Let's face it, who doesn't love looking at cute photos of happy dogs?
Teaching your dog to happily respond to a "Say Cheese!" cue is lots of fun and should also result in some lovely photos of your best friend!
Jambo loves to have his photo taken!
Some pets are more than happy to have their photo taken, but others are often more reluctant. They might turn their head away looking in the opposite direction, turn their whole body away so that they are facing away from the camera, or they might even walk away. Some may begin to scratch, lick their lips, quickly flick out their tongue, begin to sniff the floor, or even open their mouth in a big yawn - No, this isn't usually a sign of tiredness or boredom. The dog may be tired, but it is more likely that the subject of the impending photo session is exhibiting signs of feeling uncomfortable. Yawning and all the other aforementioned behaviors, such as suddenly sniffing the floor, tongue flicking, or looking away, are some of the many body language signals that dogs use to communicate they are feeling anxious about something. If you would like to learn more telltale signs that a dog may be experiencing fear, anxiety, or stress, please read this DogNostics blog post, Stress-Busting Tips for Humans and Pets!
An easy solution to the above is no more photos, but as most of us want at least some photos of our much-loved pets, let's learn how to make photo-time fun for your dog, and for you, by changing their negative emotional response to the sight of your camera into a happy one.
"Say Cheese!" - The Goal Behavior?
A dog that happily looks towards the camera!
- Condition a positive emotional response to the sight of the camera.
- The behavior of looking toward the camera is placed under stimulus control of a verbal cue.
- A relaxed dog and fabulous photos!
Condition a Happy Response!
Start in the quietest location possible.
To set your dog up for success, as with any training, please begin teaching this fun trick in a non-distracting environment.
1. Condition a positive emotional response to the sight of the camera.
Pair the sight of the camera with tasty treats. This is not contingent on any behavior – Your dog can sit, stand, or lie down.
Please note that the treats should be something your dog absolutely loves. How about some tiny pieces of cheese?
- The camera appears = Feed a treat. If you are near your dog, you can feed the treat from your hand. However, if you are at a distance from your dog, you can toss the treat toward them or roll it to them along the floor!
- The camera disappears, e.g., behind your back = No treat.
- The camera reappears = Feed a treat.
- Rinse and Repeat - facing different directions and in different locations. For the best response, repeat this step x 10 delicious treats, at least three times a day, for three days!
Make sure to begin at a sufficient distance from your dog so that they can see the camera when it appears but are not worried by its appearance. The distance from your dog can be gradually decreased at an appropriate rate. If you see any signs of fear, anxiety, or stress, please move further away. Remember, the goal is a happy response! Your dog should be displaying positive body language signals. They should have a relaxed body posture; their mouth might be open, perhaps with a lolling tongue, or softly closed; their ears will be relaxed, in a natural position; their tail may be still or happily wagging; their eyes are a normal shape or slightly 'squinty', almond-shaped...
To learn more about dog body language signals, please read A Kids' Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog! It's a 'must-read' for anyone with children, but highly recommended for all adults too!
2. Condition a positive emotional response to the sound of the camera.
Pair the sound the camera makes, when a photo is taken, with tasty treats. 
Please note that this is not contingent on any behavior - Your dog can be sitting, standing, lying down...
- Take a photo without pointing the camera at your dog and then feed a treat.
- Rinse and Repeat - facing different directions and in different locations. For the best response, repeat this step x 10 delicious treats, at least three times a day, for three days!
As previously, please work at a sufficient distance from your dog - one at which they are clearly happy to hear the sound of the shutter and receive their delicious treat.
Once your dog shows happy body language signals at the sight and sound of the camera, you can begin the training steps for "Say Cheese”!
* * *
Let's Teach "Say Cheese!"
The following training plan is a 'recipe' for success. However, please note that all dogs are individuals and you may need to adapt the recipe to suit your canine friend.
Please use the Train-Test-Train method and only progress to the subsequent training step when your dog happily scores 5/5 correct responses at the current step. If your dog scores less than 3 out of 5 correct responses, please make the exercise easier. You can do this by going back to the previous step.
STEP 1 - Capture it!
- Hold the camera in your hand near your body or behind your back.
- Extend your arm out to clearly present the camera, capturing your dog’s attention.
- As your dog looks toward the camera, say a clear “yes” and feed a tasty treat.
- Repeat x 5.
