How To Prepare Your Dog For A Photoshoot
How to Prepare Your Dog for a Photoshoot
You booked a photoshoot for your dog—now what? First, don’t worry about your dog being perfectly trained or knowing how to pose. They definitely don’t need to! We photograph dogs with every personality imaginable, from calm senior pups to energetic puppies who would rather investigate every corner of the studio than sit still. A little preparation before your session can make the experience even easier, though. Here are a few of our favorite tips for getting your pup ready for their photoshoot at The Salty Dog Studio in Costa Mesa, California.
Give Them a Little Exercise Before Your Session! If your dog has some extra energy, a walk or playtime the morning of your photoshoot can be incredibly helpful. The goal isn’t to completely wear them out—we still want some of that personality!—but getting a few of the wiggles out beforehand can make settling into the studio a little easier. For older dogs or dogs with mobility issues, there’s absolutely no need to do anything outside of their normal routine.
Give Your Dog a Potty Break Before Coming Inside. When you arrive, feel free to use the grassy area in front of our studio for a quick potty break before heading inside. New places come with lots of exciting smells, sounds and distractions, so giving your dog a few minutes outside to sniff around and take care of business can help them feel more comfortable once we start photographing.
Bring Their Favorite Treats! Treats are one of our favorite tools during a dog photoshoot! We use them for everything from getting your dog’s attention to rewarding them for sitting in a particular spot.Bring a bag of your dog’s absolute favorite, high-value treats, especially if they have allergies or dietary restrictions. If your dog isn’t particularly food motivated, that’s okay too. A favorite squeaky toy, ball or anything else that reliably gets their attention can be just as useful.
Bring Collars, Bandanas & Anything Special to You. You’re welcome to bring a few accessories you’d like to incorporate into your dog’s portraits. A favorite collar, bandana, bow tie or other accessory can be a fun way to change up their look throughout the session. You can also bring a special toy or meaningful item you’d like included in a few photographs. Don’t feel like you need to bring an entire suitcase, though! Your dog is the star, and some of our favorite portraits are often the simplest ones.
Don’t Worry About Perfect Behavior. This one is important: your dog does not need to know how to sit and stay to have beautiful portraits. We work with dogs for a living. We expect them to get distracted, wander away, sniff things, need breaks and occasionally decide they are absolutely NOT interested in whatever we had planned. 😂 We give dogs time to get comfortable and work with their individual personalities rather than expecting them to behave like professional dog models. And yes, leashes can absolutely be used when needed and removed during the editing process.
Dog Moms, Dads & Kids—Get in the Photos! Even if you booked the session primarily for your dog, we highly encourage you to jump into a few photographs with them. You don’t have to make the entire session about family photos. We can spend just a few minutes capturing you together, and those often end up becoming some of the most meaningful images from the session. Kids are welcome to join in, too! For clothing, we generally recommend neutral colors, simple patterns and clothing without large logos or distracting graphics. Depending o your style a vibe a pop of bold color ca look really great if used well! Whether you are shooting in the studio or outdoor o location, you don’t all need to match—coordinating colors and textures usually photograph much better. Picking a color palette is help. One or 2 people in solids work well and one person or dog bandana in pattern to help break up the photo. Take a look some samples below!
Grooming Before Your Dog’s Photoshoot. If your dog is normally professionally groomed, schedule their grooming appointment far enough ahead that their coat has a little time to settle into its normal look. For other pups, a bath and good brushing may be all they need. And don’t forget the little things! Cleaning around their eyes and checking for any dirt or eye goop right before leaving home can save us from fixing it in Photoshop later.
Most Importantly, Don’t Stress. Your dog will pick up on your energy, so come ready to have fun rather than worrying about whether they’re behaving perfectly. Some dogs walk into The Salty Dog Studio and immediately act like they’ve been modeling their entire lives. Others need some time to sniff around, investigate the studio and figure out what we’re doing. Both are completely normal. We’ll work at your dog’s pace, take breaks when they need them, make plenty of ridiculous noises to get their attention, and probably hand out more treats than they’d normally be allowed to have. Our job isn’t to make your dog behave perfectly—it’s to capture who they are. That’s usually where the best photographs come from.
