How to Savor Memories With Your Dog

Memories With Your Dog  by Frankie Wallace  |Published 5-16-2022

If you’re a dog owner, chances are you consider your four-legged friend a part of the family – and a cute one, at that. We’re definitely not judging if your entire camera roll is made up of funny or adorable poses or situations your pup has gotten into.

Unfortunately, those wonderful photos often get stuck or buried on your phone, and it’s easy to forget about them unless you’re constantly scrolling through your reel.

So, what can you do to truly savor the best moments and memories with your dog? How can you go beyond basic photos and bring them to life?

Making Memories With Your Dog

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Savoring Memories With Your Dog

Let’s cover a few tips and tricks you can use to do more than just point-and-shoot with your phone camera when it comes to capturing the best moments with your pet.

Include Them in Your Creative Process

You can be so much more than an iPhone photographer, and bringing your dog along for the journey will benefit you both.

Allowing yourself to be creative and find various outlets can improve your mental health and is a wonderful form of self-care. Elizabeth Gilbert said, “If I’m not busy creating something, I’m busy destroying something.”

By getting into photography, you can take high-quality pictures of your dog, and travel to different settings with them to capture unique circumstances. Not only will it help to reduce your stress levels, improve your mood, and give you more energy, but your furry friend will adore spending more time with you.

If you decide to take up outdoor photography, you’ll give your dog the added benefit of more exercise, and you’ll reap the mental and physical rewards of spending more time outside, too.

You don’t have to become a “professional” photographer or even take it up as a hobby to include your dog in your creative endeavors. Maybe you’re more of a painter or sketch artist.

Your dog might not sit still for you to paint a portrait for an hour, but you can have some fun together letting them create their own “pawprint painting.” It’ll be a completely unique piece of art that will always remind you of your experience together whenever you look at it.

Turn Your Dog Into a Mutt Model

While candid shots of your dog in action can be funny and memorable, there’s nothing better than a perfectly-posed pet portrait hanging on the wall of your living room or entryway. It will serve as a great conversation piece, and you can change the portrait every year, or even every season!

Of course, getting your pooch to cooperate can sometimes seem easier said than done. Thankfully, there are a few things you can do to secure your perfect portraits and make posing easier, including:

  • Treats (as rewards and attention-grabbers)
  • Squeaky toys
  • Their favorite toys
  • A comfortable setting

With a bit of extra training, you can turn your dog into a “pro” poser in no time. Start with a simple “sit” command, and train them to watch you on command, as well. They’ll be able to stay focused on you behind the camera until you release them from that command.

That gives you the opportunity to take their portrait almost anywhere, no matter how many distractions surround you.

Not only does teaching your dog how to pose give you the opportunity to create really great Christmas cards each year, but you can travel the world with your four-legged friend and get them to pose in front of famous sites and tourist destinations.

You never know – with a bit of skill and the right hashtags, your pup could become an Instagram sensation.

Get Creative With Gifts

One of the best ways to savor photographic memories with your dog is to bring those pictures to life. Whether you pull them directly from your phone’s camera reel or take photos for a specific purpose, consider what you can do with them beyond sharing on social media or printing them for your personal photo album.

It’s easier than ever nowadays to have photos printed onto tangible items. If your dog is more like a fur baby in your family, you might want to consider getting their pictures printed onto gifts you can give other family members and friends, including things like:

  • Blankets
  • Keychains
  • Mugs
  • T-shirts

You can even get things printed for your own everyday use. How great would it be to have a calendar hanging on your office wall that features a different picture of your dog each month?

The idea is to bring the memories you’ve made with your dog into your everyday life. Getting a little creative with the pictures you’ve taken makes that much easier.

Last Words About Memories With Your Dog

No matter how you choose to bring the memories with your dog to life, don’t be afraid to get creative. There’s no right or wrong way to savor every memory, as long as you don’t let those photos stay “trapped” in your phone forever.

Pin for Future Reference

A woman is taking a selfie with her puppy

Author Bio

Frankie Wallace is a frequent contributor to Small Dog Place.  She is a freelance writer from Boise, ID. If her spirit animal could be anything, it would be a beagle--inquisitive, and always searching for food.

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About Janice (author and voice behind this site)

Having lived with dogs and cats most of her life, Janice served as a veterinary technician for ten years in Maryland and twelve years as a Shih Tzu dog breeder in Ohio.

Her education includes undergraduate degrees in Psychology with a minor in biology, Early Childhood Education, and Nursing, and a master's in Mental Health Counseling.

She is a lifelong learner, a dog lover, and passionate about the welfare of animals. Her favorite breed for over 50 years has been the Shih Tzu, but she has also lived with Poodles, Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers, Beagles, English Bulldogs, Carin Terriers, and a Cocker Spaniel.

When not writing, reading, and researching dog-related topics, she likes to spend time with her eight Shih Tzu dogs, husband, and family, as well as knitting and crocheting. She is also the voice behind Miracle Shih Tzu and Smart-Knit-Crocheting

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