how dogs pose

How do I keep them in one place, are they really trained to do this and be as patient while being photographed?

Well.. not exactly! Lucky for me, there is "tricks" to this. Not all dogs can be off lead, maybe their recall isn't bulletproof, maybe they are nervous, or they may just be very busy being dogs, after all the world is always full of exciting smells and new things to explore.

Sometimes it's the location itself, for example on an urban photoshoot. Whatever the reason, photographing an on lead dog is something I do often and remove the lead in postprocessing later on.

It always helps if your dog knows sit and stay commands, but all those cute poses can be achieved without it too. I use plenty of tasty treats to motivate your dog and a squeaky toy can do wonders, often we even get the super cute head tilt!