There is nothing to test a pet photographer’s patience like trying to photograph their own dogs. I probably shouldn’t admit this as a dog trainer and pet photographer, but my dogs are terrible models. They’re certain that as soon as I lift my camera to my eye, it must be time to get up and come visit me. I swear they do have a “stay”…. most of the time.

But what is a pet photographer to do on a lovely spring day during a pandemic when there are no client sessions on the schedule. Take their own dogs out for a session amongst the blooming forsythia, of course. Armed with string cheese, my camera and dogs we headed out for some “fun”. I quickly remembered my dog’s modeling challenges. And found myself getting frustrated.

Clients are forever telling me how patient I am. Especially if their dogs are being a bit, shall we say, exuberant during their session. They frequently feel embarrassed with with their dog’s antics and can get frustrated trying to just get them to hold still for a nanosecond. This session reminded me how that feels. Let’s face it though, it’s not natural for dogs to sit still in exciting new environments while some stranger points a big camera at them. Especially when there are lots of great sights to see and smells to check out (and maybe pee on). Some dogs are just a bit nervous in new situations and need more time to warm up to this whole idea. Others are SO HAPPY to be in this fun new place that they can’t possibly sit still. I’ve shared my life with both types of dogs, so I always respect where they’re coming from. I believe making my subjects feel safe and the session fun for THEM is my duty during every session. So, I constantly remind my clients to relax and have fun with the whole experience, naughtiness included. We’ve got plenty of time (my sessions don’t have a time limit and we can always re-schedule if a dog is too stressed by the situation).

So, it was time to practice what I preach :-). Patience, remembering to take a deep breath and keep it fun! I’m very happy with the end results.

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• April 12, 2020

On this Easter Sunday, we enter another week of social distancing, working from home and our new lives with a scary pandemic. I think all of us, our dogs included, could use something new and different as a little distraction. As much as our dogs are enjoying having us around more to let them out of the house and back into the house and then back out of the house ALL day long, I thought I’d share some fun ideas for different ways to keep our pups entertained. So, I’ve complied a list of ideas and resources to get you started. Feel free to add something new you’re teaching or doing with your dogs to the comments below.

• Scent Games

Our dogs sense of smell is 40-50 times greater than ours. We all know of the amazing feats search and rescue dogs perform. So why not teach your dogs some fun games using this amazing ability of theirs. I enjoy playing a version of “Hide and Seek” with my dogs by hiding treats around the house and then sending them off to find them. I start by letting them watch me hide them in pretty obvious places and then fairly quickly make the hiding places more challenging. They think it’s super fun and it can keep them busy for a long time. For more scent games you can play I’ve included a couple of links below.

https://suzanneclothier.com/pdfs/Scent%20Games.pdf

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/indoor-scent-games-for-dogs/

• Tricks

Tricks are not only fun for our dogs to learn, they’re fun to show off to your friends. Some, such as “sit up” and “bow”, are even great to keep them strong and limber. Try a few from the list below.

https://dogtime.com/reference/dog-training/34027-10-fun-impressive-tricks-can-teach-dog

Need more ideas and in-depth instruction, “The Everything Dog Training and Tricks Book” authored by my friend and guru Gerilyn Bielakiewicz and photographed by me 🙂 is an awesome resource.

https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Dog-Training-Tricks-Book/dp/1605500224

• Training Games

While my dogs love to play fetch and chase their frisbees, we all especially love brain games. Shaping (the process of teaching a behavior in little steps) games are great since they are such an amazing mental workout for our dogs. “101 things to do with a box” is one of my all time favorites. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

https://www.clickertraining.com/101-things-to-do-with-a-box

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• Food Toys

There are more ways to feed your dog than in a simple, boring old bowl. There are puzzle toys, slow feeding bowls, snuffle mats and the classic stuffed kong toy. You can even just scatter their food in your house or yard and let them hunt it up. These ideas are perfect for when you have work to get done and want to keep your dog quiet and busy. Below are some food toy stuffing ideas.

https://www.kongcompany.com/learn/stuff-a-kong

• Virtual Training Group

Looking for a positive training group for more enrichment and play ideas. My friend and fellow trainer Jenny Stieglitz has started a FB group just for you. Check it out at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SavvyCanineClub/

• Reading List

What? You haven’t taught your dog to read yet…. what have you been doing all this time :-). Okay, these ideas are for the humans here. Two of my favorite non-fiction dog books that will offer great insights into our dogs and how they feel and think are: The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell and Bones Would Rain from the Sky by Suzanne Clothier. For some other ideas:

https://us16.campaign-archive.com/?u=4c2848b623ab6cf1f28959e5a&id=b9120b0fa0

• March 22, 2020

As I sit in my yard with my dogs this afternoon, I can feel that spring has returned. The sun is warm on my face and the birds are singing all around. I’m watching the dogs romp and roll in the greening grass with huge smiles on their faces. Spring has always been my favorite season. A time of hope and infinite possibilities. But this spring is so very different… this year it’s a time of fear and uncertainty for the future. It’s really scary not knowing what the next weeks and months ahead may hold. But I also see reasons to hope – our dogs and their boundless optimism, all the families out walking and spending time together, neighbors checking in and chatting (from respectable distances) and people running errands for those who can’t go out safely. These small gestures remind me not to give in to despair. That we must take this time to reach out, more than ever, to those around us. Times like this are so stressful and the isolation (and loneliness) this pandemic brings only makes these days even harder. So let’s make sure we’re looking out for and taking care of each other. A text, or even, gasp, a phone call (you know those things we used to make with our phones in the “olden days” 🙂 can help us all feel less alone. I know I’m incredibly grateful to have my dogs at my sides right now, but let’s face it, they’re not the best conversationalists. So if you find that talking to your dogs isn’t enough, reach out. I am always available for some “virtual” human contact. Feel free to message or call (my info is below) and we’ll (remotely) share a cup of coffee (or a chocolate martini) and lift each other up. We are all in this together and we will all get through this together.

So, in the interest of keeping connected. Tell us what you and your dog are doing to stay sane? Getting fit? Teaching a new trick? Working on a rock solid stay for a future portrait session :-)? Cuddling on the couch eating popcorn and watching mindless, sappy movies? I think I’m working on all of the above. Let me know in the comments. And I can’t wait to SEE you all soon!