NFL commentator Curt Menefee is branching off into a new kind of sport — with much furrier athletes. Menefee, who co-hosts “Fox NFL Sunday” and is the play-by-play commentator for the Seattle Seahawks, will host A&E’s new series “America’s Top Dog,” which pits police dogs, known as “K-9” dogs, against “civilian” dogs in various canine competitions. “Everybody behind the scenes are all dog owners and dog lovers. So this is a passion project, if you will,” says Menefee, 54. “It wasn’t just a show about competition, it wasn’t just about dogs. It was about showing how different breeds can be trained to do different things. But also about the relationship between the handlers and the dogs.” Premiering Jan. 8 at 9 p.m., “America’s Top Dog” sees man’s best friend competing on a specially designed obstacle course built in the California desert. Think “American Ninja Warrior,” but for canines. In each one-hour episode, four police dogs — including dogs that previously appeared on A&E’s other hit series “Live P.D.” — and one civilian dog face off in three rounds of competition that tests their speed, agility and tracking capabilities. The winning team gets $10,000, with an additional $5,000 to donate to an animal charity of choice. In the last week of the show, winners from past episodes will compete for an additional $25,000 prize. While it might seem strange to put civilian dogs in the same competition as highly trained K-9 dogs, Menefee and his co-host, celebrity dog trainer Nick White, say that’s part of the fun. “That’s why I love the show format — it shows that if you put the time and bonding and training and all those things into your dog, it can compete with some highly trained police dogs,” says White. “I think [the show is] going to do a lot of good for dog owners saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that my Dalmatian or my Yorkie could also do these kind of things!’ We have everything from a 20-pound dog competing up to a 100-pound dog, and they go through the same exact course.”