'A Dog's Purpose' Star Content and Happy, Studio Says No Abuse

Hercules the German Shepherd is back on dry ground, playing with a ball Thursday.

We got this video from the studio ... a day after TMZ posted video of the dog on the set, terrified of entering the water during a shoot for "A Dog's Purpose."

Studio sources tell us they've looked at all the footage and say producers blocked out a scene where the dog was supposed to enter the pool at a designated location. We're told the dog rehearsed the scene and was fine, but then producers changed the point of entry and that's when Hercules got upset.