With a black dog, the background is a major concern. You don't want to lose him in darkness, but you also don't want to overpower him with a stark white background. A neutral grey, like the wood porch he's on, or a natural bg of woods would probably work best. Either using a flash, or wearing a white t-shirt would help to see catchlights in his eyes, helping to give more detail to that face. I think he's got character, you've just got to try a few different things to make it more powerful. All the best! I know how much work it can be to make dogs cooperate!
Maybe you could aim some light on the dog to give him/her a bit more contrast, or get a bit more detail in the shadow side. If you manage to show his eyes a bit better I think its fine. I do not know much about it however :)
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