Bring whatever treats or toys motivate your dog. Everyone is different (i.e. one of mine is all about food, the other is all about her ball), so I generally leave this up to the owner. As for treats, think about things that can be broken up into tiny bits as we’ll likely be using a lot!
Bring a blanket, small bed, or anything that can be a used as a rest area. Odds are your dog will be too excited to use it, but it’s good to have as much familiarity as possible, as well as a comfy spot for taking breaks as needed.
As for exercise before the shoot, I don’t typically suggest doing a huge walk or anything too far out of the ordinary. Everyone will know their own individual dog, and I understand the idea of wanting to tire them out ahead of time to perhaps make them more receptive to instruction, but we want to make sure they’re not too tired as the shoot itself can be surprisingly draining.
Don’t get frustrated, annoyed, embarrassed, etc. on set, regardless of how it seems like things are going. These are typically totally new places and scenarios for your dog, so they may need a minute to get comfortable. It’s important to remember that they don’t have a clue as to what’s going on!
Further to this above point, you’ll notice that I take a bunch of frames and then stop to reset as your dog wanders off set. This is totally normal and acceptable behaviour. Most dogs will not sit perfectly for minutes on end, and I don’t ever expect them to.
Keep distractions to a minimum. I know this more or less goes without saying, but your pup is already having to process a lot, so I find it’s usually best to keep the attendees to a minimum and to not overload their senses with too many toys/treats all at once. Even if we’re looking for a peppy shot, in most cases it’s best to project as much of a relaxed vibe as possible.
