TV show champs discover their career has legs

If dogs are man’s best friend, then it’s not too much of a stretch to call the Olate Dogs America’s best friend.

The famous four-legged performers were crowned the champions of “America’s Got Talent” in 2012. Since then the popular pooches, and their human handlers, have kept an almost nonstop schedule touring and performing at special events. They next stop at downtown Modesto’s State Theatre for a performance on their Olate Dogs Holiday Rescue Tour on Sunday, Dec. 13.

Father-and-son trainers Richard Olate and Nicholas Olate make the act a family affair. Nicholas, now in his early 20s, started working with the dogs when he was 6 years old. His father, Richard, got his first dog off the streets when he was 12 and growing up in Chile. The elder Olate began performing with the dogs in circus acts and in 1989 took the show to the United States.

The family members and their well-trained dogs made a name for themselves over the years, appearing on “Live With Regis & Kelly” and the “Today” show. But once they became contestants on the highly rated NBC reality competition “America’s Got Talent,” it took their act to a whole other level.

“It just opened so many doors. We were originally from the circus, so we were well-known in the circus community. But it wasn’t the kind of exposure to get us where we are today,” Nicholas Olate said in a phone interview from the road. “ ‘America’s Got Talent’ was a very good experience and fun.”

But did the family expect to win?

“We were excited, but I don’t think we talked that much about winning at first,” he said. “We were just humbled to be able to keep going. We tried not to think of it too much. We tried to sit back and let people decide.”

And decide they did, because viewers voted the Olate Dogs the Season 7 champion, which also came with a $1 million prize and headlining a Las Vegas show. The act also became the first nonmusical and non-solo performer to win the competition.

Still Olate said he knows the act’s appeal is truly for the dogs. The family has 11 dogs on the tour, with another seven at home including a mix of retired and in-training performers. All of the dogs are poodle mixes, picked because of their hypoallergenic and non-shedding qualities. Olate said Richard still selects most of the dogs himself – which are a mix of about half rescue and half breeder finds.

So what makes a good future Olate Dog?

“My dad likes hyper dogs; if it’s happy and jumpy, he likes that,” Nicholas Olate said. “It’s like controlled chaos. The dogs are incredible, and the way he trains them gets them excited with a playtime approach. For them, it’s like, ‘Yay, we’re playing.’ ”

But that “play” involves a lot more than “fetch” and “roll over.” The Olate Dogs do everything from walking on their hind legs to backflips. The show incorporates lots of tricks, but also humor, skits and even a fashion show. Depending on the skill and the dog, some tricks can take from six months to up to two years to master.

“I think the show is very unique in the the way we perform. If you think dog show you think jumping though hoops, but we have a lot more versatility,” Olate said. “We put a lot of time into making it a dog variety show.”

The family estimates it performs between 270 to 300 shows a year, between its theatrical tour, corporate bookings and special events. That means a lot of time on the road. Luckily for them, they travel in style. The Olates tour in an RV fitted with a specialized trailer for their canine companions. While Nicholas and his father handle most of the onstage work, his mother is the show’s road manager, and Nicholas’ wife and children often go on tour as well.

Yet the younger Olate said he has aspirations beyond his furry friends. He recently signed a record deal with Domo Music Group and is working on his debut album. Olate also sings a song in the stage show. Still, he said, the dogs will always be in his blood.

“It’s one of those things where I don’t really have a memory of not having dogs around. I love dogs; I thoroughly enjoy performing with them,” he said. “It’s not the normal show you’d think of when think about dogs. Even if someone is out there but not a super dog person, I guarantee they will have have a good time.”

This story was originally published December 8, 2015 at 3:16 PM with the headline "TV show champs discover their career has legs."