Nine premier pooches and one handsome hamster made up our final ten entrants.

But there was one competitor who finished a nose in front of the others.

Weighing in at around nine pounds, our winner is Teddy, a cross between a shih tzu and a bichon frise.

The breed is often referred to as a teddy bear dog.

However, Teddy’s owners Belinda and Doug Sheppard only found this out after they had chosen his name.

Belinda said: “We were originally looking for a rescue dog but a friend found out we wanted a cute dog.

“She knew someone whose dog had had a litter and had one left.

“We drove to Wales and got him there and then.” Belinda, a 41-year-old payroll manager, shares dog-caring duties with husband Doug, whose job as player-coach of Basingstoke Bison ice hockey team, allows him to be home a lot of the day.

Belinda and Doug, who won £500 worth of prizes, said Teddy celebrated his victory with a rare treat – a small amount of cheese and some sausage on top of his usual dinner.

Teddy, who will be three in June, is described as a fluffy mess.

He is given up to three walks a day from the family’s home in central Wokingham and can often be seen parading through the town.

He also enjoys walks around California Country Park is a fan of taking relaxing soaks in the lake.

Although he is reluctant to stray too far out of his depth, he often trots into the lake until he is neck deep.

But Belinda said: “He doesn’t like the rain. When he gets wet he needs to come in and have a frantic five minutes running around like a headless chicken.

“He loves running in circles. Apart from that he is a really affectionate dog.”