Top 5 Tips for Taking Engagement Photos with Your Puppy

Engagement photos with dogs are among the most joyful, warm, and genuinely personal portraits you can have taken. They're also completely unpredictable — a session that works brilliantly is built on good preparation and realistic expectations, not trying to control an inherently chaotic situation. Here are five tips that actually make a difference.

Tip 1: Exercise First, Photograph Second

A dog who has had a good run before their photo session is a fundamentally different animal from one who hasn't. Give your dog a substantial walk or play session in the hour before your engagement shoot. They'll be calmer, less excitable, and more willing to sit still for longer than a few seconds.

This tip works particularly well with young and high-energy dogs. Puppies are especially difficult to photograph after a quiet morning; they are noticeably more manageable after a proper exercise session.

Tip 2: Bring High-Value Treats and a Squeak Toy

A squeaky toy held at lens height produces direct, bright-eyed attention with ears at full alert — the classic "engaged and alert" dog expression that photographs beautifully. Use it sparingly or the novelty vanishes quickly. High-value treats (chicken, cheese, liver) work for the same purpose when you want eye contact rather than the ears-forward alert expression.

Tell your photographer which you're using so they can time their shot to the moment of peak attention.

Tip 3: Choose a Location Your Dog Knows and Loves

A familiar location means your dog is relaxed from the moment you arrive rather than spending the first 20 minutes exploring and sniffing everything. Their regular park or favourite walking route is entirely appropriate for an engagement session — the photographs will have genuine warmth because your dog is genuinely at ease.

If you want a different backdrop, arrive early and give your dog 10–15 minutes to explore before the session begins.

Tip 4: Have One Person Dedicated to the Dog

During an engagement session, you want to focus on each other and on the photographs — not simultaneously manage a lead, negotiate treats, and avoid being bowled over. Bring a helper: a friend or family member who can take the dog when they're not needed in frame, manage the lead, and produce the squeaky toy on cue.

This also means you can have some photographs without the dog — walking together, holding each other — without having to tie the dog to something and deal with barking.

Tip 5: Embrace the Chaos

The photograph of your dog jumping up on you both, knocking you slightly off-balance, tails wagging, both of you laughing — that is often the shot that ends up on the wall. Don't spend the whole session trying to get a perfectly composed, calm portrait with your dog sitting neatly between you. Let some of the session be genuinely chaotic.

The moments that reflect what life with your dog is actually like are infinitely more meaningful than a technically correct photograph of a dog that looks slightly drugged.