this is James …

James is from Toronto, but — like some of my Toronto clients — his owner decided to bring him to scruffy dog territory for his Starter session after seeing some of the great locations we have at our disposal here …

and if you hadn’t guessed, James is a rhodesian ridgeback …

…who sniffs a lot.

and he gots some big feet.

James enjoyed the woods, and then a romp on the beach …

i receive a lot of inquiries about leashes … concerned owners who — after viewing so many images of the wild and free dogs on the scruffy dog blog and throughout the portfolio — worry that their dogs would never be suited for an SDP shoot because they cannot be trusted off-leash.  needless to say — like so many other aspects of shooting dogs — i’ve got that covered.

as you see, James is sporting one of several long-lines that I use for dogs who might have a habit of following their noses and drives instead of the treats i’m offering up … although you’d be surprised at just how many SDP clients turn on their best behavior in regards to recalls when they discover the treats i’ve brought!  these lines and their clips have a holding strength well beyond a mastiff at full throttle … not that anyone is capable of stopping one of those anyway.  so all is safe.  i also take some time at the beginning of our shoot to educate the owners on how best to work with the long-line, since there is a method.  years of utilizing these lines in dog training has taught me a few tricks, and you have to know what you’re doing with these lines to avoid injury or rope-burned hands.  with proper instruction,  you’d be surprised at how many SDP clients have decided to incorporate long-lines into their regular walking routines and training.

the benefit of these lines vs. standard leashes is obviously the freedom and safety they provide.  but also, traditional “long-lines” are generally just longer webbed leashes which take much more work to clone out in post production later (even in photos like the one above, the line can be removed) … not to mention that traditional long-lines are heavy, which causes undue tension on the collar, not only making the dog uncomfortable during the shoot, but — no matter how much post work you do — you can’t fix a collar that is skewed from the burden of a needlessly hefty line.

you don’t get that with the scruffy dog lines … here the line has been removed …

and as you can see, the line affords even this big boy plenty of running space …

thanks for a pleasant shoot, James.  i think you’ll be pleased with your gallery, Justyna.  looking forward to seeing you again at your studio consult. and Merrick thanks you again for the balls!  he’s still enjoying them and hasn’t destroyed their squeakers.