Jim,
yes, focus was the tip of the nose so the eyes are not completely in focus. That was my choice given the fact that I was hand-holding in one hand and using bait in the other. In a vertical orientation. Try it. No IS.

The fact that Sundance stayed in place while I shot was really nice. And he followed the bait even when I tossed it behind me. And only picked it up when I told him he could. It's like he somehow inherited Rowdy's posing skills by osmosis.

But the OOF bokeh wide open is really extraordinary. I'm sold. I could have tested at F4 and/or 5.6 which would have put more of the face in focus but I really wanted to see it at F2.8.

Looks like my new model is almost ready for prime time. Just a bit more training. Today was really fun.

Jim