CURT MENEFEE: One of tonight's
Team Wolverine.
Trainer Otto Sturm has been working
with canines since he was 18.
His favorite breed-- the American Pit Bull Terrier.
OTTO STURM: I'm Otto Sturm.
This is my dog, Wolverine.
He's a two-year-old American Pit Bull Terrier.
And I'm a dog training and behavioral health expert.
[inaudible]
[wolverine yips]
As I was raising him from a puppy,
I was already in a very competitive career with Ccino,
another Pit Bull Terrier.
[sad music]
A few months ago, unfortunately, Ccino
passed rather unexpectedly.
But Wolverine just really stepped up to the plate
and has flung himself into the fire every step of the way
to support me.
And I'm not sure if that's something that they know
and can sense, so he's trying extra hard,
but it's really incredible.
[music playing]
Wolverine and I are gonna be out there
competing in Ccino's memory, and we're
gonna try to do him proud.
This pit's gonna take down the competition.
[wolverine yipping] [imitates barking]
[wolverine yipping] [applause]
CURT MENEFEE: Nick, how do you see
Team Wolverine doing tonight?
NICK WHITE: Wolverine's only two years old.
That lack of experience, maturity, and training
is a big disadvantage.
I'm excited to see this underdog.
It is Team Wolverine.
[beeping]
[bell]
Team Wolverine needs to beat Team
Moto's time of 4 minutes, 10.86 seconds to avoid elimination.
Ready, ready, ready.
Hup!
CURT MENEFEE: Wolverine is our youngest dog and smallest
dog in the competition tonight.
[siren wailing]
Hup!
NICK WHITE: The smaller size is helping
him move through the cars.
Look at him go!
Hup!
Good boy!
CURT MENEFEE: He's also our quickest
dog tonight through Car Slalom. - Let's go.
Let's go.
CURT MENEFEE: Just 20 seconds to Fire Escape.
Take it.
Hey, take it.
NICK WHITE: Oh, no!
This is where lack of experience costs them time.
Good boy.
NICK WHITE: Some dogs are slow to mature,
and he's just not there yet.
Good boy, yeah.
CURT MENEFEE: It took him some time, but he got it.
Wolverine!
Hey.
Good boy!
CURT MENEFEE: No hesitation on the second ball.
NICK WHITE: Pit bulls can be less
ball-driven than other breeds, but Wolverine's figured it out.
Right here, let's go.
CURT MENEFEE: A minute, 40 seconds to High Jump.
Here's where you're gonna see Wolverine really excel.
Ready?
Hup!
Oh!
Making up time on the High Jump.
Hup.
NICK WHITE: Otto's up and over two.
CURT MENEFEE: Let's hope he doesn't pull a hammy.
OTTO STURM: [inaudible].
Underneath now that final wall--
Beautiful! Nice!
--very quickly.
NICK WHITE: And you see that trust pay off on Rope Bridge.
No hesitation.
Good boy.
Ready, ready, ready!
Hup.
Nice!
There he goes, into the water.
NICK WHITE: Talk about no hesitation.
CURT MENEFEE: This is going to get the second fastest
run that we have seen tonight.
Otto Sturm and Wolverine.
They are moving on to round two.
OTTO STURM: Good boy.
We may be considered the underdog,
but for work, I do help train and problem solve
for many police departments.
We train and we compete on a world championship level.
I think we're gonna win the competition
because his ability to compete to just please me is amazing.
CURT MENEFEE: They need to find four items in 4 minutes, 43.46
seconds to avoid elimination.
[beeping]
[bell]
Let's go.
[applause]
CURT MENEFEE: They get started in the bedroom.
NICK WHITE: So what you see him doing
is he's kind of taunting him with the toy,
saying, hey, do you want it? Do you want it?
Do you want it? OK, search.
Seek.
NICK WHITE: At home, Wolverine trains
with the marijuana scent, so that's what's on the items
during his run.
CURT MENEFEE: And now I know why our crew has the munchies.
Remember, the handler has no idea what
item they're searching for.
He hasn't thrown that aggressive response
that I'm looking for.
However, you see Otto reading that behavior.
And it turns out that he's gonna get his first item
in just under a minute.
CURT MENEFEE: A good time, but slower than the other teams.
The luggage room is next.
Can they make up time here? - Hey.
Seek, go.
Ready?
Show me.
Good boy.
Good boy. Where is it?
NICK WHITE: Right there, an aggressive response.
Otto sees it right away.
Good boy.
CURT MENEFEE: They do make up time.
1 minute, 45 seconds--
two items.
[inaudible].
CURT MENEFEE: Into the bathroom.
NICK WHITE: If you're a really good handler,
you don't need that alert.
You're just watching for a very specific change of behavior.
Right there.
That's definitely an alert.
CURT MENEFEE: Wolverine's a scent-detecting machine now,
Nick.
This is gonna be close.
Into the living room.
To avoid elimination, they have 30 seconds
to find the fourth item. - Good boy.
Good boy.
CURT MENEFEE: And he's right on it.
Good boy.
Where's it at?
CURT MENEFEE: That may have been their chance.
NICK WHITE: Wolverine knows there's something in that area,
but I don't see an alert there.
No, sir.
CURT MENEFEE: That used a lot of clock.
They need to hurry.
Seek, go!
NICK WHITE: Wolverine knows it's right there.
CURT MENEFEE: He just looked right at it.
Wolverine.
Seek, go.
CURT MENEFEE: They've got less than 6 seconds
to find that book, or they'll end
their night at The Boneyard.
And they're circling around to it.
Seek.
CURT MENEFEE: Unfortunately, they
run out of time as the clock hits 4 minutes, 43 seconds.
Wolverine.
You guys unfortunately are being eliminated.
I'm pretty pleased with how hard of an effort
he put forward with his age and the short amount
of time he's been training.
Only two years old.
What an inspiration.
Good job, Wolverine.
And a hug.
Thanks for coming on.
Thank you.