How to Prepare Your Dog for a Photoshoot

Furchildren! For many people they are like children. Their pet’s might have a full wardrobe of clothes, take over the entire bed at night, or eat a special home cooked recipe to fit their diet. Fur lovers, I’m with you on this one! I’m a huge dog lover myself. My first dog was a black lab I named April (like April O’Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!). She was a calm sweet girl.

Currently, I have a crazy border collie named Trinity and a scrappy papillion named Dahlia. As my husband always says, “Dogs are good people.” We understand that our pets can be just as much a part of our families as any human and we love documenting this bond. I often get asked if I will photograph a family with pets and you know what I say? Bring on the slobbery kisses! This is not to exclude cats because I have photographed families with cats, and our feline friends are always welcome

I’ve come up with a few tips and tricks for getting the most out of

your session with your pets!

Take Care of Business

Just like when we go to the vet, make sure your four legged friend is fed and has gone to the bathroom before the shoot. Less messes to clean up and a happier puppy make for photography gold! [For outdoor shoots, consider bringing a water dish and bring baggies to make sure we leave only paw prints!]

Toys Aren’t Just For Kids

Make sure to bring your four legged friend’s favorite toy. It can add an extra layer of adorable to your pictures and will make them feel more at ease.

Walk It Off

If your dog is anything like our border collie, it may be a good idea to take a few laps around the parking lot of the Masonic Temple to burn off a little bit of energy so your puppy is ready to take direction and get those pictures that you will treasure forever!

Bring Their Favorite Treat to Make It Sweet

Treats are a great motivator for dogs. It’s important that we let our fur-babies know they did a good job. Also, treats are a great way to get your puppy looking at the camera.

Light Fright

Some dogs react negatively to reflections, shadows or flashing lights. If your dog is prone to this kind of reaction, let us know and we will adjust our setup and camera settings so we get those perfect pictures while reducing your dog’s (and your) stress

BONUS!!! A Trip to

Jessie’s Pet Spa

A list of tips on how to prep your dog for a photo session would not be complete without a mention of my favorite groomer and grooming team at Jessie’s Pet Spa. Jessie’s Pet Spa has been grooming my dogs for 9 years and let me tell you something… Dahlia my papillon knows when she goes to Jessie’s because she leaves with extra pep in her step. Often client’s ask about grooming their pet before the session.

Here are some tips from Jessie at Jessie’s Pet Spa

The best time to get your dog groomed pre-photoshoot is within 24-48 hour but it really depends on the breed. Longer hair dogs she would recommend 24 hours before or same day grooming.
If you decide you want to get your dog in a fashion color… Like Becky she also recommends the same time frame, 24-48 hours. Only thing is with fresh color you need to make sure your fur child stays out of the rain or you will run the color.
With color Jessie highly recommends taking your dog on regularly scheduled grooming visits before you go in for color so her and her staff would know if the dog could handle the color process. They don’t want to mess up a permanent color before a photo shoot!
Visit Jessie’s Pet Spa on Facebook for more info or call (315) 489-1032 to book an appointment