39 Christmas Pics That Were Supposed To Be Nice Until The Dog Showed Up

Christmas is a magical time that’s meant to be spent with your family, eating lots of food, and taking fun photos. No matter who we are, a small part of us still yearns for that ‘perfect’ holiday photo with our loved ones and our pets. However, far from every pet is well-behaved for long. And some dogs seem like they’re on a mission to mess up their parents’ portraits and create photo fails in any and every way they can.

Bored Panda has sniffed out the best Xmas photos ‘ruined’ (some would say ‘enhanced’) by pooches on the internet, so get your Scooby Snacks ready and start scrolling! Remember to give your fave dogs a boop on their noses and an upvote under the photo. Do you have any stories or photos of your pets messing about during the holidays? Share them in the comment section.

Some photography basics never change, no matter your subject. In this case, if you’re going for the ‘perfect’ holiday pic, you want to play around with the lighting to see what looks best. As a rule of thumb, natural light tends to look better. What’s more, you can hardly expect to take the best possible shot on your first try. So don’t be scared to re-do your snaps if your dog decides to paw you in the face or flash a silly face. But that’s not all.

Toronto-based pet photographer Karen Weiler, the creator of Posh Pets Photography, told Bored Panda all about taking photos with dogs. She explained that if you want your dog to focus on the camera, you can hold treats or toys over the lens, say their favorite words (for example, "walkies"), or make sounds to grab their attention. "As a professional dog photographer, my secret weapon is that I can make the highest pitched sounds you can imagine—sounds that always elicit laughter from the humans and the crowd-pleasing favourite, the head-tilt, from the dog." Read on for our full interview with Weiler about rewarding your dog for being well-mannered during photo shoots and what to avoid doing so you don't scare your pup.