getting them to smile

[Kathryn]

Okay, cairn folks...please share your tricks for getting your cairns to slow down, look up at you, and smile for the camera.

And no, treats do NOT work and drive them into a frenzy, trying to get it before each other. They definitely do not stayed focused.

Otherwise I promise very blurry, very dull cairn holiday cards...

[hheldorfer]

I worked with Buffy and Ziggy over the weekend, using treats to train them to jump up on a chair together and stay. DH assisted in the photography by holding the treats while I snapped some pics. It wasn't easy but I finally got the two wiggle-worms to sit still for a second. Good luck!

[Zekey's Mom]

I use noise to get their attention. If they're just sitting there and the light is nice, I'll take a candy wrapper (from a piece of hard candy) and crinkle it to make them look over. Or make a noise with my mouth, like a sharp intake of breath. Only works for 1 or 2 pics and then they go back to ignoring me.

That said, wait until you get my Christmas card photos -- nobody's looking at the camera!

[JCDickens]

I've tried everything. In addition to treats, noise, and other forms of bribery enticement, I've resorted to begging, pleading, and chasing. Oh, well, at least he's finally getting some exercise.

[bradl]

Taxidermy.

[TazTalk]

Photoshop

[MegsMom]

Duct tape? Cement shoes?

Edited November 27, 2012 by MegsMom

[Dempsy's Mom]

Demps stays in place but refuses to look happy - refuses to look at the camera. I get my best shots when he is doing what he loves ..... Gator rides or anything outside that involves movement. I am going to have to get one of those action cameras. The only thing that gets Demps to look alive in an indoor pic is a noise that is new to his sweet little ears. Good luck Kathryn.

Love you guys suggestions.

Edited November 27, 2012 by Dempsy's Mom

[tlwtheq]

Well, you can sorta see everyone's face in ours. My husband's one of those guys who can

produce a shrill, high whistle through his teeth. That gets everyone's attention, for a microsecond...

[kjwarnold]

Treats usually work pretty well for us and since they are pretty good with Sit, Stay, etc. we do okay. And saying, "Where's the fish?" usually gets their attention, too. I'm guessing that won't work for you though...

[Ivy & Lucy's Mom]

I love Brad's suggestion... Seriously though, I had a trainer teach me to make Ivy focus and look at my eyes. When I told her OK, she could look away and then she gets a treat. Eventually (it didn't take very long) that we eliminated the treat. It still works. I use this technique when I need her to focus on me instead of the UPS man, etccc....... well, the UPS man is probably a bad choice. She still wants to eat him instead of getting the treat but it does work for taking pictures or when she is not paying attention to me. Good luck in your endeavor for that perfect picture. My daughter bought a Christmas dog dress for Ivy. We will try to take a picture of her and post it..

[beccadiane374]

Tanner is very food motivated, so treats work well for us. But in puppy training, one of the commands we were taught was "look." That all aside, I'm just lucky to be able to sometimes catch a smile...no promises for this year, though!

[sanford]

Okay, cairn folks...please share your tricks for getting your cairns to slow down, look up at you, and smile for the camera.

Nothing works. My trick is to go online and find a nice photo of a cairn that is the same color as yours and copy it.

Who's gonna know?

[Kathryn]

I am not sure any of my pictures are going to be better after all this advice, but you have sure helped my mood! Thanks for all the chuckles...you are a group to be counted on!

[Rawrkats]

peanut butter on a finger and a lot of patience to get the non-blurry shot of both of them looking at the same spot!

[Zekey's Mom]

to get the non-blurry shot

I discovered that my camera has a little "pets/kids" setting - I think it sets a high shutter speed, to minimize the blurry "action" shots that I was always getting.

[Idaho Cairns]

I know what has been helpful for me is to make the gesture and sound of taking a picture part of the ambient background of the surroundings. I keep the camera close to my chair so reaching for it does not attract the dogs' attention, I will turn it off and on regularly, even when not taking a picture just to get that part of the normal sounds in the house. These dogs pay attention to any noise that is unusual and the sound of digital camera being turned on will get their attention if it isn't a "usual" sound--like the sound of the fridge fan coming on at odd times. Some digital cameras allow you to mute the shudder sound, look in the menu of your camera to see if there is a way to turn this sound off, make raising and pointing the camera no more obvious to the dogs than using the mouse on your computer. The more you incorporate the act of picture taking into normal routine the more you will be able to "catch" those moments you are looking to preserve on an image.

