ONE perfect pooch has taken home gold at Crufts dog show.

German Shepherd Champion Elmo Vom Huhnegrab, or Elmo for short, from Portesham, won Best in Breed and went on to win Best in Group in the Pastoral section of the internationally renowned dog show last week.

He earned his place in the Best in Show final. The four-year-old champion dog is owned by John and Pauline Cullen, who run Snipegate Boarding Kennels in Portesham. He is shown by handler Stephen Cox.

Snipegate Boarding Kennel, which has been breeding dogs for more than 30 years, was named top German Shepherd breeder in the UK last year.

Although Elmo didn’t win and the title went to Jet, a black flat coated retriever, his owners said they were delighted with the result.

Mrs Cullen said: “We are really pleased. We have all put a lot of hard work and training in.

“He’s always on his best behaviour. He’s very easy to live with. You can tell him to sit and stay and he will do it. He’s excellent and loves other dogs, he likes the females the best.”

The family regularly show their champion dogs in Germany and around Europe.

Elmo comes from a long line of champions, has 10 championship certificates to his name and won three other major titles in 2010.

Mrs Cullen said: “He was shown in Germany where the shows are very different. The rings are the size of football stadiums and the dogs and handlers have to be very fit to run round them.

“The dogs run in front of the handlers but here in the UK they run to the side.

“Elmo’s handler Stephen Cox is great – he trained Elmo to be shown in the English way.”

In Germany all German Shepherds have to have a qualification so as well as being a show dog, Elmo has gone through the same training as police dogs and is a good tracker.

More than 21,000 dogs took parts in the 120th Crufts dog show at the NEC in Birmingham.