I’m a dog photographer, so I’m fascinated by dog behaviour and for my work, need to understand dogs and their body language to help me so I can create stunning portraits for them for their owners. I’ve picked up a trick or two of how dog walkers manage to make photographs of a lot of dogs in a ‘sit’ or a ‘down’, but it’s ever since the addition of my own little puppy Max that I’m finding it invaluable to learn from dog trainers on how my doggy and I can understand each other & have an incredible human-doggo bond.

I joined Kim’s K9s on an adventure pack walk and asked her about dog training. How it is that she and other dog walkers can walk so many dogs at the same time in a calm manner. (Kim’s K9s Instagram; Kim’s K9s Accessories for collars and leads; Facebook)

The first thing I notice, is the patience. If you ever thought dog photographers have patience…. you should see the dog walkers I walked with. Cassie previously, and now Kim.

Picture this: you’re a dog walker, you’ve picked up your pack for the day, all the dogs are in the back of the van and you’ve stopped at your destination. You park, hop out of the van, fling open the door and happy dogs come streaming out. WRONG!

The dogs are not jumping out of their skin to get out of the van because they’re feeding off her energy. Her utter zen and calm.

She’s out of the van and opens the back a little, ONE of the doggies come out. The doggy sits down in front of her, she puts him on a lead, turns around to get the next one. The first doggy is excited so gets up, Kim stops what she’s doing, turns around, tells him to sit, he sits, and she gets the 2nd dog out of the van. With the utmost care and patience of a saint, she gets the dogs to be calm, sit, stay, eventually all out of the van and on their walk.

I think this sets the whole tone for their walk. She‘s not their boss, but they listen because they’ve done so much training with her. It’s a bond that’s been worked on little bit by little bit. There is a lot of patience, repetition and training that goes into pack walking.

“Socialisation doesn’t mean saying hi to every dog and person you see.”
— Kim's K9s

Here is some of the questions from my conversation with Kim:

  • How Kim got into dog walking

  • How Kims K9 accessories started

  • What is the best trick/ skill you can teach your dog

  • How do you get your dog to calm down

  • What is something you see people do wrong with their dogs

  • When to use a long line on a dog

  • Different dog trainers

  • Favourite places to walk your dog {1.River head Forest (be prepared, there is no toilet), 2. Muriwai Beach}

I didn’t know that there were different training methods ie force free trainers who only use positive and rewards good work VS balanced trainers (which is what Kim & Cassie from a previous blog/ IGTV is) who use positive and corrections. I have noticed a big difference in my own doggy when I started using uh-huh (as a ‘no’) and then showed him the right thing to do.

The dogs in Kim and Katriya’s pack are from the city and parts of West Auckland. If you like her style and think your dog will love to join them on adventures, Kim’s K9s service Point Chev, Ponsonby, Grey Lynn, Herne Bay, West Auckland, Swanson, Henderson and Ranui.

A few of my favourite photographs from the day

Kim recommends following Laura’s Dogs By Design for dog training tips.
Dogs by Design Instagram; Dogs by Design Facebook

If you’d love your own dog photographed and your special and unique bond documented, have a look at the kind of work I can create for you, or what a Yellow Lab photoshoot is like. Get in my messages ( salome@yellowlab.co.nz ) and let’s start talking about your and your dog’s photoshoot.

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