A common concern clients have about getting professional photos is that their dog is reactive or anxious. I understand this can be hard to deal with. You don't need to worry. As someone with an anxious dog and sometimes reactive, I have experience in dealing with dogs who are reactive and anxious.
Our pre-session consultation call is a good time to talk more about your dog. This is where you would tell me more about your dog including whether they get anxious or is reactive. It is also where I get as much information from you about your dog so that I can design the session to suit you and your dog and find a suitable location.
For anxious and reactive dogs I would recommend a quiet location with no or minimal distraction. This can include your home, a park near your home or I have a couple of locations I usually recommend where it's nice and quiet. Having a quiet location away from distraction will help to keep your dog calm. Photos are home are not only great for dogs who are reactive and anxious (as they are more comfortable at home) but also for older dogs or younger dogs who gets distracted easily.
One of the first things I do when I start the session is let the dogs sniff me and my gears and have them be comfortable around me. This can take a few minutes but sometimes can take up to 10 min or more.
I also have lenses with longer focal lengths so I can be quite far away from your dog throughout the session so that they feel comfortable. I also keep an eye out for your dog's body language to make sure they are comfortable throughout the session. If at any time I can see them showing signs of anxiousness or discomfort we take a break or conclude the session early.
Your dog will always be on a lead through the session so they're always close to you at all times. However, you won't see any leads in the final images as I remove all leads and other objects (or persons). You won't even know that there was a leash there to begin with.
So, even a reactive dog and anxious dog can get professional photo done. If you want to have a chat more about booking in a session, you can book a no-obligation call with me and we can chat more about how we can tailor your pet photography session.
Thanks for reading my blog! This post is a part of the Pet Photographers blog circle I am in. Make sure to follow along and click the link at the end of each post in the blog circle until you eventually find your way back here. The next one in the circle is Tammy from Tammy Snyder Photography who shares some ideas for a photo session for your reactive dog.
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