The Making of a Bad Dog Photo

My picture is not of a far off place. It’s not from anywhere exotic. It’s not one of the wonders of the world. No stunning sunrise. No formidable tornado. But it’s better it’s an experience and a memory.

It’s simply of my dogs. I like to take pictures. I like to build things. And I love to train dogs. Especially scenes that are set up that require my dogs to take poses. Not just sit and look at the camera. Sometimes they are bad dogs - painting graffiti or breaking a window. Stealing burgers from McDonalds. Pulling a fire alarm. Or, yes, even taking too many items through the express lane.

I wanted to get my four dogs in a Valentine’s shot. But again, no boring shot of four dogs just sitting. No funny costumes. But this time I was presented with a couple of challenges.

Challenge number 1 - DEL (Semper FiDELis) is a 14 year old Jack Russell. He can’t hear, doesn’t see well and is less mobile. Over the years he’s been the number one picture dog. But this time his role will need to be simple. And safe!

Challenge number 2 - one of my dogs is a puppy. Texas 2-10-4 (named after a class of steam locomotive but that’s another story) is a 14 week old border collie puppy. How can I include her in the shot?

I need to come up with an idea. What can the bad dogs be up to on Valentine’s Day? Hmmm. Kisses? Strike that. Did it last year. Cupid’s? That’s silly. Hearts? Flowers? Cupid’s bow? That’s it! At least it seems the best I can come up with in a short time.

Now comes the interesting part. What’s the scene? And how do I set it up to fit in the four dogs. How about the bad dogs initiating the pup? She’s using the bow and arrow. Again the fun part. How can I rig it so it looks like the pup is holding the bow? No photoshopping allowed in my shots. The dogs have to actually do the behaviours and or the props need to be set up so it looks like they are.

And, this time, I decided I’d video tape the setup.

It’s February 12th. So I only have two days to get set up and to hope to teach Texas the puppy to hold a position. No problem!

Ok. Now there’s a problem! February 14th the temperature is supposed to drop! Temperatures as low as -19 degrees Celsius (-2 degrees Fahrenheit). The joys of Canada in the winter. So now I have only ONE day. Crap. Time to get moving.

I come up with a plan to support the bow and arrow. Not as elegant as I’d like but the clock is ticking. I use a toy bow and mount it to a base from a patio umbrella. Lots of duct tape. Again, no time for elegant. The toy bow only has little suction darts. Not fit for bad dogs at all! Luckily I have a spear handy. Don’t ask. I modify it, and, reach for the duct tape.

Here’s the test. I bring my bow and arrow upstairs. Get Texas. Let’s do some training. First getting her comfortable with the contraction. She’s not worried at all about it. Now getting her comfortable climbing on it. Again no problem. But will she be able to hold position? We work on it. She’s holding with me about four feet away. At least long enough to get a shot. But I’ll need a remote? Oh no! How could I have not realized that? Oh wait! The iWatch. Excellent! We are set. Although I know working outside and with three other dogs around will be tougher for the pup.

Fast forward to when I’ve got stuff set up outside. It’s not perfect. The fence will be in the background. No time to mock up a different background. And I need to do the shot in a contained area because of the pup. One good thing. The snow helps hide the props including the base of the patio umbrella.

We are close! Get the older dogs into position. They’ve got easy jobs so I can focus on the pup. Now they know their jobs. Oh wait. Need to introduce them. Thorpe, an 8 year old border collie is deaf but that’s no challenge. He’s a pro. And The BERK is a 7 year old Mix. Both LOVE doing photo shots

Here we go......

We repeat the training exercise with the bow with Texas. What a good pup!

WE GET THE SHOT! lol. Maybe not the best photo ever. But I’m happy. Its not about the final trick or final pic. It’s all about the process, the journey.

The process is captured on video at https://youtu.be/eL_5fUNkvs8