Adorable Images Of A Golden Retriever's Adventures

German photographer Gabriele Stickler has only been taking photos for a year, but she's cracked the art of pet photography and captured some really sweet images of her pet golden retriever, Mali, on adventures with his favourite toy, Teddy. 

"Teddy has always been Mali's favourite toy", explains Gabriele. "He gladly carried it when we went out into the forest and when I discovered photography, it made sense to integrate him into the adventures."

"Mali is a very relaxed dog, but on the other hand he can be quite mischievous!", says Gabriele. "He's well behaved and listens." 

Ideas for these charming images come spontaneously to Gabriele. "I keep a notebook by the side of my bed so if I think of anything during the night, I won't forget it in the morning", she adds. 

Gabriele shoots with a Sony a58. "Until a few weeks ago I was using an 8 year old Sony a350. But I recently upgraded to the a58. I love the Sony 50mm f/2.8 macro lens and the 35mm f/1.8 lens."

Mali is set to become the star of his very own calendar in the future. "It's difficult to choose one image as my favourite", says Gabriele. "All the images have by beloved pet in them and they remind me of beautiful and funny moments."

Gabriele's 3 top tips for dog portraiture: 

• Be calm, relaxed and affectionate towards the animal. Don't get impatient when things don't work out. Before you start photographing it might help to take the dog on a long walk so they're happy and peaceful. 
• Reward the dog lots with treats.
• Don't force the dog to do anything.

More of Gabriele's work can be found on her Facebook page and website. Images used with permission.