As far as "posed" shots go--just look for opportunities when the dogs are together and take lots of shots--back in the days of film this could get expensive but with digital cameras a hundred shots is no more expensive than one.

Combine that with a free image manipulation program like Picasa, which has two different and somewhat extensive image adjustment features and you can get the shots you are looking for.

For instance you can take this already cropped down image:

And turn it into:

Edited November 28, 2012 by Idaho Cairns

[sanford]

Idaho - Your technique and description is ingenious, and your photo is a winner!

Apologies to Bradl, but I hereby nominate you as honorary king of the Cairn Talk Forum !

[Rawrkats]

I discovered that my camera has a little "pets/kids" setting - I think it sets a high shutter speed, to minimize the blurry "action" shots that I was always getting.

Even though I have a fancy DSLR sitting on my desk at this very moment, when it comes to taking pictures of the dog, I've always got iphone in hand. Haven't found a way to manipulate Aperture or Shutter speed yet, I just turn off flash and hope I catch a shot with enough light and no blur!

[Rawrkats]

I looked at this picture 5-6 times before I realized that was a frisbee and not a banana. I kept cracking up over his cross-eyed look and wondering why you threw a banana at him.

Time to get new lenses....

[Idaho Cairns]

Kat, that DSLR should have an "Auto" feature that will adjust for the lighting in the environment of the picture you want to take. After years of fiddling with my old 35mm cameras I figured out that the Auto was smarter than I was by a bunch so I rarely leave it and go to aperture or speed settings--I just don't like to play around enough to try make those adjustments and, frankly, the photo editing programs can generally cover some of the sins of the auto feature. I never saw that "banana" but then, I knew what Sammi was doing but I assure you, had it been a banana, she would have been pealing it and chomping down--she loves bananas a bunch--she's a regular fruit bat.

Sanford, so glad to see you back, I was afraid you were washed away with Sandy. Let's leave our Brad as the "King" cause he keeps this place on line and focused and that's a hard and very good thing to do so I'm for keeping him at the head of our small but delightful little kingdom--he must remain "titular" (I'm sure he will like that job description!). I do really recommend getting dogs used to a camera--dogs don't seem to like things pointed at them so the more you get them used to a camera the better and since most modern cameras have LED screens the "pointing" can be pretty innocuous most of the time.

[tlwtheq]

I do really recommend getting dogs used to a camera--dogs don't seem to like things pointed at them so the more you get them used to a camera the better and since most modern cameras have LED screens the "pointing" can be pretty innocuous most of the time.

This is a device I hadn't considered. I know you've mentioned it more than once... Interesting...

[Lynn in TN]

@ Brad I laughed so hard I almost peed on myself! hahaha

@ Idaho how many years does it take to get them use to the camera, or do I just have a little nymph that is unusually infatuated with the camera. I have taken numerous pictures of Kelly and I still get the same result her jumping up trying to get the camera from me. haha I can't even get one of her sleeping, any more. She did so well with it when she was a puppy, I truly have no idea what happened except my old camera tore up and I bought the new one, but I've almost had this camera a year and she still wants it, and when I tell her No she hangs her head and goes off to pout.

Kelly won't touch a banana, but let me get out an orange, grapefruit, or watermelon and her gentle scratch becomes impatient scratches, wanting them.

@ Sanford so glad to see you on here. We have missed you!

[Idaho Cairns]

Lynn, make that camera part of you--strap it around your neck and carry it a few days, handle it around the dog constantly--pointing and putting down, turn it on and off, let the sound of the focus become part of that ambient "noise" in your house and within a week little sharp eared Kelly will simply ignore the thing. I keep mine close at hand and will turn the thing on and off regularly while the dogs are sleeping nearby and where I used to get a full alert from them, I get small eyebrow and ear movement.

Very often I believe, we associate the camera with voice commands like "Be a pretty girl!" "Look at me!" etc., which naturally makes the dog expect something unusual and heaven forbid, if we combine those commands with treats to get their attention, of course they are going to go ditzoid when they see a camera. "Look Camera--THAT MEANS TREATS!"

Mine are so used to a camera by now that I have a bit of the opposite problem--getting their attention when I want it. Generally, if I need them to look while I am taking a picture I just call their names or make some small verbal noise that gets them looking.

Once Kelly starts ignoring you and the camera in your hand, the real fun can begin--catching her as she really is--naturally.