A question we get asked often is how we get Ike to pose so nicely for photos.
I wish the answer was that he is an angel doggy and he does exactly what we ask of him at all times.
But I don’t tell lies. And our friends and families would rat us out. Truth be told, Ike is a wild man. The dog is nuts. He’s 5 1/2 years old and has a crazy amount of energy. He is a terrier.
Luckily the dog is easily bribed. It’s just getting him calmed down enough during bribery to get some decent photos. Also patience is important. Very important. He has had basic obedience classes and does well with commands like sit, stay, and down. Well, usually he does well. The following photos may lead you to believe otherwise.
Here are some behind the scenes shots from our recent DIY console table photo shoot.
We start with a treat. Notice Ike still licking his chops. Notice me in the mirror trying to get his attention. It’s obviously going well at this point.
Here is Ike trying to shake off that treat.
The following photos show him confusing “sit” with “down”. They sound alike. I get it. Especially when your brain can only focus on treats.
This won’t work. He’s only interested in the treat on the floor.
We let him have that treat and decide to start over. Here is Nate trying to get him to refocus.
Staying is for dumb dogs.
So is sitting…
Okay, now we’re sitting and staying. Someone had best be fast with the camera.
Let’s move that treat over the photographer’s head…
10 minutes later we have the great shot for the ol’ blog.
Photographing Ike has become more difficult over the course of the blog. He sees the camera and instantly gets this annoyed look on his face. We’ve upped the quality of treats and know not to be rushed if we want Ike involved in the photos.
Does your pet like to model? Did you have any clue that Ike was a wild man?
A question we get asked often is how we get Ike to pose so nicely for photos.
I wish the answer was that he is an angel doggy and he does exactly what we ask of him at all times.
But I don’t tell lies. And our friends and families would rat us out. Truth be told, Ike is a wild man. The dog is nuts. He’s 5 1/2 years old and has a crazy amount of energy. He is a terrier.
Luckily the dog is easily bribed. It’s just getting him calmed down enough during bribery to get some decent photos. Also patience is important. Very important. He has had basic obedience classes and does well with commands like sit, stay, and down. Well, usually he does well. The following photos may lead you to believe otherwise.
Here are some behind the scenes shots from our recent DIY console table photo shoot.
We start with a treat. Notice Ike still licking his chops. Notice me in the mirror trying to get his attention. It’s obviously going well at this point.
Here is Ike trying to shake off that treat.
The following photos show him confusing “sit” with “down”. They sound alike. I get it. Especially when your brain can only focus on treats.
This won’t work. He’s only interested in the treat on the floor.
We let him have that treat and decide to start over. Here is Nate trying to get him to refocus.
Staying is for dumb dogs.
So is sitting…
Okay, now we’re sitting and staying. Someone had best be fast with the camera.
Let’s move that treat over the photographer’s head…
10 minutes later we have the great shot for the ol’ blog.
Photographing Ike has become more difficult over the course of the blog. He sees the camera and instantly gets this annoyed look on his face. We’ve upped the quality of treats and know not to be rushed if we want Ike involved in the photos.
Does your pet like to model? Did you have any clue that Ike was a wild man?
I'm telling you-- Ike and Jack would be BFF. Jack is so used to our "treat routine" (sit, shake, other paw, down, roll over, spin) that when we tell him "down", with a treat in our hand, he starts rolling over and spinning. It's like watching dog gymnastics. Getting him to lay in front of our new TV stand so I could get the photo was exhausting for all of us.
ReplyDeleteLove it....my terrier Sophie is a spaz too....she never works the camera!
ReplyDeleteHah! I had an inkling. :) But he is quite naturally handsome - I mean, the 'stache! Usually I'm making all sorts of weird howl-y noises to get the girl's ears to perk up so it doesn't look like they're falling off the sides of their head.
ReplyDeletehaha... I love the one of Ike jumping. Foster hates the camera too that's why most of mine are on the iphone. I'm sneaky like that, he thinks its just a phone.
ReplyDeleteThat's too funny that he gets annoyed when he sees the camera. Someone thinks you are going to begin hiring him out for pet food ads....
ReplyDeleteI like that he's sitting under a print that says "All good things are Wild and Free"- did you do that on purpose?? :) He doesn't look like a wild man- but I know looks can be deceiving. Getting our 3 dogs to sit still for a photograph is harder than herding cats- and someone always ends up looking annoyed. I have a friend who photographs dogs for a living and it's amazing to me the photos she can get!
ReplyDeleteMy cats are so difficult to photograph! Max is black (so he just looks like a giant blob) and Molly is constantly moving around.
ReplyDeleteHaha, it's good to know your dog is as wild as mine are (although my two are sleeping at the moment, quick get the camera!). I use a steady stream of quick highspeed flashes that SOMETIMES works. Your dog is still precious though!
ReplyDeleteYou guys have him figured out... mostly. I'd love to include more photos of our schnauzer, but he's usually a blur in the pics. He also steals the remotes and trades them back to us for treats.
ReplyDeleteI giggled through this entire post. We have a wild terrier too who knows all the basic commands (although "come" is never an option) and we go through this same process to get a good picture of him. Silly pups.
ReplyDeleteHILARIOUS! I love this. Our dog has a tendency to be a little energetic (that's a mother's love talking... what it really means is she's crazy and super hyper, but I love her).
