Originally posted by Kozlok To get more blur, get even closer.
With a dog, that could prove difficult, since you want to eliminate any movement by the subject(s). In a case like this, it would probably be easier to use a very wide aperture lens with some really careful focusing rather than getting close enough to ave to contend with movement and the changes in perspective that will kick in as you shoot different parts of the subject.
I love the Brenizer effect, but its a pain to pull off effectively. The PC I have right now would choke and die when I tried stitching the images.
Also, try Microsoft ICE over PS for the stitching - its faster and does a decent job (usually). Its also free.