The best of Man's Best Friend: Award-winning photographs show dogs of all shapes and sizes at work and play

Pictures were picked from 8,000 submissions for Kennel Club's annual Dog Photographer of the Year Competition
Roger Sjolstad from Norway selected as overall winner with dynamic image of a young girl and a Great Dane
Held annually, the contest is open to both professionals and amateurs, young and old, from all around the world

Published: 10:36 EST, 16 October 2013 | Updated: 11:53 EST, 16 October 2013

Standing loyally by their master's side, tirelessly at work in the fields, or bounding through rivers with all the energy of a puppy, these images capture the very best of Man's Best Friend.
The series of pictures were picked from almost 8,000 submissions for the Kennel Club’s annual Dog Photographer of the Year Competition.
Roger Sjolstad from Norway has been selected as the overall winner of the competition with his dynamic image of a young girl and a Great Dane running through water, which was the winner of the ‘Man’s Best Friend’ category.
Speaking about winning the biggest canine photography competition in the world, Mr Sjolstad said: 'The photograph is of our ten year old daughter, Tea with our dog Robbie and was taken at a lake near our home outside of Oslo.

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A girl's best friend: Roger Sjolstad from Norway clinched first prize as the overall winner of the competition with this playful image of his daughter Tea and Great Dane Roger running through water, which was the winner of the 'Man's Best Friend' category

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Catch! An excitable Border Collie caught mid-jump by Richard Shore from Cardiff, who won the 'Dogs at Play' category with this beautifully timed image

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I'm the boss round here: Stern looking German Shepherd police dog Harry nuzzles a worried looking Archie the puppy on his first day home in this touching image by Simon Reynolds - runner up in the puppy category

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Spot the dog: The winner of the sixteen and under category, 'I Love Dogs Because', was nine year old Katie Davies with her unique, creative and comical photograph of her Miniature Schnauzer and Pomeranian hiding amongst a mountain of soft toys

'This photo was absolutely not planned, my wife asked me to bring my camera to take a few shots of the dog swimming.
'My young Dane had never been near water before this evening, so I was quite surprised when he took off into the water and he just ran, ran, ran!
'He really enjoyed the water.
'Tea joined him and together they started running towards the shore and there I was with my camera – at the right place at the right time.
'I have always found photography very interesting, I had a darkroom in our basement by the age of twelve but it really took off a few years ago when we inherited three Great Danes and I now combine my biggest interests: dogs and photography.'
The competition has six categories: Portrait, Man’s Best Friend; Dogs At Play; Dogs At Work; and I Love Dogs Because – a category specifically for those aged 16 and under, and Puppy.
The other category winners were: Richard Shore from Cardiff, who won the ‘Dogs at Play’ category with a beautifully timed image of a Border Collie jumping; Susan Stone Amport from Switzerland, whose photograph of a Pointer contrasted against everlasting fields won ‘Dogs At Work’; Ali Trew from Fingringhoe, Essex, who won the ‘Puppy’ category with an adorable image of her Hungarian Vizsla puppy; and Philip Watts from Radstock, Somerset, who won the ‘Dog Portrait’ category with a bold close up of a Cocker Spaniel.

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On the prowl: Dogs At Work winner Susan Stone Amport from Switzerland, whose photograph of a Pointer contrasted against everlasting fields wowed the judges

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In his master's shadow: Jon Hawkins also impressed as runner up in the dog at work competition with this image of alert Pointer/Labrador gun dog Fundi hard at work on an estate in West Sussex

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What are you looking at? A tough looking Bull Mastiff against snow capped mountains earned Mark Molloy runner up second runner up in the portrait category

The winner of the sixteen and under category, ‘I Love Dogs Because…’, was nine year old Katie Davies with her unique, creative and comical photograph of her Miniature Schnauzer and Pomeranian hiding amongst a mountain of soft toys.
Katie said expressed an interest in photography at a young age and decided to spend her birthday money on a camera.
She composed the image without any help and the results speak for themselves.
Speaking about her win, Katie said: 'I am happy and excited to have won the competition and when I grow up I would like to become a pet photographer.'
Her prize for winning the ‘I Love Dogs Because…’ category includes a personalised dog photography day with award winning professional photographer, Andy Biggar.

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Let leaping dogs fly: 14-year-old Miriam Jiagbogu caught her energetic pal just in time to clinch 'I love dogs because...' runner up, a category specifically for those aged 16 and under

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I'm ready for my close-up: Abbie Lee, from Bristol, captures the toothy grin of her Airdale terrier for the runner's up prize in the 'I love Dogs because...' category

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You going to finish that? Man's best friend runner up Andrew Freeth snaps a thirsty looking Weimaraner in a beer garden in Bristol

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Puppy love: Claudia Tolini, runner up in the man's best friend category captures an adoring look and a touching moment between master and Labrador in Valfabbrica, Italy

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It's a ruff game: Rhian White's runner up image in the puppies category of 4-month old Coco excitedly bounding after a football on Lancing beach in March

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Be more dog!: The photograph, taken by Mary Wilde from Matlock, captures her Coton Du Tulear's mouth wide open, up on two legs trying to catch a giant snowball

He joined photographer and artist, Jo Longhurst and Kennel Club Chairman and Chief Executive, Steve Dean and Rosemary Smart to judge the competition alongside dog lovers Kat Smith-Ward and Paul Finch, the people behind O2’s Be More Dog campaign.
One image struck both Paul and Kat and was awarded a special ‘Be More Dog Mention’.
Ms Smith-Watd explained: 'We came across an image of a dog playing in the snow and thought instantly that this embodied the Be More Dog campaign.
'The photograph, taken by Mary Wilde from Matlock, captures her Coton Du Tulear’s mouth wide open, up on two legs trying to catch a giant snowball. It's exactly the type of behaviour we love from dogs who, by their very nature, aren't afraid to try new things and have fun.
'It encapsulates our campaign beautifully.'
All of the winning images will be on display throughout London’s leading dog event, Discover Dogs which takes place at Earls Court on 9th and 10th November.