Dog Concierge walkers tell how to perfect your pup’s pictures

How do you make a posse of pooches sit, stay and pose for a photo? There’s two secrets, say these Melbourne dog walking experts.

SIT. Stay. Repeat 18 times.

This posse of perfect pooches sat and stayed for their pawtrait on Princes Pier, thanks to some expert hound wrangling.

The walkers at Dog Concierge have perfected the knack of corralling the canines during their daily walk through Port Melbourne.

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Business owner Ken Phillips said there were two tricks to getting them well behaved and to pose for photos.

One is to line up them up after a walk when they’re tired and more compliant, Mr Phillips said.

“The second is simple — treats. They’ll do anything,’’ he said.

The company’s five walkers, including Carly Fitzgerald, conduct 12,900 walks a year.

Dogs are walked for 4km and take about an hour. With water stops. And poo stops. Lots of poo stops.

“But that’s not the hardest part of the job,’’ Mr Phillips said.

Dog walking company Dog Concierge give their charges a break while they sit nicely along a bench in Port Melbourne during their daily walk. Picture: David Caird

“The toughest part is when we see sick and injured dogs and we sometimes have to say goodbye. That’s when we get a bit teary.

“We want the pets to be the best citizens they can be when they return to their homes.

“We’ve got dogs that come from mansions in Toorak and we’ve got dogs from Housing Commission flats. They’re all the same.’’

Dog walker Carly Fitzgerald controls her dogs during their daily walk. Picture: David Caird

“I have the best job in the world. It’s a great joy to be out and about. We bring so many smiles along the way.

“I didn’t expect that when we started this job. The amount of joy we bring to so many people.’’

Mr Phillips said that the dogs love the walk and the structure and slip into being part of a pack.

“When you start the walk there’s always chaos. The about 10 minutes in and you get established and settled you have a lot less problems.’’

Buy every 20 minutes, the walkers have to stop and untangle the leads.

Dog walker Carly Fitzgerald and her pooches in Port Melbourne. Picture: David Caird

The dog-walking service has been operating since 2012 and has customers in Melbourne’s eastern and bayside suburbs.

Mr Phillips said business was strong because people had busy lives and still wanted their dog walked, especially during the week.

Perfect line-up of puppies on Princes Pier. Picture: David Caird

But the service also walked dogs for people who were sick and could not get out but still wanted their dog exercised.

“It improves the health and discipline of the dog and it’s amazing how their behaviour improves.

“It’s about the interaction. They all end up wanting to be with the pack.’’

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@IanRoyall