Reality Show Teaches Old Dogs Extreme Tricks

Max the Border Collie can roll over on command, herd crowds and sit still on a table while his owners eat.

But Grace and Michael Ham want their dog to do more — like climb people's backs and then leap into the air to catch a Frisbee. So, they have sought the help of Zak George, a dog trainer made famous from YouTube clips who now is hosting a reality TV show aimed at teaching old dogs new tricks.

A crew for Animal Planet's new show — tentatively called "Fetch Me a Beer" — recently filmed Max while he was learning his new moves. The 20-episode series, scheduled to premiere in October, will show George teaching other dogs such skills as riding a bike and helping a helpless human land a date.

"The dogs are easy. It's the people who are more challenging," George says. "There's nothing we can't attempt to teach a dog."

Seanbaker Carter, executive producer of Powderhouse Productions, says viewers will see all sorts of skills from dogs they didn't think were possible, such as seeing a dog "literally fetching a beer out of a fridge" and bringing it to its owner.

"It's the one trick we probably all need to happen," says Carter, whose company is producing the show for Animal Planet.

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