Calvin is a typical teenage boy who is obsessed with comic books and dreams of owning an original issue of his favorite comic book, "Atomic Rex." However, his parents refuse to buy it for him, and he is forced to come up with a plan to earn the money himself.
One day, while skateboarding around town, Calvin meets a wealthy woman named Emily Watson and her show-dog, Princess. Princess is trained to chase after skateboarders, and she quickly catches up to Calvin, knocking him off his board and causing him to lose his prized possession, his cell phone.
Emily takes pity on Calvin and invites him to her home to retrieve his phone. While at her house, he sees the luxurious lifestyle that Emily and Princess live, and he becomes envious. Emily suggests that he adopt a dog of his own and train it to perform tricks, enter dog shows, and make money. She offers to help him train the dog and even gives him a book on dog training.
Calvin visits the local animal shelter and meets Tyko, a scruffy, rambunctious, and untrained Labrador/St. Bernard-mix. Despite Tyko's mischievous behavior and lack of manners, Calvin decides to adopt him and train him to be a show dog.
Calvin, with the help of his best friends, Georgia and Leonard, begins to train Tyko using the book he received from Emily. But Tyko proves to be a difficult dog to train, and their efforts to make him a show dog are met with constant setbacks and challenges.
Meanwhile, Calvin's parents are struggling with their own issues, including financial problems and marital strife. Calvin's obsession with training Tyko becomes a source of conflict between him and his parents, and he begins to realize that there are more important things in life than money and material possessions.
In the end, Calvin and Tyko do perform in a dog show, but the experience teaches them the true meaning of friendship and family. Calvin also learns a valuable lesson about the importance of hard work, dedication, and perseverance, and he realizes that life is not always easy, but it is worth the effort.