My dog is not well behaved, is that ok?
And by not being well behaved it means my dog:
- doesn’t listen to commands like sit or lay
- is MEGA hyper active
- goes bat shit crazy in new areas
- has selective hearing
- or any other assorted not well behaved behaviors your dog may have
Fret no more! Your dog can be a total goofball—no sit-stays required—and I’ll still capture EPIC images of them. The best part? Your pup will look like an obedience school superstar in the final photos! All it takes is a split second (literally just a moment or two) of attention to create magic.
How it works:
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Leash ‘em up. Keeps your pup safe and (mostly) in the right spot.
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Camera blazing. 12 frames per second to catch even a teeny, fleeting moment of stillness.
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Treats on standby. Canine Carryouts in burger or sausage flavors—or allergy-safe options if needed.
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Noise magic. Kitty meows, raspberries, squeakers, barks, and secret words like walk, ride, grandma—all fair game.
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Wait for it… That exact moment when your dog perks up, ears twitch, and curiosity peaks.
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Click. And boom: a shot that makes your chaos-loving furball look like the next obedience champion.
How do you know it will work? My dog has some epic bad behaviors…
About A Dog Photography has been capturing personalities of dogs with playful, classic & vibrant images for 10+ years! I have met many shy, boisterous, overexcited, bored, busy, bat shit crazy and calm dogs and have been able to coax the inner superstar out of each and every one. We’ll take the session at your dog’s pace and ask for sits, but work with lays and stands, always asking your dog for a behavior but not forcing him or her.
What can we do before the session to help our dog be better behaved?
Work on the basics! Think back to the puppy days (or early days of your dog’s adoption), grab a liberal amount of treats and head outside. Start with sit. Remember your dog doesn’t need to have an eon long sit, they just need to sit for a couple of seconds. Do each exercise at least once a day for a week prior to your session, do more if you and your dog find it fun!
- Sit = dog’s bum on the floor = treat
– repeat as many times to get your dog to 90% reliability
– amp up the challenge by changing locations, find somewhere new, noisier, more distracting, repeat above
Once your dog has sit nearly spot on no matter the distractions, add in lay/down. Follow the same steps as sit. You can work on wait/stay as well, though we may not need to utilize it during your session. You’ll have a dog who behaves better for their session, plus a dog who is also more well behaved at home!
If your dog giving you the “I can’t hear you mom” routine and blowing off your requests for a sit, you may need to up the value of the treats. The every day Milkbone biscuit is just that – everyday, boring, the same. Break out something stinkier or novel – hotdogs, squeeze cheese, cooked chicken breast, dehydrated or pieces of baby carrots, freeze dried salmon or liver. You’ll know which is the winner when your dog willingly and happily parks their booty on the floor at your feet.
If your dog is meh about food treats, then break out the toys! If you know your dog’s favorite toy, bring it with and use it as the reward for the sit/lay etc. Same process as the above method, though you’d swap out a ball throw, tugging a rope, tossing a stuffed toy etc as the reward for bum on the ground. They’re not getting excited about the same old ball or toy, then break out a new one! (Yes bring it with to the session!)
After you work on these skill drills your dog should be better behaved for their session. Huzzah! Though remember we most likely will be going to a new location teeming with loads of new, exciting smells and things to oogle at and your dog might forget all of the skills you just worked on. No worries! We’ll let your dog explore & sniff and when the novelty of the area wears off we’ll ask for the skills to be put into action.
What your dog’s session looks like to you
What a professional photographer sees & captures:
Blue is mega cute and at 11 weeks he’s already becoming a photography pro!
Wiggly, zoomy, or a little mischievous—your dog’s ‘not-so-perfect’ behavior is totally fine! At About A Dog Photography (and with any pro pet photographer), we turn chaos into epic, frame-worthy moments. Huzzah!
It’s a blog ring of pet photographers from around the world! Next up visit Angela Schneider of Big White Dog Photography in Spokane, WA, addresses one of the most common concerns dog lovers have about their photo shoot.
Definitely a great POV contrast! And can anyone really get enough of that potato-pup?!! So cute!!
I”m so in love with Blue! I know you are enjoying every moment!!! The first group of images of “what you see” is priceless! Blue is already rocking the “modeling” thing and looking forward to seeing more of the growing nugget!
hahahaha this made me laugh! I love the tips to prep with itty bits of training. And yes, it’s so true what the owner sees is so different and they are always shocked by what is actually captured. Love it!
I had to chuckle when I saw the “what you see” pictures, because I too have soooo many like that (I’m sure we all do!), and clients are always amazed when we show them what WE saw and captured like your images of Blue – too cute and adorable…I’m sure the client loved those, I know I would!
I love the way you approached this week’s blog. Especially defining what “not well-behaved” means!
Hahaha. I love this. “What you see vs what I produce” is great. And you have the most adorable little nugget to prove your point. It always entertains me when a client says “how the hell did you do that?” when they left their session thinking their dog ruined everything.