How to Include Your Dogs in Family Photos (Without the Chaos)
There are these quiet fears I hear from so many families before they book.
What if the dogs don’t listen?
What if the kids won’t sit still?
What if the whole thing just feels… stressful?
And when you’re thinking about including everyone you love – kids, dogs, all the moving pieces, it can start to feel like maybe it’s just not worth the risk.
But it doesn’t have to feel like chaos to include your whole world.
Four dogs, two kids, and a little bit of trust
This session held a lot.
Two parents who had done photos before and knew the rhythm of it.
Two kids with big personalities and even bigger energy.
And four dogs who had never been part of a session before.
That last piece was the hesitation.
Because including dogs in family photos can feel unpredictable. Multiply that by four, and it’s easy to imagine a session full of tangled leashes, distractions, and stress.
But what made this session work so beautifully wasn’t luck.
It was intention.
The worries (that almost everyone has)
Before we ever stepped foot at our location, the same thoughts came up, the ones I hear all the time:
What if the dogs don’t behave
What if the kids get overwhelmed
What if we can’t get a single “good” photo
These aren’t small worries. They’re the kind that make people put off booking altogether.
And if you’ve felt that too, you’re not alone in it.
What made the biggest difference (hint: it started before the session)
One of the most important parts of this session happened before I ever picked up my camera.
Mom took the time to walk through my pre-session guidance and actually use it.
The dogs were exercised beforehand (not overwhelmingly so, but content. Big difference!)
They had space to settle before we started.
Treats were ready, but not offered right away.
Expectations were realistic.
Nothing extreme. Nothing complicated.
But because of that, the dogs came into the session curious instead of chaotic. Present instead of overstimulated.
When people ask how to prepare dogs for a photoshoot, this is it. It’s not about perfection. It’s about setting the tone.
Letting go of “stand still and smile”
The other shift happened in how the kids were approached.
There was no pressure to perform.
No constant “look here” or “say cheese”.
No expectation that they had to be anything other than themselves.
They were allowed to play. To be a little loud. To move, explore, and be silly.
And instead of pulling them back into stillness, their parents leaned into it.
That’s where everything softened.
Because when kids feel that kind of freedom, they don’t resist the moment, they settle into it.
What It Actually Looked Like
It wasn’t perfectly still.
We were always moving, dogs weaving in and out of frames, through the tall grass living their best lives.
Kids running, laughing, ecstatic their dogs were at their sides.
Moments that overlapped and unfolded instead of lining up neatly.
And somehow, because no one was forcing it to be something else, it all worked.
It didn’t feel controlled.
It felt connected.
Why This Approach Works (for both dogs and kids!)
Dogs read energy before anything else.
Kids do too.
When a session feels tense or overly structured, they respond to that. They pull away, get distracted, or shut down.
But when there’s space – real space – to move, explore, and exist without pressure, everything clicks into place.
My role in sessions like this isn’t to control every second.
It’s to guide gently. To notice what’s unfolding. To step in when needed and step back when it matters more.
That’s how we create images that feel like your life, not a performance of it.
The Images That Came From It
The photos from this session weren’t built on perfect behavior.
They were built on trust.
Kids tucked in close without being asked.
Dogs leaning into their people naturally.
Laughter that didn’t need to be prompted.
The in-between moments became the ones that mattered most.
The ones that felt honest.
If You’ve Been Hesitant…
If you’ve been putting off family photos because you’re worried your dogs won’t behave,
Or your kids won’t sit still,
Or everything might feel like too much…
I want you to know this gently:
You don’t need perfect behavior to have beautiful photos.
You need the right kind of space. The right kind of pacing. And someone who knows how to work with your life instead of against it.
A Softer Way To Approach Your Session
Including your dogs doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
It can feel easy. Grounded. Always playful.
And when it does, the photos reflect that in a way you can actually feel when you look back on them.
If that’s the kind of session you’ve been hoping for, I’d love to create that with you.