Professional Dog Trainers at Canine Country Academy

The team at Canine Country Academy is incredible. I’ve been working with them with my own dog training needs since 2010. They treat their canine clients (and their pet parents) with kindness, compassion, & understanding.

My dogs Lira, Carolina, & Mikey each attend classes with CCA regularly – advanced canine nose work, agility foundations, & barn hunt are some of our favorites. We’ve also completed puppy training, manners classes, trick training, and canine cooperation classes over the years. I also attend people training seminars regularly led by various canine experts that CCA owner Paula Novak brings in to help the community. And I have my quarterly Pet Portrait Events at Canine Country Academy in Lawrecenville, GA where the trainers have helped during these short themed sessions, making their team a great fit to invite them to pet photo sessions.

The trainers at CCA are committed to the safety and well being of the dogs. Just like me, their number one goal when assisting on a dog photo session is to make sure everyone has a positive experience. I’m super excited to have the option of adding a professional dog trainer to your Signature Pet Photography session.

Whether you have more dogs than humans in your house (like me!) and would just like an extra pair of hands to wrangle dogs at your session or would just like some additional support during your dog’s session, adding a professional dog trainer can be a great option.

I highly recommend adding a trainer for multi dog households. During your dogs’ photography session we’ll want to capture images of each dog by themselves as well as images of them together. Using positive and rewards based methods, the dog trainers can help hold leashes of dogs not being photographed or help get the attention of the dog being photographed. They also have experience in how to best handle the leashes while the dog is being photographed which will help get the best result removing the leash in your final images.

Adding a dog trainer to your session is also great if you’d like to be in some images with your dog. Getting photos with your dog is one of the best reasons to hire a professional pet photographer. Let’s face it, selfies can only get you so far. Having another pair of experienced hands on set with your dog helps get and keep their attention with squeakers, noise makers, and treats while I am able to focus on composition, posing, and angles to help everyone look their best.

Dogs who are anxious or nervous can also benefit from adding a professional dog trainer to their session. You’ll be able to stick close to your dog delivering encouragement and plenty of treats while the trainer can help direct their attention to the camera. Plus, having a trained professional help us monitor the environment to help keep you & your dog aware of any changes coming so everyone is prepared. You’ll be able to keep all your attention on your dog making sure they are comfortable and relaxed. 

Well trained dogs can also really benefit from adding on a professional dog trainer to the session. If you’ve spent a lot if time training your own dog, you may find that your dog is always looking to you for direction. This is especially true for dogs with training in obedience and agility disciplines. That attention to you is great 99% of the time, but can be challenging when we’re asking your dog to look away from you and at the stranger with the camera (that’s me). But, when we can have the trainer handling the leash and you’re able to come behind the camera with me, it’s very easy to direct your dog’s gaze and create gorgeous portraits.

To recap – You might consider a adding a dog trainer to your dog’s signature pet photo session:

1. You have a multi-dog house
2. You’d like to be in photos WITH your dog
3. You have an anxious or nervous dog
4. You have a well trained dog

This blog is a part of a blog circle with pet photographers from across the globe! This week we’re talking about how we can help set dogs up for success. You don’t have to worry if your dog is well behaved or not – professional dog photographers can still get great images of your pup!

Next up hop over the pond where Carol Mudra of Apawture Studios in Milan, Italy talks tricks of the trade to work with any pet model, no matter how well-trained they are.

Be sure to keep clicking the link at the bottom to complete the circle until you wind up back here!