Hope (the dog's name) hopes I have a treat in my closed hand (I did)

[MiniChris]

She's pretty attentive for being a 16 year old.

[pwnage101]

Wow, looking at the exif, composition, and results, I think you did everything perfect. This has to be one of the most beautiful pictures I've seen in a while (and I don't normally comment people's pictures). White balance, focal point (at the nose, not the eyes), etc....it's all perfect!

38mm is an awkward number so you must have been using a zoom, and I assume it's a kit lens (18-105?) since f5 is exactly what "wide open" is for an 18-105@38. If I were to recreate this image, I would probably grab my 35mm prime and shoot with a larger aperture, but when I come to think of it the depth of field is perfect as-is. Shooting wide open is probably just a habit of mine, since my d80 doesn't look nearly as smooth as these next-generation cameras at high ISOs. I'm glad you're taking full advantage of your equipment.

It's hard to tell if you flashed because at that ISO it could have been a lamp

[MiniChris]

Balance of natural sunlight coming from her right and a small incandescent lamp way out of the scene. The sunlight was filtered by a light outside screen. I did use the kit zoom, which if anyone is out there looking at the D7000, just buy the body and get a good 12-24 wide angle zoom. As with other Nikon kit lenses (D40), they lack specific close-up focus and they are slow as the dickens.
Hope is the perfect dog to shoot as she will sit for hours for a treat. I gave her two this time, for her patience. Thanks you for your kind words. It's nice to know I am starting to get it with this camera.