Christmas Dog Pictures

Christmas dog pictures can fill your heart with holiday spirit. If you're like many dog lovers, you probably have collected a few holiday photos of your own furry friends. Snapshots taken under the Christmas tree or gathering Fido and the entire family in front of the fireplace are always favorites. These pictures wind up in family albums and greeting cards, inspiring fond memories whenever you happen across them. Looking at Christmas dog pictures often warms your heart as well.

What makes a better Christmas card than a family photo complete with everyone's beloved pooch? Gather everyone around the most festive part of your house, whether that's a decorated mantel or your Christmas tree. Make sure you have someone behind the camera with a good holiday squeaky toy to get your dog's best attention for a perfect shot.

Everyone loves an ugly Christmas sweater party, so why not have one with your dog? A staged photo of you and your dog, both sporting your "finest" holiday sweaters can make for an adorable, and funny, photo that's sure to go viral among your friends and family on Facebook and Instagram.

Dressing your dog up in a Christmas costume can be extremely cute, and more so if you have additional dogs to join in the fun. Make sure if you dress your dog up in a Christmas costume that he or she is comfortable in it and can tolerate sitting and staying while you take the shot. Posing the dog or dogs in front of a Christmas scene like your tree with gifts helps to complete the scene.

For a different kind of photo, try creating a serene vision of your dog napping by the Christmas tree and the fire. This makes a beautiful shot for a Christmas card or framed photo. You just need to be patient and place a nice comfy bed by the tree and wait for your dog to fall into a deep snooze before aiming your camera.

Another option for a personalized Christmas card is creating a scene with just your dog and Santa to create an adorable holiday photo. Of course, this requires someone to dress up as Santa and look the part!

Or if you prefer a different "traditional" Christmas photo with Santa, have your dog sit on Santa's Lap just as your children would. This works great if you have a really good Santa. If you can't find a Santa, some pet supply stores and shelters hold "photos with Santa" for pets during the holiday season. This Boston Terrier is letting Santa know about all the toys on his Christmas list.

For a holiday portrait of your dog, find him a fun Christmas-themed dog collar. This Labrador Retriever looks like a happy boy sporting his Christmas bowtie collar. Check out your local pet supply store or online stores to see what sort of fun Christmas collars you can find for your photo.

If you're the type of dog owner who makes sure the dogs have their own Christmas stockings, this can be a very cute photo subject. You can place the stockings on a piece of furniture and pose the dogs, or have them hanging in the house on the wall or on the mantel. Just have your dogs sit and stay next to them and take your picture!

Another lovely portrait can be your dog wearing a Christmas dress. This Dachshund looks picture perfect in her holiday outfit next to a small Christmas tree. Like other costume shots, make sure you find a piece of dog clothing your dog is comfortable in and set up the scene with a tree, some wrapped presents or other holiday decor.

If you have dogs and cats who get along and are comfortable posing together, you can make a very cute holiday picture. Add in some Christmas wear such as antlers and Santa caps for the festive holiday touch. Pictures like these are sure to be a hit on your social media feeds.

Another sweet holiday scene can be created using some Christmas ornaments on the ground around your dog. This works particularly well with a light-colored dog as the colorful ornaments really pop with color in the photo. Just make sure you're super vigilant about your puppy not chewing on the ornaments during your photo shoot!

Sometimes all you need is a simple decoration to make a lovely Christmas portrait. This Sheltie mix really shines in this portrait with only a little Christmas present bow on his head. If you frame the shot correctly with good lighting, the color of the ribbon will really make your dog's features stand out.

Pair a darker-colored dog with some bright pops of color from a Christmas Santa hat and scarf. You can make a simple background using some streamed Christmas lights and even use some Photoshop effects to fade the background out to make the subject really stand out.

Immortalize Christmas with your dog and your camera. As long as your dog is comfortable in Christmas clothing and has a good sit or down stay, you can recreate any of these fun images or be imaginative and make some new ones up to enjoy the holidays!