Now that it's so easy to take digital photos of your dog and use them for anything from holiday cards to key chains, how about some professional advice for taking great dog photography?
Last Christmas I made cards using one of my dogs wearing a Santa hat and a jingle-bell collar. What we put our poor dogs through! I took a ton of photos and he looked decidedly grumpy in several. I labeled those ones "Merry Christmas. Or Die." I didn't have them made into cards, though.
Paw Prints Pet Photography took some wonderful photos of my dog in agility competition and generously offered these 10 tips for bringing out the best when photographing your dog.
And, last but not least (bear in mind these tips came from a working photographer): Hire a professional who specializes in photographing pets.
 | Crate training a dog can be an excellent way to keep a puppy (and your furniture) safe when you are away from the house or cannot monitor your dog. |
 | To raise a happy, well-adjusted dog you need to learn the art of socializing dogs correctly from puppyhood. |
 | Teaching easy dogs tricks to your best friend is a piece of cake, if you master a couple of training techniques that all the pros use. Learn clicker training and shaping, and you can teach your dog everything from "sit" to "bring me a soda from the fridge" with enough patience and perseverance. |
So you approached crate training with patience and persistence and it is still not working for you and your dog. Crate training is not for everyone and is definitely not for every dog. This does not mean that you have a "bad dog" or that there is something wrong with your dog. |
Many issues arise when people start considering crate training there new puppy. Once the puppy is crate trained it allows for him or her to be left alone safely for hours at a time. Otherwise your new family member must accompany you every where you go until they are old enough to stay home by themselves and not get into harmful things or tear up your house. |
