The Attempts

Attempt #1: The Nose Through the Board Trick I placed the candy heart board across two chairs and lured the dogs to poke their noses through a strategically cut hole. Result? Fail #1. The Havanese decided the treat wasn’t worth the effort. Clearly, my bribe game needed an upgrade.

Attempt #2: Perpendicular Setup We tried laying the board flat against the chair legs so that it was perpendicular to the ground. We tried luring them again. But Fail #2—the treat wasn’t working its magic, and some hearts were falling off. Yikes!

Attempt #3: Lighting and Treat Troubles Finally, I realized that juggling the camera, the board, and the treat while also managing the lighting was a recipe for disaster. The setup just wasn’t working. I needed a new plan.

Attempt #4: The Final Attempt After a break and a fresh order of candy hearts (and another round of finger burns), I glued down even more hearts and switched to natural light. With the camera on a tripod and the dogs prepped with the highest-value treats ever, I was finally ready. And... SUCCESS! The candy heart board, lighting, and eager dogs all came together for the perfect shot.