On camera
How to film your dog opening the monthly box
Updated
A good dog unboxing video starts with window light, your phone at your dog's eye level, and the box already opened and loosely closed. Hand over one treat at a time instead of tipping out a pile, let your dog sniff first, and film in short takes you can trim later.
How do you set up the shot for an unboxing video?
Pick the spot before the dog is involved. A floor near a window gives you daylight without a lamp, and it keeps your own shadow off the box. Clear the area of shoes, toys and anything else that will pull your dog's nose in the wrong direction.
Put the phone low, at about the height of your dog's head. From above, you get the top of a dog and a lot of floor. At eye level, you get a face, a nose and a tail that has something to say. Prop the phone on a stack of books or a low stool so your hands stay free.
Leave the sound on. The tape, the rustle and the sniffing are half of what people enjoy about this kind of clip, so skip the music and add it later if you must.
How do you open the box so your dog can join in?
Do the dull part first, off camera. Cut the tape and lift the flaps. Then close the box loosely, so opening it on film takes one easy move and not a wrestling match with a strip of tape. Take any packing material away before your dog arrives. Keep it out of reach, and recycle it afterward.
Once you are rolling, let the dog come to the box. Do not push its nose toward it. If your dog circles twice and sits down, keep filming. That is part of the clip.
This page does not describe what is inside any month's box, and your caption does not need to either. The contents change by month, and the photos on our pages are examples. Opening it on camera is how you find out.
How do you keep the treats from vanishing in the first second?
Plan the pace. Dogs go from interested to finished fast when a pile appears. Offer one treat at a time, and ask for a sit before each one. It slows the whole scene into something you can watch, and it gives you a clean beat for every reaction.
Hold the treat in a flat palm or between two fingers, depending on how gentle your dog is. Keep the rest of the box closed between turns, and keep your own hand steady for the shot.
The treats are our own, meant for intermittent or supplemental feeding, so they add to your dog's meals and do not stand in for them. A short unboxing is a good reason to hand out a few pieces, not the whole month.
What makes an unboxing worth watching?
The sniff. Before the treat, there is a second where the dog works out what is in front of it, and that is the best part of the video. Keep the camera on the face and wait for it. A reaction shot of the owner laughing off to the side is good too, as long as it does not cut away from the dog.
The other draw is that each month is new. Modified Monthly sends our own single ingredient treats, freeze dried or air dried in small batches in Malvern, Pennsylvania, with a new theme and lineup each month. Favorites return, but the assortment changes. Some treats have a Greek yogurt or cheddar cheese base. A series of clips across the year shows how that plays out, and the how it works page explains the box if you want the full picture before you start. You can see the box itself on the Modified Monthly page.
How do you share the video?
Keep it short. A clip under a minute, trimmed to the sniff and the first few treats, is easier to watch all the way through. Cut the dead air at the start, where you are fiddling with the phone.
Write the caption in your own words: your dog's name, the month, one line about what it did. You do not need to describe the treats or add claims about them. Skip contests, and skip tagging for the sake of tagging. A clip that shows an interested dog and a tidy floor does the job. For more ideas, see the guides page.
Questions
How do I film my dog opening a box?
Set up near a window, put the phone at eye level, and open the box partway before you roll. Offer one treat at a time and film in short takes. You can trim the dull parts later, so there is no need to get it right in one pass.
What angle works for dog videos?
Eye level, almost always. Put the phone on a low stool or a stack of books so the camera sits at about the height of your dog's head. You see the face and the sniff, and your dog does not spend the whole clip looking up at a ceiling.
What should I do with the packing material?
Pick it up before the dog gets near it, and recycle it once the video is done. Keep it out of the frame and out of reach. The shot looks cleaner without it, and your dog has nothing to chew on while you film.
How do I get my dog to look toward the phone?
Hold a treat just behind the lens, or ask a family member to stand there with one. Dogs look where the treat is. Give a short cue, wait for the glance, then reward it. Keep each take brief so the dog stays interested.
Does every month's box look different?
Yes. Each month brings a new theme and lineup. Favorites return, but the assortment changes, so no two months are quite the same. Contents change by month, and the photos on our pages are examples, so you will not know exactly what is in yours until you film it.
Can I film my cat opening a box too?
You can. The box comes in a cat version, and you pick it when you order. See the cat box page for details. Keep the phone ready, since a cat may decide the moment on its own. If you have both a dog and a cat, each pet gets its own box.