Can I bring my dog? 10 tips for bringing dogs to your photoshoot plus a few of my favorite pet portraits!

There are a lot of questions I hear time and time again. One of these question is…

Can I bring my dog/dogs to my photography session?

The answer is YES. Always YES! Dogs are ALWAYS welcome to my sessions. In fact, all animals are welcome, but I’ve only ever had people bring dogs. I’m a huge animal lover, and have five pets at home.

I’d like to go over a few things about bringing your dogs to a session or to your wedding, and show you some of my favorite pet portraits at the same time!

1. Bring water, treats and toys

First of all, bring some water for your companions. I know this is probably obvious to all dog parents out there, but when you’re rushing out the door to a session and grabbing everything you might accidentally forget to bring their portable water bowl!

Second, bring treats. Not just because they are totally the bestest, goodest boys and girls on earth and probably deserve ALL the treats ALL the time, but because it will make it easier for posing with them. I love to hold some treats during the sessions to get their attention while they snuggle with you or sit at your feet. They are not the best posers naturally and typically want to look at you, not me. So it’s best if I have something to get their attention, if a squeaky toy is their favorite, then bring that!

2. Be patient

Your furbabies have no idea whats going on. It’s easy to get frustrated and think that they are wasting time when they won’t look at the camera, but that’s just how it goes with dogs. They aren’t typically going to pose super naturally and look right at me. It will take a little work, some trial and error, and a lot of, “Sit, stay, look at me!”

Breaks are necessary for a lot of family companions as well. They may need to hang out in the car with a kong + some peanut butter while we take some photos, and then we can grab them again when we need them.

It can take many photos to get the perfect one, but it’s ALWAYS worth it for the cute photo with your furry friends.

3. How I include them in the photos

Unless you have a sweet senior dog, your pups will probably have a hard time sitting still. I like to have my clients play, snuggle, or hold their dogs during the session.
Some things I direct my clients to do is just sit down on a blanket, or the ground and just play with them and snuggle. You really can’t go wrong with that and your babies absolutely love it too.
I might have you throw a ball toward me to get your dog running and in action with you guys behind, or if your dog isn’t good off leash we can always just do some walking photos with your dogs on the leash. There are lots of options and we will incorporate them however best fits their skillset and personality!

4. How to include them in your wedding or elopement

There are many ways to include your dogs in your wedding or elopement!
First of all, your dog can be your witness. Yes. You heard that right. Your witness!!! You can stamp their paw onto the marriage license. Technically, this is because you don’t actually need witnesses in Colorado and couples can self-solemnize. This is super popular with my eloping couples.

Second, if you’re having a traditional ceremony and not eloping, your dog can be in the wedding party or be a ring bearer/flower girl. Just let a bridesmaid or a groomsman walk them down the aisle and they can stand at the front with everyone!

Side note: some pups have a hard time and get anxious in front of lots of people. If this is the case, you could have the bridesmaid/groomsman hand off your dog to someone in the audience they are comfy with :)

Last but not least, they can just be there without a job. They don’t have to have a role. They are your family and they can just hang out like everyone else without a huge role in the process. You can just want them there and we can get photos with them after the ceremony!

5. Make sure they are comfortable

Lots of dogs have anxieties and problems just like humans. First and foremost, let’s make sure they are comfortable with whats going on. If your dog doesn’t like being around strangers, then it might be best to consider not bringing them. If your dog is aggressive toward other dogs, let’s pick a location where there will most likely not be any other dogs around. If your dog hates car rides, then let’s go somewhere close to home. If your dog is a senior and doesn’t like to go far, let’s to an in-home shoot or in the back yard.

If including your dog is important to you then I want to do whatever I can to make sure your companion is comfy.

6. What you should bring

Depending on your dog, you might need to bring a bag for them.

A few things to consider bringing:

A brush

Treats

Portable water bowl and water

Favorite toys

Collar and leash

Poop bags

Wipes

7. Exercise beforehand

Get those zoomies out before the session! It can be hard to photograph a really hyped up dog that just wants to play. Play a little fetch with them before the session, let them do laps around the house, go on a run, etc.

Whatever you need to do to make sure they are more focused, a little more calm, and tired at the session.

8. Practice commands and tricks

They don’t need to jump through hoops or do flips, but practicing the basics before the session can go a long way! Sit, stay, down, and shake are all great for sessions.

9. Get your dog camera ready

Maybe your dog has a naturally beautiful coat and you don’t have to do much, but grooming can go a long way before the session. Trim their nails, brush their hair, bathe them, get rid of tear stains, trim the hair around their eyes, get them groomed, etc.

Of course, not all of these will apply to all breeds but every dog can benefit from a bath before their session. I recommend at least doing all of this the day or two before the session to make sure they are looking their best!

10. Check your mood

As we know, our dogs are really great at picking up on our moods and emotional cues and body language. Make sure you’re calm and collected before the session to ensure your pup is in the best mood. Don’t scold them or anything prior to or during the session. Only positive reinforcement for our best friends!

I hope this has been informative and fun to read through! If you’re considering bringing your pet to the session but you’re not sure, reach out and let me know! We can plan a great shoot and include your dog(s).

I can’t wait to capture more wags, happy pups, and the love they share with you!