Finally - and I think this is the biggest element to me - the snow in the background is very bright and drew my eyes away from the subject.
Just to prove ya can't please everyone, I thought the snow was one of the strongest things going for this shot. A nice, simple background helps the subject stand out.
That said, I agree with everything else noraneko said. :)
First, please note you got six 10's for this shot, which is great. In other words, a lot of people really love this photo!
I'm middle-of-the road about this photo. What I love: the perspective, the expression, and the snow on the dog's jowels. Really gives a great sense of playfulness and captures the essence of the moment. What kept me from scoring higher: I found the DOF a bit short (would love to have seen the eyes and ears in crisp focus) and wish that top ear were in photo. Finally - and I think this is the biggest element to me - the snow in the background is very bright and drew my eyes away from the subject. It may look different on different monitors, though. I've had that issue myself with several photos, especially my peacock love shot (looks great on my moniter and like absolute *&$% on my hubby's monitor). What I would suggest: perhaps try just a bit of dodging to the whites of your dog's eyes (obviously not too much or he'll end up looking like Casper the Ghost.)
I realize how hard it is to put all those elements together when shooting animals, as the darn things just won't stay still :-)
Very nice capture. :) As you already know, it's the focus that held the score back. If you can, try turning off the multi-zone focus and just focus on the center spot, then point that at eyes. Everyone tends to jump right to the eyes, and when they're not sharp, the rest of it seems less sharp.
But of course, when shooting fast-moving targets, you take what you can get, and this is a very fun shot! :)
This made me laugh in a good way... one of favorite characer type of dogs. It made me tear up thinkging of my English Springer and German Shepard that both passed at 14 years old. I miss them so much. This one looks like he/she could be a lot of fun...
I think you captured the character quite well. I am not good enough to comment on technical the technical aspects at this time.
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