Rufus

This is my dog. We've only been together for two months. Before that he was in a shelter for about 5 months. This picture is him in the snow at the dog park. Kind of makes me think "Field and Stream"

Lovely photograph.
I think it might have been worthwhile moving all those twigs from the area in front of doggie. The river on the right is very nice too and adds balance.
Tom

I agre, but sometimes you have to work with what you got and not what you want. Especially when your model is a dumb dog. :D

Jason, well done. Nice composition. Like you said, you sometimes have to play the cards you're dealt----especially with animals.
John

I think this is a nice photo, the dog contrasts nicely with the background too...

I agree with Tom in that this would have been even better without the twigs and stalks in front of the dog. I also agree that you can't always get what you want , especially when photographing animals. However, when one is viewing a photograph, one is usually not appreciative as to what was involved, or the difficulties the photographer might have had in getting the shot. I think this composition is very good and has a good feel to go with it. Overall, slight levels adj. to bring a bit more whiteness to the snow, could have been even stronger without the stalks in front of dog, but a very nice image nonetheless.

It's a dog photo so I'm prejudiced in favor of it. Good for you for rescuing Rufus from the shelter!

That all being said, the proportionality of the photo is a bit odd. Were you going for a panoramic type shot or did you just crop it this way for some reason?

A dog can be trained to pose just like they can be trained to sit, stay, down, or go nuts! Rufus looks alert which means you can talk to him to get his attention just as you want to make the photo. Just reward or praise him every time he does what you want! Then you'll have good companion and model as well!

Dogs on familiar turf, like a dog park, usually just get better and better at being photographic subjects as they become more comfortable with what's going on and will naturally 'pose'. Same reason a dog in his home will be easier to work with than when they are out. Then they can be a real hassle.

Looking forward to seeing more Rufus shots!