Tips & Tricks: Getting Your Pet to "Paws" for Photos

Our love of pet photography isn't limited to the super cute, adoptable animals in our style books. In fact, the obsession is real in our daily lives. We LOVE taking pictures of our furry friends, big and small and there are always plenty of photogenic pups roaming our offices, being followed by the phone paparazzi, trying to document their every move--and they move a lot. We consulted some of our pet-loving staff on their tips and tricks for getting that perfect pet pic.

"I’m lucky that I have two pups who were fairly easy to train. With them I give them their commands and then mix in some kiss-y noises and treats! My kitties are all divas, even the boys, so they are in the perfect photo pose 24/7, always camera-ready like a true model. If I need a cat to look a certain way on a shoot, “scratchy fingers” on a surface always works. The best photos usually happen when the pet relaxes into a scene and you just click away as fast as you can before they move!"

-Colleen, Director of Marketing, fur mama to Maybe (pictured above on left) and Jovi, Chastain , Vanguard, Torin, and Sage (not pictured)

"So for Sophie – who is not very photogenic at all…you have to take tons of pictures just to get one good shot, but a BALL is always right up her alley. The one issue I have is that she looks so intense. You can see her mind…ballballballballballballball….you get the idea. I get lots of great pics of her sleeping…" -Catherine, E-commerce Coordinator, fur mama to Sophie

"It's best to work your model in her natural habitat. I just wait for her to do something cute and hope I have my camera and good natural lighting!"

-Amy, Marketing Assistant, fur mama to Lola

"Webster LOVES Cheez Whiz. He is a people pleaser so it doesn’t take much for him to follow directions. A Newfie is a gentle giant so you pretty much have to work around them. He goes crazy playing at the beach and enjoys his favorite beach towel. He is spoiled rotten and we love him for it!"

-Stacy, Director of Human Resources, fur mama to Webster

"Life with Hugo is not so much about posing, but catching the moment when you can. Sometimes he will stay still for treats, or if I snap my fingers where I want him to look (he might think I’m holding a treat..oops!). Other times, he just wants to rub up against the phone in my hand, so I get very blurry, very close up images of grey fluff. My favorite images of him are when he’s relaxing or asleep, because his face is just too cute."

-Jillian, Senior Designer, fur mama to Hugo

"It’s very simple. Just us a dog biscuit as a bribe and they will pose for anything."

-Kari, Senior Designer, Corgi mama