There were actually two dogs used to play the lead. Wildfire was used for closeups and non-action shots, and a double was used to perform the tricks.
This film bombed at the box office, resulting in a loss to MGM of $848,000 (about $9.9M in 2024) according to studio records. It did not even make back its negative cost, let alone advertising, duplication, and distribution costs.
First feature film for director Herman Hoffman. He had previously been a production assistant to MGM boss Dore Schary.