It’s 10am and the sound of barking fills the air at Centennial Park. Amy Tressider, of the Dog Coach, has arrived with a dozen dogs for their daily one-hour walk. Amy is a professional dog walker and coach.
Centennial Parklands, with more than 154 hectares (or 43 percent) of parkland a playground for unleashed dogs, is one of the most dog-friendly parks in Sydney. More than a million dog walks are taken there annually.
Amy has two helpers to walk the dogs in keeping with Woollahra Council’s regulation that one person may only walk a maximum of four dogs.
Other than this rule, there is no regulation or body governing the dog walking business.
Amy says, “It’s not even self-regulated. A lot of people have their own ideas of what it takes to be a dog walker. There isn’t any accreditation needed. Many people think that all you have to do to start a walking business is simply to have a car, any type of car. I don’t agree.”
She says when working with dogs, you need specific items to take them places. You would need to make sure the dogs are all labelled, that is they all have collars with their names on them, so you don't lose anyone; and that they’re all safely strapped in the back of the vehicle.
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Off-leash among the grass. Photo: Siam Lim
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She also walks a second, smaller group each day. This group is made up of dogs who are either a little bit more nervous or are older, and who don't like “silly” play. Having this second group allows her flexibility. If she notices that some dogs are having muscle soreness, she will swap them to the slow group so they can relax rather than engage in the constant “crazy” play.
She knows her dogs pretty well and if any of them are not their usual selves, she knows there must be something generally wrong. Her professional training (she was a vet nurse previously) kicks in and she’ll look out for a limp, mucky eyes, diarrhoea or excessive urinating.
Looking at her charges racing ahead of her, Amy says it’s always good to have one dog in the group who runs the pack; in this case, the leader seems to be “the big blond boy”.
“He’ll just run until they get really tired and when they get tired, he’ll get angry at them; he likes to think he’s in charge.”
A shrill whistle from her pierces the air and she says, “I’m just making sure they’re all right.”
She likes taking her dogs through this particular route in Centennial Park.
“I find it a little bit safer to have buffer zones before the roads. You can go to Queens Park, but it’s just so open and if the dogs spot something a mile away, and they want to go for it, then, if your command or recall isn't vey good, you might not get them back readily.
“Whereas here, they're closer to you. They also know generally where the car is, which is good; and where we normally go. So if they get a fright from another dog, they know where we are going. Some may go back to the car.
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Amy in the foreground leading her group. Photo: Siam Lim
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“I love the safety of this place. This is mainly my safe place. I get them running in and out of trees. They’re used to the place, and the dog walkers know each other. Everybody looks after everybody which I really like.”
So what does it take to be a good walker?
Amy lists the important aspects to the job: an understanding of dogs; a love of dogs; and ability to deal with people as it is important to communicate effectively with the dogs’ owners about their pets.
Then there’s also the basic setup. You need an ABN, a suitable car, public liability insurance, good quality gear for the dogs, such as spare collars and leads, and also some training in dog behaviour and dog training.
“You’ll also need to know what your rights are as far as the Council is concerned and what you can and can’t do in parks. Some dog walkers think they have right of way with the public but they don’t.
“We need to be respectful of other people enjoying the park. It’s a public place. We don't have to pay registration to be here. We need to respect that.”
Amy says she and several of the other dog walkers would actually like to have some regulations to make sure people do not abuse the system, such as walking extremely large group of dogs at one time. Currently, it’s only the rangers who can enforce the maximum four-dogs-per-handler ratio and impose the $220 fine for infringement.
She thinks fines and regulations should be stiffer in order to have an industry that works properly. She would welcome change and some sort of regulation.
“It’s a public place and people do not want to feel they are in danger because of large packs of dogs. They want to know that the people handling the dogs know what they are doing and are responsible,” she says.
I started a business that I would never use myself
Dog walking is a $50 million business in Australia. So what is its benefit to dog owners?
Amy says, “It’s funny that I started a business I would never use myself. I think the best part of owning a dog is walking it, whether that is early in the morning or late at night. At least you're doing it, you’re building a bond with your dog.”
Mainly, her clients have families with small children which may make it a bit difficult to get out with their dogs, or they are people working really long hours.
“Often people get quite addicted to the service because after a good walk their dog is tired and manageable and the owner doesn't have to think about it.
“Owning a dog is guilt-stricken, for want of a better word. One just feels guilty all the time looking at the dog — because people anthropomorphise and look at their dog thinking, ‘oh, he's thinking I didn't walk him today.’ Anyway, who knows what he's thinking,” she laughs.
She says some dogs thrive on walking in a group, others don’t, either because they haven’t been socialised enough as a puppy or are too old. Generally, the best walking clients are dogs aged from six months to seven years old, she says.
Sydney’s Best Off-Leash Dog Parks
While dogs love walking with their owners, they love even more the freedom of running in the park without their leash. However, unless the area is designated off-leash, the owner risks a minimum fine of $220 per dog.
The following are four of the top off-leash dog parks in Sydney:
Centennial Parklands in the heart of the city
Rowland Reserve, a waterfront park at Bayview on the northern beaches
Hawthorne Canal Reserve in Leichhardt
Epping Oval, dog-friendly when there are no organised sporting events
Spot fines under the Companion Animals Act
Dog Attack Minimum Penalty - $550
Dog Not on Lead Minimum Penalty - $220
Animal not permanently identified (microchipped) Minimum Penalty - $165
Animal not registered Minimum Penalty - $165
Dog without collar and name tag Minimum Penalty - $165
Fail to remove dog faeces Minimum Penalty - $275
Penalties for above offences committed by a Dangerous dog and Restricted dog Minimum Penalty - $1320
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