P#15 Q2A: How Do You Keep Your Subject from Running Up and Sticking His Nose in the Camera When You're Trying to Take a Dog Photo?

It's a Matter of Discipline

Jenni Bidner: That's a good question. I have plenty of nose prints on my filters to prove that I have that problem too. I even have little wolf puppy teeth marks from a very curious wolf puppy on my lens hood. It is a problem.

The first answer is long-term, and that's to put some obedience in your dog. But I have to admit I have a jack-in-the-box dog. When I put him in a sitting position, he just pops back up. Even a highly-trained search dog can still be a little devil that way.

The real problem is any time you pull out your camera or get down low, you're just shining the spotlight on your dog and he thinks it's an invitation to come over for some love or playtime.

You have a few choices. Some dogs have a distance threshold. If I get a certain distance away from my German Shorthaired Pointer, he decides he's no longer in my realm of responsibility and ignores me. That helps.

You might also want to try using an assistant who is out of camera but right next to the dog, controlling them verbally or with a loose leash. Another method (and this would be a time where you cheat that eye-level rule I gave you) is to keep standing and not plop down to take your dog photo. That's less of an invitation to your dog to come charging over.

Wear 'Em Down

Exercise your dog, too. You hear that all the time in dog training, but if you just try and bring your dog out and throw them on the X and try and take a dog photo, you're probably not going to have success.

You'll have more success after you go out and play some ball and have some fun. The dog will be content and you'll have a much better chance of getting a good shot without the nose print.

In Closing

If you want your dog to sit still for his or her dog photo, you need to create a situation in which they're not interested in what you're doing.

According to Jennifer Bidner, some great ways to do this are with good obedience training, a person helping you control the pooch or simply tiring your dog out before the camera starts shooting. Then you can get the dog photo you want without getting doggie nose prints on your camera.