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-those between 6 and 10 weeks—are pretty easy. They’re like photographing newborns. They sleep a lot! Very little activity while awake makes them want to go to sleep again. So prepping them for a photograph is just a matter of waking them up for a time.
The challenge comes when the pups grow a little older. Just like toddlers they are ready to race around from hereto 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.
Then there are the gangly "teen pups"--those in the awkward stages of growth that have gangly legs and massive paws but a smaller skinny body. Still if posed properly you can pull off a great portrait of these puppies.
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 or a more structured class then Linda Brennen of Your Canine Coach is the trainer for you. She recently moved to a larger space in Black Forrest and has lots of room for training. 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.