It’s never too early to plan your holiday card. ‘Tis the season to be jolly, but is your pup ready for the spotlight? Taking pictures of your pet with the family seems easy, right? Not always! Don’t stress. Here are a few tips to take the perfect ‘howl-iday’ photo.

Pug Wearing Christmas Sweater

Play with your pup before the picture!

To get the perfect expression in your holiday card photo, play a game of fetch or even tug-of-war with your pup. If they’re tired out before the photo, they will pant and make different resting expressions. You can even make some fun noises or play different sounds that will catch their expression!

Pro Tip: Does your dog have a word or phrase that excites them like ‘walk’, ‘play’, or ‘treat’? Say their familiar word right before the picture is taken for the perfect expression! If you’re lucky, you might even get a head tilt!

Dog Blinking

Don’t use flash!

Natural light is always best, especially for taking pictures of your dog. Flash can be scary for your furry friend and can cause the red-eye effect in photos. Red-eye isn’t a good look and can be hard to edit out of a photo.

Pro Tip: Take your photo outside at a place where your pup is familiar. Whether that be near the dog park, on a trail you walk them frequently, or even in front of your home, your pup is more likely to sit pretty if they are comfortable.

Dog Looking Up At Christmas Tree

It’s ok to bribe!

If your dog sits easily for a treat, have plenty on hand. If they can smell them in your pocket, they might get distracted. Try a few practice shots of them sitting for a treat before you start taking the real photo.

Pro Tip: Taking your photo with your phone? Snag a Woofie. It attaches to your phone and holds a treat so your pet will be distracted.

Follow these tips, and you’re sure to have a ‘paw’some holiday card this year!