Puppies are fun to photograph. They’re awfully cute and most every pose looks great with them. Difficulties come in to play based on the age of the dog. Really young pups—like the little guy here who was 6 weeks old—are pretty easy. They’re like photographing newborns. They sleep a lot! We actually had to prop this guy up as he kept slumping down in the chair and wanting to go to sleep. Very little activity while awake makes them want to go to sleep again.
The challenge comes when the pups grow a little older. Just like toddlers they are ready to race around from here to there and back again. We had a young Golden Retriever in 4 or 5 years ago that could just not hold still. He dashed around wanting to eat everything in sight —whether or not it was food was a moot point for him! He just could seem to stay in one place more than a second or two. Working very fast is a must in these circumstances. Sometimes you just need to work with the dog enough to wear them out and then they’ll slow down a bit. Sometimes you need to have the “parents” leave the room to get them to focus on you for a moment or two to get the shot.
Once a puppy has had some training then they will begin to listen a bit more to commands. Our good friends at All Breed Rescue have wonderful training classes for puppies and their owners. If you want more of a one on one arrangement where the trainer comes to you we highly recommend Linda Brennen of Your Canine Coach. She volunteers her time each year for our annual fundraiser for All Breed. With the right training your dog will be able to be a super companion for life.
Having a wonderful portrait of your puppy is like having one of your young child. We have clients who come periodically to have portraits of the various stages of life of their dog. Have a puppy you’d like photographed? Call 719.475.0160 and we’ll walk you through the process.