Pets are usually lousy models in that they will not hold a pose for long. You may need to hold their attention with treats or weird noises or have someone else involved holding your pet.

The better shots are at the pets eye-level getting the head and chest areas. The best location is outdoors in natural light early mornings or overcast days. Indoors use a flash and add light to your pet's face to better balance out the shadows.

If your pet's coat is dark it'll absorb light so you'll need extra front light to make the shot work best. Solid white or light colored pets get washed you with too much light so use less light or try shooting without a flash.