Pet Portraits

Karsyn Taelyr · Feb 3, 2015

My dog is terrified of my camera and it makes me so sad! Does anyone know how to make them feel more comfortable with a camera?

JacaRanda · Feb 3, 2015

Karsyn Taelyr said:
My dog is terrified of my camera and it makes me so sad! Does anyone know how to make them feel more comfortable with a camera?

Does it get a chance to get close to the camera without you holding it? Maybe leave it out on the floor so your dog can get used to the idea that it won't attack.

As long as your dog does not attack it of course.

paigew · Feb 3, 2015

@Karsyn Taelyr

Poor baby

Actually I was a dog trainer for 3 years long before photography

Depending on how scared your dog is, start slow. Put the camera on the couch by you and have your dog come up for a treat. Over time move the camera closer/to your lap. Once your dog will come to you (camera in lap) for a treat push the shutter button and treat him afterwards. Use the shutter button similar to the way you would use a clicker...as a marker for good things. So in essence "shutter click=treat". Every time you click the shutter the dog gets tossed a treat. (its best to use small soft treats for rapid practicing). Do short sessions of 1-2 minutes then put the camera away and do her favorite thing...play ball, belly rub, etc. Over time your dog should grow very comfortable with the camera and you will obviously be able to hold it to your eye.

When she is comfortable with you holding it start pressing the shutter when she shows any interest. So if you are holding it and she is acting timid but pokes her head forward a bit for a sniff...press the shutter and immediately reward her for being inquisitive. Reminding her/training her that when she hears the shutter she ALWAYS gets a reward. Soon you will not be able to keep her away from sniffing your lens

. Feel free to pm me! I love training!

Karsyn Taelyr · Feb 3, 2015

JacaRanda said:
Karsyn Taelyr said:

My dog is terrified of my camera and it makes me so sad! Does anyone know how to make them feel more comfortable with a camera?

Click to expand...

Does it get a chance to get close to the camera without you holding it? Maybe leave it out on the floor so your dog can get used to the idea that it won't attack. As long as your dog does not attack it of course.

Yeah she has! But when I click the shutter she freaks out! But I think i'm gonna try this! Thanks

Karsyn Taelyr · Feb 3, 2015

paigew said:
@Karsyn Taelyr

Poor baby

Actually I was a dog trainer for 3 years long before photography Depending on how scared your dog is, start slow. Put the camera on the couch by you and have your dog come up for a treat. Over time move the camera closer/to your lap. Once your dog will come to you (camera in lap) for a treat push the shutter button and treat him afterwards. Use the shutter button similar to the way you would use a clicker...as a marker for good things. So in essence "shutter click=treat". Every time you click the shutter the dog gets tossed a treat. (its best to use small soft treats for rapid practicing). Do short sessions of 1-2 minutes then put the camera away and do her favorite thing...play ball, belly rub, etc. Over time your dog should grow very comfortable with the camera and you will obviously be able to hold it to your eye.

When she is comfortable with you holding it start pressing the shutter when she shows any interest. So if you are holding it and she is acting timid but pokes her head forward a bit for a sniff...press the shutter and immediately reward her for being inquisitive. Reminding her/training her that when she hears the shutter she ALWAYS gets a reward. Soon you will not be able to keep her away from sniffing your lens . Feel free to pm me! I love training!

Thanks so much for the awesome reply!! I'm totally going to try this out!

jenko · Mar 20, 2015

Here is an update on Miss Cuddles ...

She is doing really great! Has so much energy, OMG. She had to have a tumor removed last month but it was benign. She continues to have some kind of environmental allergy in the winter. It's so weird--she only gets the rash Dec-Feb and then it goes away. But she's doing fabulous and is as friendly and hyper as ever!

Also, found this kitten last fall. Actually, almost HIT this kitten. It was wandering across the road ... so I pulled over and took her home. She was in pretty rough shape ...

Three weeks later, after multiple visits to the vet and meds for upper respiratory infection and worming ...

Cuddles wanted to eat her so she could not stay. I found a good home for her, though.

Lacy, our horse, also had surgery! She had a tumor on the bottom eye lid. It was cancerous. But the vet got good margins and she's doing fine now.

sneakypete · Mar 20, 2015

Louie

louie in the living room (1 of 1) by floppypickles, on Flickr

Charlie

charlie on my lap (1 of 1) by floppypickles, on Flickr

Mr.Photo · Mar 20, 2015

I had posted this in another forum I started about people showing off their pups, but It appears as though I haven't posted to this thread as of yet.

This is my dearly departed boy Tundra. We had to put him to sleep a couple weeks ago as he was having terrible difficulty with his back legs not working, and at times he couldn't even get up to go outside and would go while laying on the floor. He had been picked up and returned on three separate occasions by three different families over the course of a year and a half. He was then scheduled to be euthanized to make room for other animals. My friend who worked at the shelter couldn't let that happen, so she rescued him and kept him at her apartment for a few days and asked my fiancee and I if we would take him. He was estimated at about 5 years old when we got him in 2006, and would have been somewhere between 14-15 years old when we let him go. I miss him so much. This portrait was taken two years ago this month, and was one that was in my collection of RAW files that I hadn't edited yet of him.

DSC_0007 by Gary C's Photography, on Flickr

jenko · Mar 20, 2015

Awww sorry for your loss of Tundra. What a beauty.

My mom had to put her corgi to sleep in Dec for something very similar. She had degenerative myelopothy. Lost control of her back legs, and eventually her bladder. So sad. My mom was utterly heart broken. So I bought her a puppy for her birthday a few weeks ago--a piebald dachshund.