It always takes time to decide on what to paint and what you want to include in the painting. If you are going to do a painting of your own dog, spend a great deal of time looking through all the photos you have. I would always look for one that is sharp and shows a pose that is typical of your pet. Try to find one with a good expression.

Using a scrap piece of paper draw the dog and think of a background that you can use. If you are combining several dogs, work out their position in the painting taking care to get the proportions correct.