Working with Multiple dogs in a pet photo session

Photographing one dog is always an adventure—now multiply that by two, three, or even more, and you’ve got yourself a delightful mix of wagging tails, tangled leashes, and pure canine chaos! But for me, as a pet photographer, it’s all part of the fun. Over the years, I’ve learned that working with multiple dogs isn’t just about quick reflexes or a squeaky toy—it’s about patience, trust, and understanding each pup’s unique personality. You may have one dog that's a couch potato and a puppy with limitless energy. It's all just part of the fun. 

Double the dogs means double the patience is needed, not only from me, but from the dog owners. Dog owners can sometimes get upset or frustrated when their dogs aren't listening to their commands, and having two or more at once often makes it more frustrating for them. I usually tell them that I have infinite patience and we just need to give the dogs some time to settle. Some dogs just need a little extra time and that's ok!

At a session, I generally start by capturing each individual dog alone and or with their owner, that way we are guaranteed to get some good photos. This time also allows the dogs to get to know me and start to settle. I then move on to photographing pairs together. Some dogs love sitting next to their brother/sister pup but some really would rather leave some distance between them, and some don't even get along at home so asking them to be close at a photo session isn't really realistic. 

Techniques to get an amazing pet portrait

Leashes are important

The first thing to know is your dogs will be on leash. Leashes help keep dogs in place and are important for safety, but I'll never ask a dog to do something they are uncomfortable with. I just let dogs be dogs. That's often when you get special moments. I will remove leashes after the session during my editing process. You can see examples below.