Max, a macho, solitary Rottweiler police dog is ordered to go undercover as a primped show dog in a prestigious Dog Show, along with his human partner, to avert a disaster from happening.
It's true that technology has come a long way since Tex Avery first added animated mouths to real-life animals, but what good is scientific know-how without the imagination needed to power it?
Jokes do arrive thick and fast but with an emphasis on the former, constantly lowering the tone with gags that are at best uncomfortable and at worst downright inappropriate.
Grown-ups will find it painful to watch a clearly embarrassed Arnett go through the motions, muttering his lines as he internally wonders why he never became the next Kevin Costner.
Throw in a philosophical Komondor who's had far too many Scooby snacks, and a trio of klutzy pigeons who idolise Max as a lone crime fighter, and Show Dogs is not without its charm.
They have tried to include some self-referential 'adult jokes' into the mix, including a moment in which a dog looks at the camera and says, 'nobody makes Talking Dog Movies any more.' Show Dogs serves as pretty damning proof as to why they don't.