How to prepare your dog for a photography session in London | Trainer’s guide
Introduction
Choosing the right dog photographer in London can make a huge difference to how relaxed your dog feels during a session. As a dog trainer and photographer in London, I often hear from people that they think their dog might not be well behaved enough to have their photograph taken. Well, I have to say that of course great training helps, but most people should not worry about this, and there’s small actionable steps that can really help you prepare.
Here’s an insight into what can help the most when it comes to preparing your dog for their photoshoot.
The skills that help most
The positive thing about these studio dog photography sessions is that there are really clear and easy steps you can take to help things to run smoothly. It’s not about perfect obedience - the more important things we can do to help your dog ease into their photography session is enabling them to settle calmly, working together to ensure this can happen, engaging with your dog in a positive way, and creating enough time and space to allow them to feel relaxed.
Preparing at home before the session
There are certain actionable and easy things you can practice before arriving at your dog’s photoshoot.
The easiest is the simple ‘sit’ and ‘wait’ training games - that’s the one most relevant to the portrait sessions. Try short and positive training sessions at home to practice this, increasing the time of the ‘wait’ each day before rewarding them with a tasty treat. If you reward your dog in a positive way for this, they’ll soon get the hang of it. Bonus tip - whilst they’re waiting encourage your dog to maintain eye contact with you.
A big early morning walk with your dog followed by some nice relaxed time at home will expend some energy and allow your dog to be calmer. Nearer to the the session itself, keep everything nice and calm. As a dog trainer I love to encourage calm and confident energy, and this definitely translates to the way a dog will look in their photos. Avoiding overstimulation creates this wonderful energy, and enables quiet but powerful connection with your dog.
Studio sessions in London
With my dog photography across London, I offer two services. The first is my ‘studio days’, where you can book a dedicated time slot for your dog’s photography session. The bonus of these hour-long time slots is that this is your time only with no distractions, allowing your dog to relax into the space and decompress. The studio I use is quiet and near a big common, creating a peaceful and fulfilling location to allow things to settle.
The second option is my mobile photography sessions, where I bring my portable studio setup to your own home. Again this just allows your dog to settle - the fact that they’re in their own home only adding to the calm and relaxed energy. This also allows my sessions to take place throughout London and the surrounding areas.
What if my dog is nervous or reactive?
My work combines photography with a training-informed approach that helps dogs feel comfortable throughout the session, allowing me to work with nervous and reactive dogs, and the sessions are set up for these dogs to succeed. I encourage calm and confident energy, and place a lot of emphasis on building a rapport with your dog before a photo is even taken.
There are a few important things that allow this to happen:
I don’t rush. Each session allows plenty of time. We can relax into it, your dog can decompress and get to know me before we start with the photos.
I ensure the environment is calm and quiet. Your dog can explore, relax and just be themselves without any distractions.
I don’t use flash! I use continuous lighting so there are no big flashes that might scare your dog.
Your dog’s energy is my biggest priority. I don’t force poses, and use positive rewards to help your dog see it as a fun experience. Being able to read their body language and knowing when to take a break is so important.
Choosing the right dog photographer in London can be tricky, but I think patience, an understanding of dog behaviour and flexible sessions should be of the highest importance.
If you’re considering a dog photography session in London and want an approach shaped by training experience, you can learn more here.