Teach Your Dog to "Say Cheese!"

By no means am I a professional photographer, but as you can see I really enjoy taking pictures. If you follow me on Instagram you will quickly realize, I am a crazy lady who posts way too many pictures of her dog. People tell me all the time how my dog Dusty is extremely photogenic and they are amazed how he actually looks at the camera. Let me tell you a little secret... he doesn't do that on his own, I trained him to "Say Cheese!". You can teach your dog to do the same!

Before you can teach your dog to "Say Cheese!" he/she should know a few basic commands. Sit and stay are the two I personally use the most for pictures. Down is another good one if you want your dog to look more relaxed. You can have your dog pose however you would like, sometimes I like to get fancy and tell Dusty to roll over, rest his head, hold something in his mouth or do other tricks he knows. This makes the picture look and feel more natural.

For example in this picture I gave Dusty the command "Paws Up".

Once your dog can pose on command it's time to bring out the treats(if you haven't already!). Anything works it doesn't necessarily need to be cheese. I give dusty store bought treats, homemade treats, cheese, and sometimes even cut up hot dogs. Every time Dusty gets a treat I say the word "Cheese" out loud. You can use any word you like, whatever works best for you and your dog. Eventually your dog will associate the word "cheese" as a reward for good behavior and they will do anything to get a treat!

Now when you are taking a family picture and the photographer tells everybody to "Say Cheese!" your dog will gladly look at the camera. It's that easy!

1. Pose
2. Say Cheese
3. Snap away!

Get creative and have fun! Your dog will do anything for a treat, so take advantage of that. In this picture you can see how I put a treat inside the flower to make it look like Dusty was smelling the flower.

You can try actions shots as well!

Can't wait to see all the pictures of your favorite furry friends!

xoxo

Emily