Engagement Photos with Dogs Ideas

{A Complete Guide}

So you want to bring your puppy to your engagement session. HECK YES!! This blog is here to help with ideas and prepare you for your engagement photos with your dog! Woohoo! Today we’re going to talk about what to bring, what to do, things to keep in mind, and locations on where to go with your puppy, and also how they can dress/ look! Bringing your puppy is always such a fun idea and it brings in more of your life together. Plus they are mega cute and so much fun to snuggle with! I’m a HUGE fan of bringing along your fur-babies and we always get cute photos of all of you together! YAY!

In this post: 

• What to bring along 
• Things to keep in mind 
• Tips and Tricks
• Location Info 

Alright, let’s start with what to bring! Let’s do this!

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What to Bring Along

Puppies need a few things when bringing them along for your engagement session. Of course you have your basics like food and water, but here are a few things to also bring along:

1. Some kibble
2. Water/ drinking bowl 
3. High quality treats so they listen a little better and are exited to follow your commands in order to get the treat. Sometimes puppies get distracted, so having some rewarding treats really help with bringing them back into focus.
4. A towel– sometimes adventuring means getting in dirt or water/ muddy areas, or if it rains as well, it’s nice to bring a little towel, or large towel, to help dry them off and not look too dirty in your photos
5. Various collars or leashes– depending on what you plan to wear (which I made an fun guide to help you figure out what exactly to wear to your engagement session here), but it’s always helpful to have neutral- colored leashes or a leather strap leash so it’s not too flashy. Usually having a black leash, or a light brown leather to look a little fancier, always helps and looks great in photos. Depending where you go, most locations require a leash for your puppy, so having something stylish always helps 🙂
6.  Last but not least- A bag or backpack to put everything in! So many times, I see couples just bring everything in their pockets or just holding onto it all, and it can get overwhelming. Just bring along a bag to throw all your puppy stuff in so it’s a little easier and you’re 100% prepared.
7. Poop bags! Always bring poop bags to pick up after your puppy. They make awesome scented poop bags so we can pick it up and if we’re not near a trash can, then we can hold it for a bit. You could also bring along another bag to put the poop bag in. Anything like that!
8. Squeaky Toys. Sometimes getting their attention with their favorite squeaky toy helps with them looking at the camera!

Also keep in mind that during the winter- most bathrooms and trash cans are wrapped up/ locked up for the winter so you might not have access to throw away any puppy poop or anything else, so bringing along a trash bag or something to keep in your car until you get home might be helpful.

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Things To Keep In Mind

Puppies are a handful! So when bringing them along for your engagement session, there are a few things to keep in mind.

When you and your partner want some time alone and to get some photos of just you two, then I recommend:

• Bringing a friend or family member to help manage your puppy for a little while.
• Bring a long enough leash so you can tie them to a tree or a post nearby
• Or if your photographer has a duel harness strap to hold their cameras on (like I do!), then the puppies leash could be grasped in the second camera strap holder so they are at least being tied to something. I usually put them in my harness so I can get tons of photos of my couple and the puppy usually stays with me.

 

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A Few Tips and Tricks

A few tips and tricks when bringing your puppy to your engagement session:

• You should talk in high pitched voices to your puppy when trying to get their attention and look at the camera.
• There’s a ton of YouTube videos with noises to get your dog’s attention as well and IT WORKS!
• Consider going to your engagement session location during the week. Most likely, there will be less people, less puppies in the area, and overall less distractions.

 

 

 

 

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Location Info

Please keep in mind the various locations that allow pets within the parks. If you’re wanting your engagement session (or wedding) in Washington, usually the state parks require your dogs to be on a leash, or no dogs at all. Mt. Rainier National Park does not allow pets at all. I recommend checking with your photographer, usually the know where pets can go or not, and you can also check the Park’s website to see if dogs are allowed or not.

Here are some examples of that information:

• Rattlesnake Lake, North Bend, WA. 
  • Search for ‘Dog’ and it comes right up that dogs are indeed allowed at the park and on the trail.
• Gold Creek Pond, Snoqualmie Pass, WA
  • Again, dogs are allowed, but they must be kept on a leash.
• Etc.

So just be aware of where dogs can go or not. Sometimes park rangers are checking out the area and see what you have your puppy with you- it would be a shame to get kicked out.

 

 

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And that’s it! Hopefully this guide was helpful with planning out your engagement session with your puppy! Be sure to let your photographer know you’re bringing your pets so they are prepared and can help as much as possible. Sometimes it can be stressful, so having a plan and prepared for your session really really helps.

Thanks for check out my guide and if you have any questions, feel free to comment below or reach out! Thanks, friends!

Cheers!

Check out some Seattle Engagement Session Locations with info if you can bring your dogs or not here.