Quite often portrait clients ask me about including their pets-almost always dogs-in the portrait sitting. Having a pet dog myself, I understand how pets are loving, individual members of the family. I of course encourage people to bring their pets to the session and advise them as to how to make this a successful endeavor. I tell people the most important factors are size and obedience. If you have a large dog, say a German shepherd or Golden retriever, they will be more of a challenge to position then a smaller dog. So if they will obey simple commands like “sit, or lie down” it is very helpful. Bringing treats and toys can help too. An untrained dog that likes to chase birds is not going to fit into a beach portrait situation where there are plenty of birds and sometimes other dogs to distract. The most dogs I’ve photographed at one time was five with a family of 2 adult people. Bringing your pet can complete your family unit and make a great portrait even more fun and expressive. Below is a happy family of 9. 