STEP 2 - Present the camera as if about to take a photo
- Hold the camera in your hand near your body or behind your back.
- Present the camera in front of you, as if taking a photo.
- As your dog looks toward the camera, say a clear “yes” and feed a tasty treat.
- Repeat x 5.
Not only are you teaching your dog to look toward the camera, you are also continuing to condition a positive emotional response to the sight of the camera!
STEP 3 - Present the camera and quickly take a photo
- Hold the camera in your hand near your body or behind your back.
- Present the camera in front of you.
- As your dog looks toward the camera, quickly take a photo, and then say a clear “yes” and feed a tasty treat.
- Repeat x 5.
Not only are you now quickly taking a photograph of your dog, you are also continuing to condition a positive emotional response to the sight and the sound of the camera!
STEP 4 - Generalize the behavior
Teach your dog to look at the camera wherever it is placed!
- Hold the camera in your hand near your body or behind your back.
- Place the camera on the floor.
- As your dog looks toward the camera, say a clear “yes” and feed a tasty treat.
- Repeat x 5.
- You can leave the camera in place on the floor or, if your dog needs a little extra help, pick it up between each repetition.
Repeat the above training step placing the camera on different objects, e.g., a chair, a table, or a tripod, etc.
STEP 5 - Increase the duration while holding the camera
As it can sometimes take a few seconds to capture the perfect shot, you also need to systematically increase the duration of looking at the camera.
- Present the camera in front of you.
- As your dog looks toward the camera, quickly take a photo, and then say a clear “yes” and feed a tasty treat.
- Repeat x 5, increasing the duration by 1 second with each repetition.
STEP 6 - Increase the duration with the camera placed on the floor
Repeat the above training step to increase duration of looking at the camera.
- Place the camera on the floor.
- As your dog looks toward the camera, say a clear “yes” and feed a tasty treat.
- Repeat x 5, increasing the duration by 1 second with each repetition.
- You can leave the camera in place on the floor or, if your dog needs a little extra help, pick it up between each repetition.
Repeat the above training step placing the camera on different objects, e.g., a chair, a table, or a tripod, etc.
STEP 7 - Introduce a verbal cue
You should now have a fluent response. Your dog is happily and reliably looking toward the camera. At this stage in the training, you can introduce your verbal cue.
Not quite there? Please reduce the criteria - Make the game easier by repeating the above training steps. Go back to the previous training step or even begin again from the first step!
Ready to continue? Let’s use the New-Cue, Old-Cue Protocol to name this behavior!
- Give the verbal cue, e.g., "Say Cheese!”, or your chosen word/s.
- Present the camera in front of you.
- As your dog looks toward the camera, quickly take a photo, and then say a clear “yes” and feed a tasty treat.
- Repeat x 5
STEP 8 - Proof the skill
- Vary where you stand while taking the photograph.
- Vary how you stand while taking the photograph.
- Place the camera on different objects. You can use the camera’s timer.
- Place the camera at increasing distances.
- Practice in different locations – Always begin with the least distracting location and gradually build up to more distracting ones.
- Have someone else take a photo of you and your pet!
Enjoy wonderful photos of your happy dog!
Want to learn how to teach your dog more fun 'tricks' and lovely manners skills? Reach out to your local DogSmith!
Want to increase your training skills and knowledge? DogNostics Education has some unbeatable resources! From the esteemed Pet Dog Solutions programs (learn everything from how to introduce a new dog into your home, to essential manners skills, to how to address common problem behaviors), to 'must-have' e-books for you and your canine family. We highly recommend Pet Dog Solutions - The Key Training Concepts, which explains the top five essential pieces of knowledge (including the Train-Test-Train Method) and the top five skills that you will need to successfully train your dog "Say Cheese!" or any other skill!
DogNostics also has lots of fabulous educational resources, certificate programs, class curriculums, instructor tool-kits, and much more, for pet professionals! The "Say Cheese" training steps shared with you above are from The DogNostics Dog Trainer Certificate Program - one of the most engaging and comprehensive learning experiences available anywhere for those aspiring to be professional dog trainers! Whether you dream of launching your own dog training business; are eager to continue to build on your current career as a dog training professional; want to expand your service offerings as a pet industry professional; or would simply like to take your understanding of how dogs think and learn to the next level, the DogNostics Dog Trainer Certificate Program stands out from other programs, offering both unbeatable content and value!