My dog, Dexter, is the sweetest, best, most awesome dog around. He is smart, hilarious, and more than half-human. He is 125 pounds of Rottweiler-Lab mix, but he thinks he’s a little lap dog. I love him so much.  A guy was dropping him off out of a pickup truck when he was about 8 weeks old, and Otman rescued him, called me and told me he found a puppy. No dog has ever won my heart like this one. He looked like a tiny baby bear cub, and when I opened the door to the room he was staying in, he ran from underneath the blanket and right into my arms. He has human expressions that no one can resist, and you should see him pimp his way around Charleston.  If he had a sitcom, it would be named Everyone loves Dexter.

When posing your dog for pictures, here are a few tips:

1. Start young, if possible. The more they’re used to the camera, the more they’ll ignore its presence. This will save you a lot of time from cleaning dog saliva off of a lens, and will prevent scared reactions from the flash.
2. Know what their favorite treats are – and RESERVE them for photo time! Let your dog know that if he/she behaves him/herself during the photo session, then that yields the high reward of their favorite treat! If they get that treat all the time, it won’t be as special, and they won’t be as likely to cooperate.
3. Squeaky toys are usually great at getting good expressions, if your dog doesn’t try to jump all over you to get to it – this is where the treats come in.
4. A well-rounded, trained dog is going to be much easier to work with than one who isn’t used to following commands.
5. Just like with children’s pictures, GET ON THEIR LEVEL!  Crawl around on the floor, get unusual angles, etc.
   
6. Never try to get them to do anything out of fear. Their expressions will show it in the picture.
7. Keep in mind that this is FUN, and don’t get frustrated! Animals are keen at sensing moods, especially frustration. Reward them often for being good for the camera, and they’ll love the next photo session!

Happy Monday!!!

-S