but this entry is for Oscar … how fashionable is this dude?

always cooling at least one engine …

we had fun in the forest and down by the river …

although i’m not sure Oscar — like  his short-legged brothers — was too fond of water …

“Dad, you gettin’ me outta here or what?”

“really?”

“fine, i’ll find my own way out.”

but where these guys had the most fun was when we hit the badlands …

lots of exploring …

… some posing …

lots of ear-flappin’ fun …

although consistently being at the back of the pack, the dust got to Rollo a bit.  “bless you!”

it wasn’t easy shooting these three, going off in all different directions, but i loved working with them …

as i mentioned in Oscar’s blog entry, if the terrain and backdrop looks familiar to some of you loyal blog followers, yes, these are the same locations where i shot the last two red, mini-dachshund clients last summer belonging to fabulous photographers Dave and Charlotte.  Meaghan and Ben loved that shoot so much and Fritz and Greta’s images, that they were determined to utilize the same locations.

so many dachshunds!  but there’s no mistaking Rollo and his distinct ear-stylin’ …

hope you’ve all enjoyed Wiener Week here at scruffy dog photography. if you’ve got a doxy to share, we’d love to see him/her!  share your doxy’s photo this week on the scruffy dog facebook page!  we’d love to see him/her!

have a great hump day, everyone.

and just how C-U-T-E is this little man?!  with his twisty little doxy feet …

and his big flopsy ears …

and his undeniable love and trust for dad.

this little piebald boy was such an awesome model …

… not to mention a four-legged superhero without a cape … did you know Charlie could fly?

and when he’s not flying, Charlie can be a real pain in his brother’s neck … literally.

like any fine, upstanding 6-month-old pup, this boy’s got things to see and places to explore …

… and always looking to raise a little mischief …

so that’s little boy Charlie …

stay tuned soon for Rollo’s blog entry!

so, without further doo-doo, welcome to Wiener Week!

that’s Oscar with the big goofy smile and the gorgeous eye-liner.

and if the terrain and backdrop is looking vaguely familiar, yes, these are the same locations where i shot the last two red, mini-dachshund clients last summer belonging to fabulous photographers Dave and Charlotte.  Meaghan and Ben loved that shoot so much and Fritz and Greta’s images, that they were determined to utilize the same locations.

so, into the river we went …

from my experience, wiener dogs don’t care much for water … and at first Oscar was looking for a way out …

but it didn’t take long before Oscar was enjoying himself …

soon, though, it was time for Oscar to come out and let his brothers have a turn … you’ll have to stay tuned for those tomorrow.

what a poser Oscar is …almost always up-front and centre …

in fact, encouraging Oscar to move away from the cameras took a few tricks … like sticks …

and strategically thrown Cuz balls …

other times, Oscar just wanted to play with me.

stay tuned for Oscar’s baby brother, Charlie, tomorrow!

have a great Monday, everyone!

we started indoors, and Oscar was just fine with that, especially since i brought the good treats.

i just had to keep the treats coming!

and Rollo was a pretty easy mark with the treats as well.

and i couldn’t resist the two resident cats either — Tallon and Puddles …

of course, a dachshund photoshoot wouldn’t be complete without some flipper … er … foot shots …

Oscar’s obsession is balls.

much like my Merrick, i’m betting that unless there’s food in his mouth, there’s likely to be found a ball …

of course, it’s all fun and games until the ball rolls under the sofa.

even while gearing up for the great outdoors, Oscar’s gotta have the ball in his mouth.

then, all geared and ready to go …

… we headed to the snowy outdoors!

oh, and did i mention that Oscar loves balls?

and Rollo’s got some awesome running style … or should i say “flying style”?

i had a blast with these little guys out on the trail.  of course, being little hunters and with so many coyote sightings in the area, we had them on long-lines for the shoot.  and the lines i provide for shoots never hinder the fun to be had!

of course, i’m not sure how far these two would have gotten even without the long-lines.  after a fresh fall of snow, it was pretty deep out there for the wieners.

thanks, Rollo and Oscar, and thanks Meaghan and Ben, for a fun afternoon.  i’m looking forward to our summer session … as i’m sure the boys are.

this is Oscar …

… and he loves, i mean L-O-V-E-S his ball.

and then there’s Rollo … such a charmer …

you’ll be seeing more of our fun shoot in snow, but i thought i’d share a couple of the highlights as part of this sneak …

and you’ll be seeing more of these little monkeys in the summer as they are one of our Winter/Summer clients.  i’m sure Rollo will be much happier with the conditions for our summer shoot …

so, stay tuned for more of these little guys!

this is Karmen … and she hates the camera.

in fact, she’s so shy and hated the camera so much that she never left her mom’s ankles …

ever!  so you’re probably wondering how i got shots like this one?

with each super-sensitive or shy dog, i have to approach them as individuals … reading their body language, feeling their energy, gauging how far i can go with them … just far enough to build their confidence, but not too far to push them past that point of tolerance and they become shut-off to the experience of the shoot.  often i’m having to come up with new game plans with each dog, depending on their levels of shyness, exuberance or energy.   And in Karmen’s case, clinging to mom Donna’s ankles and vigilant in her determination to keep her mom between herself and the camera, i had to be extra creative.

i almost wish i’d had a second shooter so they could have captured the crazy lengths to which i had to resort to even get Karmen in frame … but basically, these shots were taken with me crouched behind Karmen’s mom Donna, snugged up against her legs, and balancing the camera between her ankles as i instructed her to gradually bring her feet apart.

yes, Donna’s boots are just on either side of most of these frames.

and trust me, initially i tried the telephoto to give Karmen the distance i figured she’d need, but this little girl was mighty skilled at keeping mom between her and the lens no matter how far away it was.

gradually, Karmen warmed up to the idea, but not by much.  i still had to spend most of the shoot either at a great distance, or snugged up to Donna.

again, shot between Donna’s ankles …

thanks, Donna, for trusting me with your girl’s photoshoot.  and thank you, Karmen, for the fantastic challenge.  i love dogs who force me to think outside the box and remind me that i’m doing exactly what i should be doing.  i hope this is a fabulous and magical holiday season for you all.

these two little dollfaces — Fritz above and sweet little Greta here on the bridge — belong to fabulously talented photographer couple Dave and Charlotte, human-photographers extraordinaire.  if you’re not already familiar with their breath-taking work you definitely need to check them out.  and after that, visit Charlotte’s Rainbow Eleven site to see her baby and newborn photography … although you’ll want to be sure the batteries in your cute-meter are fully charged before venturing on over there.

you’ll be seeing much more of these little wieners very soon, as i scramble to catch up with the crazy July we’ve had here at scruffy dog, so stay tuned!