone does really well but there are a few problems here and there. The first challenge was to walk out and “heel”. The only dog to do somewhat poorly was Brandi’s, who was in the bottom three last week. Beacon wanted to stray a bit but got back on course. For the second part the dogs were put food in front of them that they loved. Although Tillman wanted to so badly eat the steak, none of the dogs gave in and did very well. The last challenge was to stay. The dogs had to sit at the table while their owners walked around the table. None of the dogs budged in group two and continued to do well.

The first group then came out and had a few stumbles. Everyone did well with the heel but the eating part had some issues. The only problem was really with Elan and Kenji as she basically barked at her dog. Every other “sound” out of her mouth was “ehh” and “stop”. I mean she yelled at her dog before the food even hit the table! None of the others ate and none of the others moved while the owners walked around as well. Once again Kenji screwed up though as right before the challenge was over Kenji jumped down off the table, making it pretty obvious would would leave. When it was time for judging Elan and Beth Joy had the worst words for them. Obviously they weren’t happy with Elan for yelling but Beth Joey and BellaStarlet were something totally different. The judges didn’t like how Beth Joy put Bella in a dress. It really had nothing to with Bella’s act but rather the choise Beth Joy made to put her in a dress.

When all the teams returned it was time to name Best of Show. The judges chose Bill and Star, who luckily recovered, to be the best and it was great to see the team bounce back after much misfortune! For the bottom three the judges chose David/Elvis, Elan/Kenji and Beth Joy/BellaStarlet. As the judges gave their critique  Beth Joy freaked out. She was made they didn’t like the idea about Bella being a dress and brought up several reasons. But the judges, who weren’t happy with the freak out, chose Kenji and Elan as well since she acted so badly during the actual part of the challenge. I think they made a great move, for good TV sake, since Beth Joy is certified crazy!

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