15 Unforgettable Dog Acts That Made History on Talent Shows

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Nothing is cuter than a dog impressing an audience at a talent show. Dogs have incredible abilities; they only need the right trainer and partner to bring them out. Performances by dogs and their owners go beyond tricks and stunts as they flaunt the bond between them. Here, we’ll showcase some canines that demonstrated remarkable intelligence, agility, and charm in talent shows, wowed audiences and judges and brought joy to viewers around the globe.

Hero and Sara (America’s Got Talent)

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Hero, a brilliant border collie, teamed up with his owner, Sara Carson, to deliver spellbinding performances on A.G.T. Together, they flaunted Hero’s agility and obedience through complex sequences of tricks. Hard to forget is their pirate-themed fight from Episode 1205 and the burglary theme walk of Episode 1207. Hero died in March 2024.

Olate Dogs (America’s Got Talent)

Olate Dogs/Facebook

Season 7 of America’s Got Talent saw the Olate dogs walk away with the grand reward! Father-son duo Richard and Nicholas Olate led them and took A.G.T. by storm with their high-energy performances and intricate tricks. Their troupe of well-trained dogs performed various acts, including jumping rope and small obstacles, performing backflips, spinning, standing on forelegs, and more. At the finals—episode 730—a pair of dogs walked on the judges’ desk together.

Ashleigh and Pudsey (Britain’s Got Talent)

Ashleigh and Pudsey-BGT winner 2012/Facebook

The now late Pudsey was a Border Collie, Bichon Frisé, and Chinese Crested powderpuff male cross. Ashleigh Butler and her male companions were no easy competition as they made history as the first dog act to win BGT and the sixth winner of the show. They performed with “Meet the Flintstones” and “Theme from Mission: Impossible” and had Simon Cowell declare Pudsey the best dancing dog he’d ever seen. Pudley later starred in Pudley the Dog: The Movie.

Jules and Matisse (Britain’s Got Talent)

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Jules O’Dwyer and her dog Matisse won the 9th series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2015. Their routines told exciting stories and earned remarks about how well-trained the dog was and being one of the best dog acts on the show. Matisse was quite the trickster, and the stories they portrayed included policewoman and sausage thief, toymaker and toy dog, and hero and villain dog catcher. Her other dogs also featured in their final performance.

Alexa Lauenburger (America’s Got Talent)

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At 11, Alexa Lauenburger and her talented pack of dogs already had a Germany’s Got Talent victory in the bag. Still, there was no stopping her as she took the magic to America’s Got Talent. The little German girl had her dogs jumping through hoops, over herself and each other, through tubes, and over hurdles and ropes. She didn’t reach the top 5 but received standing ovations from judges and love from superfans. One of her dogs, Emma, helped her win the Guinness World Record for the fastest time for a dog to jump five hurdles on the hind legs.

Kate and Gin (Britain’s Got Talent)

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Series 2 of BGT witnessed 16-year-old Kate and her dog reach the finals. Before then, they were also in Series 1, where their performance didn’t make it to television. Among the songs they used for their performances in the next season are the James Bond theme, Moby’s version, and the Scissors Sisters’ I Don’t Feel Like Dancing. Walking backward, walking through crossed legs, and jumping over a raised leg were part of their performances. Simon said the dog wasn’t just one of the most talented dogs but one of the top performers in the world.

Lucy and Trip Hazard (Britain’s Got Talent)

Lucy Heath and The Trickstars/Facebook

Lucy Heather’s second series of BGT was Series 10 in 2016. She had previously appeared in Series 9. The new dog she came with was Trip Hazard, a replacement for her quite sensitive Indie. Hazard showed off various tricks when performing to Candyman by Christina Aguilera. Their performance with the song Be Our Guest was so effortless that even Amanda acknowledged it. In the finals, their roleplay performance had Lucy dressed as Supergirl arrest a robber with Trip assisting her. The public vote landed them in 7th place.

The Tricksters (Britain’s Got Talent)

Lucy Heath and The Trickstars/Facebook

Seven series later, Lucy, now a mother, returned with the much-loved Trip Hazard and three new dogs—Peach, Strike, and Tempo—as The Tricksters. Performing to inspire her son to chase his dreams, she moved from simple to complex tricks. In one performance, Trip sat on Lucy and Strike’s backs. In another, she was a female Willy Wonka while the dogs toured the factory. The dogs gave us their version of The Greatest Show in the finals.

Dave & Finn (Britain’s Got Talent)

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Dave Wardell and his best friend, German Shepherd Finn, got to the finals in BGT Series 13. Finn, in the auditions, saw the word ‘Table’ and whispered it to Dave, who guessed it correctly. Few mind-reading acts followed. In one, someone mentioned a word to describe Finn, and Dave revealed the word on Finn’s collar. There was another in the semis where the judges picked specific words and a random sequence of letters, and he showed them the words in a video and the letters on six police dogs he introduced to the stage. In the finals, a ball from Finn’s mouth mentioned the three items the judges selected earlier.

Tina and Chandi (Britain’s Got Talent)

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When Tina called Chandi the amazing dancing dog, she meant it. She danced with a broom, and her rescue dog joined her—and performed in sync. It was apparent they had a beautiful relationship. They also performed with Frank Sinatra’s Me and My Shadow and Let’s Face the Music and Dance. Their finals saw them earning the fourth position with the public vote.

Patrick and Ginger (America’s Got Talent)

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Ginger came into Patrick’s life and helped him overcome a terrible O.C.D. But that’s not where their story ends. Three and a half years later, they appeared on Episode 1105 of America’s Got Talent. Ninety seconds was all Ginger needed to ride a scooter, jump ropes, climb into bowls, and dance on two legs. Standing on a tightrope was the highlight of the performance. They were voted to move to the next round but didn’t appear.

The Pompeyo Family (America’s Got Talent)

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The Pompeyo family consists of three circus performers, Jorge, Natalya, their daughter Katerina, and their dogs. The trickster dogs weren’t just rope jumpers. They stood on their forelegs and danced on their hind legs. One pushed a small car while another rode it. During their Judge Cut performance, a dog climbed and leaped off a ladder.

Oscar and Pam (America’s Got Talent)

Oscar and Pam/Facebook

Anyone who thinks dogs can’t sing should watch Episode 1306 of A.G.T. Oscar the dog sang along to Johann Pachelbel’s “Canon in D” while Pam played it on the keyboard. Even though they later left the competition, they got three Yesses in the auditions.

Lukas & Falco (America’s Got Talent)

Lukas Pratschker and Falco/Facebook

Full-time dog trainer Lukas and his dog Falco are both from Austria. The canine freestyle team hit Episode 1405 with a cow-boy-themed routine and several tricks and walked away with all votes by the judges. Two episodes ahead, they did tricks to the song This Is Me in a The Greatest Showman-style setting. On April 27, 2024, Falco passed away.

Christian Stoinev & Percy (Britain’s Got Talent)

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A 26-year-old Christian and his 4-year-old dog, Percy, graced the 11th season of BGT. He is a trained circus acrobat, and his chihuahua also played a crucial role in the act. Percy jumped out of a gift box and ran around Christian’s arms. He even stood gracefully on Christian’s shoes when he performed a handstand. They made the next round.

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