Most of us that have dogs do not really view them as dogs. We view them more like family members, so including them in your first family photos, which is your engagement session photographs, is completely normal and TOTALLY encouraged. I have some tips for including your dogs in your engagement session that will help you get them ready and enjoy the experience.

Snuggly Not Smelly

First of all, let's make sure they're clean so you’ll want to snuggle with them in your best outfit. Cause I know after my dog has been playing in the great outdoors, and because he really loves mud puddles, he can get a little funky.  When he smells bad, no one really likes to hug him for extended periods of time, especially in their Sunday best. My pup, Jax doesn’t always smell like apples or blueberries or peppermint, but when he does his super happy about all the extra hugs.

A Tired Puppy is a Good Puppy

One thing to think about is exercise! It’s great to take your dog on a little run/walk prior to the shoot because a tired puppy is a good puppy. When dogs don’t have the zoomies, they are a lot more manageable. When they have been cooped up in the house for far too long, a puppy can go a little crazy the first time they are out and about. So don’t overdo it, but get some energy out.

Anxious Dogs

For some of the more excitable breeds sometimes it's not a bad idea to give them some relaxation medicine. I'm not saying to completely drug them up so they look like they're drugged up and can’t walk. DON’T DO THAT! I'm just saying to take the edge off. With some dogs that could just be placing a little lavender oil on their collar or over the counter treats that are made for relaxation.

Dog Wrangler

You will also need a dog Wrangler because engagement shoots are predominantly about your love story! While we get some photographs of just you two, the dog will need a babysitter. This is needed for most of the photography engagement sessions because we don’t want to be distracted. We can't have any dog sitting in a hot car, that’s dangerous or tied up to a tree where they're barking at us the whole time. That’s not very relaxing. You won't be able to relax if your baby is not relaxed and you know is being well taken care of. When you have a friend or family member that loves your pup you don’t have to worry about it.

To have your dog fully ready for his photographs to be taken at your engagement photography session you will need to head to the spa so they are snuggle not smelly, get them out for a run because a tired puppy is a good puppy, relax anxious dogs and bring a dog friend to wrangle your puppy while we take photographs.