"They were generally well-behaved, so were the owners," Dr Cooper said.

"Well-behaved and well-trained (dogs). None in really poor shape."

The big issue he came across was working dogs without enough to keep them occupied.

"I've seen a lot of working dogs, they need to get out, to do some skyball, some herding. Boredom in dogs, usually intelligent working dogs like kelpies and border collies, don't belong in backyards, so you need to give them something to do," he said.

"This little girl came in with a border collie, and I asked 'why do you have a dog like that?' and immediately she said 'I take him herding all the time', and I think lots of dog owners could do well to take this girl's advice."

PETStock on Mair St was overwhelmed by Dr Harry's fans, who lined up from 10am and kept him occupied almost an hour after his 2pm deadline.

He gave advice on how to make sure you've got a well-behaved pet - "you have to 'win' in the first six months" - and signed things (not pets) for admirers of his long years on television and his trademark flat cap.