ReplyDeleteI know the truth about Ike. Crazy lil' pup! Ours are equally nuts, but I'm lacking in the patience department, so I typically have blurry dogs running through my photos. I'm a pretty great blogger, I just like to hide the truth behind things like never updating my blog and posting crappy pictures. Real winner, right here. Ha!
ReplyDeleteSo funny! He reminds me of my two schnauzers, every time I take the camera out, and go by them, they automatically run and try to jump on me, because they think it's play time, I have no idea how other people's dogs are so calm...I keep wondering when they will hit that stage. Can you pretty please tell me where on earth you got that little pig with the wings? He is soooooo adorable!
ReplyDeleteWell we all feel better knowing that our poorly behaved dogs are not alone. Ike was supposed to be the role model but that's okay Ike. I've had a Wheaton Terrier so I know how hyper all you Terriers are:)
ReplyDeleteFunny! I would't have guessed - he always looks so sweet and calm in your pictures. Our touble with Bill is that he weighs as much as I do, so trying to get him to, say, come inside this morning because it's supposed to rain all day doesn't exactly work when he doesn't want to!
ReplyDeleteI ♥ the "pet portrait" setting on my lil' ol' point-&-shoot! If it weren't for that feature, all of Auggie's shots would be a blur.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Jack would ever pose for a picture. He's like Chelsea's dog and knows the treat routine so he'd just keep doing his tricks and wait for more treats. He's a greedy pup.
ReplyDeleteLove the new header! Penny (our toy poodle) loves wandering into my photos. She, however, does not sit for pictures on command (no matter what kind of treat we offer.) Sarah
ReplyDeleteI have a 12 year old Jack Russell Terrier and he's still that way. I've only gotten one portrait worthy picture of him in all that time. You do a wonderful job of capturing Ike at his best.
ReplyDeleteIke is so cute! Your pictures make him look so calm but I kind of guessed he was a wild child since most terriers are. (At least, all the ones I know!)
ReplyDeleteJuno loves getting her picture taken because it means more attention and treats and she loves both. Bubba, however, hates it. He is a sneaky little devil and will stay how you want him to until the second he hears the shutter, then he'll move and ruin the photo. This is why I have a million photos of Juno and maybe a handful of Bubba...
Our dog is an idiot at photos! We took her for our engagement shoot and she didn't look at one.single.picture. It was terrible, so we kicked her out of them. We even tried treats!
ReplyDeletehttp://coffeebeansandbobbypins.blogspot.com/
well Ike is not the only bratty dog on the blog block because I'm sure Scout could teach him a few things about being a stinker.
ReplyDeleteLove this post - Ike is one funny pup.
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA...I absolutely loved seeing these behind the scene shots! Ike is too cute!
ReplyDeleteYou have me cracking up over here! I have the same problem making Rosie sit still. Ike is such a character!
ReplyDelete-Shelley
I always assumed you had a cardboard cutout or stuffed version of Ike that you used because I've never seen such a still and photogenic dog... I have a new respect for you now. Not only did you and Nate build an awesome console table, but then you spent all that time photographing it with Ike. You are a super woman.
ReplyDeleteI've discovered the only way to get a photo of my dog is if he is asleep.
ReplyDeleteI had no clue!!! Thanks for sharing! You were making me feel like a bad dog owner...well you still do with his perfect hair cut.
ReplyDeleteMy dogs will pose and even "smile" (open their mouths) but one of them just rolls on his back for a belly rub everytime the camera comes out. Not the best pose for a family blog...
I knew food/treats had to be involved. It gets ME every time too.
ReplyDeleteThis is hilarious and sounds exactly like my dog, Sprout! Except he will wait patiently until I'm about to hit the button and then turn his head really fast, which makes for some great action shots of him ... turning his head. (He's part terrier- must be a terrier thing!)
ReplyDeleteAlyssa @ www.ruffleandcurl.com
Haha so cute! I pulled out my camera last night to take a picture of my dog out in the backyard and the second he saw it he immediately buried his face in the grass so I couldn't see his face. I think in his tiny terrier brain maybe he thought I couldn't see him at all but his message was clear to me... Bo was not in the mood to be photographed! ;)
ReplyDeleteHaha, too cute; I had no idea! My little terrier is a NUT, I don't even know if the treat trick would work.
ReplyDeleteHe's SO CUTE! My dog just gets this sad, forlorn look on her face when we try to take a picture of her ...or maybe that's just been happening since the kids were born. Poor Marley.
ReplyDeleteLoved the behind the scenes shots!
ReplyDeleteSo, I have a question. How do you keep Ike's nails from scratching that beautiful wood floor? I ask because we recently scored some wood flooring at a great price but I'm terrified to install it because our 2 dogs are wild women also. Basically I'm afraid their high energy levels will translate into "scuffed wood floors in record time". What's your secret?
ReplyDeletehaha this made me laugh so hard! Ike is super cute! My pup is not a fan of the camera either. As soon as she sees one her face immediately looks sad. It might be just me... but sad is typically not the look I'm going for.
ReplyDeleteBabies & children are even harder to capture on film lol! The crazy Ike pics make me think about my monthly photoshoot with Max. I swear I go through like 70 frames! Cute post. Ike is the best :)
ReplyDeleteOh wow! Is Ike a Wire fox Terrier? I have two, double trouble :)!
ReplyDeleteIke is lovely :)