Adelaide the Model

So you may have noticed that Adelaide loves modelling. She loves when the camera comes out because that means it’s TREAT TIME. Today we’re going to share with you a few of our tips and tricks that have helped us turn Adelaide from a wild and energetic puppy into a somewhat graceful model (still a work in progress, of course...aren’t we all?) We are by no means saying that Adelaide is the perfect model. We have lots more work to do in terms of strengthening her attention skills as well as general obedience in her training classes. These are a few tips that we’ve picked up on as we continue on Adelaide’s journey to becoming a model.

Tips:

1. TREATS. Use high valued treats (rotisserie chicken, hot dogs, peanut butter)

2. COMFORT. Make your pup feel as comfortable as possible (reward with treats just for being in front of the camera)

3. TIMING. Reward with a treat immediately after the shutter sound or a flash goes off so your pup gets used to this behaviour being a really good thing.

4. SOUND. Test out different sounds that really grab your dogs attention (whistle, snap, clap, rolled r’s, lip buzz, etc) Play with the pitch of your voice, super high and very low.

5. VARIETY. Keep switching it up so you don’t desensitize your pup to a certain sound or word too quickly.

While all these tips are a great place to start, if you’re looking for more detail... read on!

Let’s talk about TREATS. We have learned the hard way which treats work as well as which treats are best for Adelaide’s stomach. We have used soft puppy treats, dehydrated “mini” treats, rotisserie chicken pieces, hot dogs, and fish skin treats. While the soft puppy treats work really well, using too many can sometimes result in diarrhea. It’s been trial and error so far with all the treats, but what we feel works best are the high value treats: chicken and hot dogs. Chicken has proven to be better for Adelaide’s stomach (we had one situation when too many hotdogs resulted in diarrhea, but potentially that was a rare instance because Adelaide was sick for other reasons.) Adelaide pays the most attention when we use chicken. We are able to break it up into small pieces but Adelaide still loves it just the same. We start by luring her into position, whether that’s using a backdrop indoors or capturing her beauty outside. Beginning with a training session helps to focus her so we ask for a sit or down position. The fish skin treats are good however it takes her so long to eat them and they create a big mess for indoor photo shoots. 

Working on training skills before a photo session helps to calm our pup. When she learns that you have something as amazing as chicken in your hands, she’ll be very excited to listen to you. After a few rounds of sit, down, or touch, Adelaide is in a great place to start. If you are working with props, introduce them slowly. Allow her to sniff and get acquainted with whatever prop you may be using. When she’s had a good chance to discover the prop herself, that’s when you can grab her attention back.  

When your pup is in position and comfortable... start taking pictures! See if you can grab their attention just by calling their name. Chances are that there are so many distractions with props or backdrops (or even outdoor temptations!) that simply calling your pup’s name might prove to be effective. If this works and you start to capture pictures, reward your pup with a treat immediately after the shutter sound or flash occurs. This gets your pup feeling good whenever that noise or flash happens. Treat quickly and treat well! 

If simply calling a name doesn’t work at first or at all, there are so many other things you can do to get your dog’s attention. Things we have tried:

• whistling

• snapping 

• clapping

• barking yourself 

• meowing 

• strange animal noises they may never have heard, think of all the different animals you can 

• really high pitches or extremely low 

• buzzing your lips

• rolling your r’s

• speaking very quickly and excitedly 

You can even use visuals such as holding the treat right above the lens, waving your hands, rubbing your hands together, pretending to hold a treat... the list goes on!

The number one thing we keep in mind is... variety! You don’t want your dog to get bored of a sound or visual cue. We constantly switch things up and I’m sure our list of cues will keep expanding as we learn as well. 

While we have had a lot of success and positive reactions from Adelaide, there are a few things she still has to work on. Remember to always pick up on your dogs cues when they are tired, bored or just plain upset with the photoshoot. Give them time to rest and relax between shots or sessions. Sometimes props or clothing can stress out your dog, so be very mindful when introducing them to new things. Take it slowly and one step at a time. 

Things we’d like to work on:

1. Wearing clothes. Adelaide sometimes resists wearing clothing. Iggys especially need to wear clothing outside during cold or wet weather conditions. We want to get her used to wearing the clothes both inside and outside to make her the most comfortable. When indoors, Adelaide often attempts to remove her clothes herself. We want to keep her happy in her clothes for photo shoots and those cold winter days!

2. Stamina. Building up her stamina to stay focussed during a shoot. She is still a puppy of course, so that difficulty comes with the territory. We are determined to make her as happy a pup as possible so she can stay focussed longer. We want the whole experience to be enjoyable.

Overall, we have enjoyed working with our little girl on photo shoots because it gives us time to bond as well as train her for both inside and outside the studio. We will continue to train and make the photo sessions as fun as possible. We look forward to all the growth and personality our pup has to go forward and we can’t wait to see photos of all the great memories we’ll make!