Thanks John, I like this version better but was not sure why. The law of 3rds explains it well. Didn't think of taking out the branches in the background, got rid of the lead and daughter LOL. I'll have a go when I get my big monitor back, too hard on my eyes working on the fill in one I am using at the moment.
Anne This one is diffidently better. The tip of the nose falls into the law of thirds and then your eyes are pulled up the slope of the muzzle into the dogs eyes which is the focal point of the photo. I would get rid of the three brown patches near the ears and the small below the nose. They should clone out very easly with photoshop. Also the light area between the mouth and the collor might look better with a little touch up.
John L.