NEW YORK — This time, the giant schnauzer went the full Monty.

After coming close in the last two years, Monty the giant schnauzer won the top prize at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday night, leaving handler and co-owner Katie Bernardin almost too emotional to speak.

“He always tries so hard, and we’re just proud of him,” she told the crowd at Madison Square Garden.

The spirited schnauzer bested six other finalists to become the first of his breed tapped as Westminster’s best in show, the most prestigious prize in the U.S. dog show world. The dog won the huge American Kennel Club championship in December, and he’d been a Westminster finalist twice before.

A standout because of “everything from his attitude to his structure,” Monty is bold, cocky and fun, according to co-owner Sandy Nordstrom.

“He’s just a really cool dog,” she said in an interview before his win, which will be his last. The 5-year-old is retiring from showing.

The runner-up was, for the third time, a whippet known as Bourbon.

— The Associated Press