Getting a photo of your dog with Santa can be a fun way to celebrate the season, but not every pup finds the experience as joyful as we do. Before you book your session, it’s worth considering how your dog might feel and what you can do to make the day calm and enjoyable.
Should I take my dog for Santa photos?
There are lots of questions to ask yourself when thinking about taking your dog for Santa photos. Most of them are to decide if your dog will be comfortable or not! For the sake of a photo, consider this:
- Are they scheduling photos at a specific time or booked in? Or is it come and line up (if outside is there shade?). Waiting a long time for a photo can add lots of stress, so try to book in a specific time.
- Does your dog like new people? Other dogs? Are they comfortable in new environments with lots of noise, other people and other dogs?
- Have they ever met someone in a ‘costume’? How did they react?
- Can you tell if your dog is scared or fearful of something or someone? Can you read your dog’s body language that may indicate if they are happy/relaxed or worried/fearful? Are you willing to ignore or brush over your dogs ‘feelings’ in order to get a cute photo?
How can I prepare my dog?
If you decide to take your dog for Santa photos, there is a lot you can do to prepare your dog for a successful shoot.
Prior to the day
- Practice sit/down stay = sitting or lying in a ‘pose’ for up to 30 seconds plus leaving your dog at a distance if you don’t want to be in the photo.
- Practice mat/place training = settle cue
- Practice posing with your dog
- Have someone dress up in a santa costume and practice at home. While this may sound ‘silly’, it can really help!
On the day
- Plan ahead. Make sure you toilet your dog before you arrive or leave some time at the venue.
- Be on time, don’t rush. Give your dog time to settle.
- Make sure your dog is hydrated.
- Be prepared for hot weather.
- Be prepared to abort – especially if your dog is showing signs of stress.
Will my dog cope with it?
How do you know if your dog isn’t coping? It’s important to be able to read and interpret canine body language to pick up on stress signals such as tail position, lip licking, ears flicking back and forward or staying back, dilated pupils/wide eyes, head turning, refusing to eat treats.
Dogs show stress in different ways. It may be obvious if a dog tries to get away, growls or snaps, but dogs can often be stressed if they show ‘silly’ behaviour such as lots of jumping up, zoomie behaviours and not able to follow simple known cues, which can often look like ‘excitement’.
It may also be seen as a dog showing behaviour ‘they have never shown before’. If your dog tries to aggress (lunge/snap/bite) especially ‘out of the blue’ to another dog or person, chances are you have missed subtle signals and it’s time to take them home.
What should I bring to the photo session?
A mat your dog is familiar with to help them settle, treats (lots!), appropriately fitted equipment such as a harness/collar and lead, water, a toy, another person if you have more than one dog (dogs need 1 handler each).
Consider carefully if your dog needs to wear anything like a hat or costume. It will be hot but also can add to existing stress.
What if my dog gets overwhelmed?
Being able to identify if your dog is overwhelmed is an important skill. Give them space or create space for them. Move into a quieter area of the store/studio or if outside into a quiet shady spot and be prepared to abort and take them home if things don’t improve.
Signs they are overwhelmed?
It’s so important to be able to read and interpret body language and subtle signs. When a dog is overwhelmed, you may see:
- Trying to escape, pull away
- Pulling on the lead (this can be from excitement, but also stress)
- Stress panting (this is different to panting when hot or overheated, but being over heated can also add stress)
- Dilated pupils
- Wide eyes/squinty eyes
- Avoiding eye contact or looking at the camera operator (avoidance), head turns and/or leaning away
- Lip licking (and not just if they have had a tasty treat)
- Yawning – not because they are bored, but yawning can be a sign of tension/stress.
- Shaking off when released from being ‘held’
- Silly/frantic behaviour such as jumping up, not settling, on lead zoomies, not being able to follow cues they know such as sit
- ‘Out of the blue’ behaviours such as lunging or snapping at another person or dog
You may see some or all of these at different levels and in different combinations. While low/mild levels of stress are probably expected in these types of environments, if you see moderate to high levels of stress it’s always best to advocate for your dog than to get the cute photo.