Up next, it's a team that's been seen on "Live PD."
From the Williamson County Sheriff's Office in Texas,
Team Kato.
I'm Deputy Charles Duvall of the Williamson County
Sheriff's office in Texas.
This is K9 Kato.
He is a three-year-old Belgian Malinois.
After the first week of training,
he started trusting me, and I started trusting him.
So it worked out really well.
It's been a lot of fun on "Live PD."
Everybody notices him before they notice me.
He's the star of the show.
I'm just his driver.
He does have a crazy, crazy bark.
[dog barks]
It's intimidating.
People don't like it.
Kato's just a high-energy dog.
I think we have a pretty good shot at doing well tonight,
mainly because of the trust.
Kato trusts me, and I trust him.
So I think we'll be able to work through the obstacles
together as a team.
We're Team Kato, and we're going to be "America's Top Dog."
CURT MENEFEE: All right, here's Team Kato.
[starting horn]
First off is the knockdown.
Come on.
CURT MENEFEE: Whoa.
Come back here, Kato.
NICK WHITE: Every second counts, and this is going to cost him.
CURT MENEFEE: A 135-pound door.
That's more than double his body weight, but he moves it.
They get through the window in, into the spider web.
Come on.
Let's go.
NICK WHITE: The spider web simulates
tracking through the woods, tracking through the forest,
just like we see canines do on "Live PD."
You got it.
We're all the way through it. No.
CURT MENEFEE: They're a minute in, but caught
in the web and losing time.
Can they claw their way out of trouble?
You got it.
Good boy.
CURT MENEFEE: And on to the low crawl.
NICK WHITE: Kato keeps looking back at Deputy Duvall.
He's like, you're slowing me down, man.
CURT MENEFEE: On the box is up.
We know Kato can jump.
Up.
Up. You've got it.
You've got it.
Good boy.
CURT MENEFEE: They're already at the top.
NICK WHITE: Up next is the duct work.
Up, up.
Good boy.
Let's go.
Let's go, go!
Let's go!
CURT MENEFEE: They're at the minute and a half mark.
Great time so far.
But will the door slow them down?
Oh, get that, boy.
Get it.
Oh, good buddy.
Let's go.
NICK WHITE: These dogs are bred for bar work.
No problem there.
CURT MENEFEE: And now the moment these dogs
are trained for, the takedown.
The suspect is running away.
They will try to apprehend the suspect,
release, and get back to the finish line.
Hey, guy!
Quit fighting my dog!
Kato!
Neck! [inaudible]
Ah!
Relax!
Here!
Kato, relax!
CURT MENEFEE: To stop the clock, Deputy Duvall
must get him to release and cross the finish line.
Here!
Oh, good boy.
Here, here.
Here. [inaudible]
NICK WHITE: And he is able to get him back.
He finally gets [inaudible] the finish line,
but the extra time could cost them the win.
CURT MENEFEE: 1 minute, 56.63 seconds.
Great job to Deputy Duvall and Kato.
Beautiful, solid run, Curt.
CURT MENEFEE: Tonight's longest partnership and oldest canine.
These veterans are from the Cocoa
Police Department in Florida.
It's Team Bear.
My name is Dan Rhoades with the Cocoa Police
Department from Cocoa, Florida.
This is my six and a half year old German shepherd K9, Bear.
And me and him have been partners
for four and a half years.
Bear is a third generation law enforcement officer.
His dad and grandfather were both with our Sheriff's office.
We just went down to the competition.
He was the fastest German Shepherd.
He did 50 feet in 2.13 seconds.
Team Bear is "America's Top Dog."
Nobody is going to beat the Bear.
[barking]
CURT MENEFEE: Team Kato from "Live PD" set a blistering time
to beat here in the dog house.
Now the third generation canine Team
Bear is on the starting line.
We do know the time of 1 minute 56.63
seconds is the time to beat.
Kato was our youngest dog.
Bear is our oldest.
Will it be youth or inexperience crowned tonight's Top Dog?
Here, here.
NICK WHITE: No, Bear, you gotta knock it down.
You can't go around it.
CURT MENEFEE: This moment may have
cost them precious seconds.
Through the window, now trying not to get
caught in the spider web.
Come on.
Up.
CURT MENEFEE: A minute in, they're five seconds
behind Team Kato's pace.
Up.
NICK WHITE: Out of all the teams tonight,
Curt, Officer Rhoades and Bear have been together the longest.
So teamwork and communication are a huge advantage.
CURT MENEFEE: And on to low crawl.
NICK WHITE: Because handlers are flowing through low crawl,
this tests their teamwork.
Will their partner wait for them?
CURT MENEFEE: Bear does wait.
But they're still behind Team Kato.
Here!
CURT MENEFEE: And they're quick up the 42 boxes
but still need to make up time.
Now, it's the duct work.
This is turning into a barn burner.
NICK WHITE: Bear understands exactly
what Officer Rhoades wants.
He's flying through it.
He didn't really have any problem grabbing the ball.
Ball!
CURT MENEFEE: Fast through door one and door two,
tracking just behind Team Kato.
This is close.
Less than 15 seconds to bite, release,
and cross the finish line.
Whoa!
That's a fierce bite.
NICK WHITE: This is coming down to seconds.
If he can release, he's got it!
See how quickly Bear released?
CURT MENEFEE: And that's it!
NICK WHITE: This came down to teamwork and communication.
CURT MENEFEE: Tonight's "Top Dog" is Team Bear.