Two Bermuda canines have fetched prizes at a prestigious American dog show, and proved themselves to be top dogs.Cathy Gosling’s black Labrador retriever, Demerara’s Belladonna (Bella) and Kathy Williams’ Saluki Bermuda Champion Ulmarra Tropical Ice at Winton (Kali) beat thousands of other dogs to win prizes at the American Kennel Club/Eukanuba Invitational National Championship Dog Show held in Orlando, Florida in December.“It went really well for us,” said Ms Gosling. “Bella ended up second international dog in her height which was really good. We obviously weren’t at the level of some of the others there, but we beat all the Canadians.“We won some money. I was surprised when they called and asked where to mail the check. There were about 4,000 dogs competing altogether, in three categories, obedience, agility and confirmation. We were competing in agility.”For this show, foreign countries were allowed to send their best three dogs, but unfortunately, Bermuda could only send one dog to compete in agility and one to compete in the confirmation category. The Dog Training Club of Bermuda sponsored Ms Gosling’s participation.Ms Gosling, president of the Dog Training Club of Bermuda, bred Bella herself, and owned both of Bella’s parents. She chose Bella from the litter, because Bella had a high level of energy.“Bella is wonderful,” said Ms Gosling. “She is a lot of fun. She is a very high drive Labrador. She is small. With Labradors, there are your show types which are heavy boned. She is very lean and is what they call a gun dog, or field bred type. Both her parents were field bred Labrador retrievers. She only weighs about 50lbs.”Because of her high energy level, four-year-old Bella needs a lot of activity. Ms Gosling exercises her twice a day, and does daily agility training which also helps her burn energy.“This is the whole thing with these dogs,” said Ms Gosling. “She could never be locked up all day. We always have our morning walk. Some Labradors are really low drive. Her father was very low drive. The mother wasn’t. When they have more drive they are sometimes easier to train.”She said people considering getting a Labrador should research the breed and make sure it is right for them. She felt the males tended more towards low drive than females. However, like most dogs, Labradors can make for active puppies. Most of them calm down as they get older, but it may take as much as four years for that to happen.“Whether the puppy and its parents are high drive or low drive is something you should ask the breeder,” said Ms Gosling. “Mine (Bella and her siblings) were all temperament tested and we chose homes for them based on that.”However, Ms Gosling is not breeding Labradors, at the moment, and her dogs are neutered. She would like to get another puppy.“It takes you at least two years to get a dog ready to compete,” she said. “With agility they can’t jump for at least a year until their bones and joints are fully developed. You just work on obedience and that sort of thing.”Kathy Williams, whose Saluki, Kali, took part in the confirmation class, said she was thrilled by the outcome.“Kali had very stiff competition in the AKC show with several Grand Champions entered,” said Mrs Williams. “She was also entered in a couple of the extra or ‘cluster shows’ and she won Reserve Winners Bitch in the Brevard Kennel Club Show and placed fourth in Open Bitches in the Central Florida Kennel Club Speciality where 47 Salukis were entered.”Kali is two-years-old, and Mrs Williams imported her from England when she was ten-weeks-old.“She is lovely,” said Mrs Williams. “She is a fantastic family pet, but a great show dog also.”Salukis are one of the oldest domesticated dog breeds and are known as the royal dog of Egypt. They were bred in the Middle East to chase Gazelle and other fast quarry. If you wish to own one you are first going to need a six foot fence around your yard. They are very fast runners and jumpers, and they need a lot of exercise. Mrs Williams also has several whippets, which are also sight hounds.The AKC show in Florida was their first overseas, but it won’t be their last. Mrs Williams plans to take Kali, and her whippet, Whispa to the world famous Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England in March.