Those first few days and weeks of having a new puppy in your life are something we sometimes aren’t ready for.
Even though my wife and I faced the massive challenge of bringing two excitable working Springer Spaniel puppies into our home about 11 years ago, we still found it a bit of a shock to have a puppy again.
But, at the same time, it’s an amazing moment and the chance to capture how they look and enjoy life is something that really shouldn’t be missed. They grow up super quickly; those feet/ears aren’t too big for very long. Even a little feather is weird in the mind of a little puppy. It’s lovely and I so enjoy capturing them whilst they are at this age.
Over the years I’ve had lots of experience working with puppies from those first few weeks and up. Once they are inoculated and safe to leave your home, they are ready to come along to one of my sessions. So whether it’s in studio or out on location there are plenty of safe options for us to book in.
Obviously, recall is likely to be an issue at that age. Although surprisingly, the very youngest of puppies often are so overwhelmed by the big wide world they tend to keep pretty still. But even if they won’t necessarily keep still, I’ve ways of keeping them safe.
If you’re wondering when the best time to book is, my honest advice is: don’t wait too long, but don’t rush it either. Once they’ve had their second vaccination and are safe to be out and about, that’s usually the sweet spot – old enough to have a bit of confidence in a new place, but still young enough to have those oversized paws and puppy-soft ears that disappear within a few months.
A few things that help on the day: try to time the session for after a nap rather than straight after a big play session, and bring their favourite treats or a squeaky toy; nothing gets a puppy’s full attention like the promise of a snack. If you’ve got more than one puppy from the same litter, that’s absolutely no problem either; some of my favourite sessions have been with two or three puppies together, chaos and all.
Some clients even like to book a second session a few months later, just to capture how much they’ve changed, it’s honestly astonishing how different a puppy looks at 12 weeks compared to 6 months.
We will keep them on a lead, where necessary, using different tricks and techniques to ensure that this is removed in the final image. You can see in the example below how easy it is to keep them safe, even with multiple dogs.
So please book in a session and have me help you create the most amazing artwork for your home.
