Picture this: You're sitting on the couch with your family, about to snap a group photo, when a slobbery tongue caresses your face. The camera flashes, but it's too late. Your dog is already off the couch and running around the room.
Once you've selected your space, both experts recommend incorporating an elevated surface like a chair, couch or footstool into the shot. "Your dog or cat is much more likely to hold position on an elevated surface," Millett explained. Millett says cats can be trained in the same way as dogs, but that dogs typically find it easier to hold the "down" position while cats find it easier to hold a "sit" position. When it comes to teaching the "stay" command, she suggests using an elevated surface. "'Don't move' is more difficult for your pets to conceptualize and understand than 'Don't get off this thing.
"Having those sorts of interesting sounds that the animal may not have heard before can work absolute wonders for capturing attention and getting some really cute head tilts and quizzical looks," she said. To draw your pet's gaze to your phone for the ideal selfie, you can try out a noise app, she added.