For many people living along coastal Australia, taking their dog for a beach walk is an important part of daily life, but on the Gold Coast the growing human and dog populations are causing problems on the sand.

Key points: Gold Coast City Council is being called upon to introduce more off-leash dog beaches to ease the pressure and increase safety on the existing dog beaches

Gold Coast City Council is being called upon to introduce more off-leash dog beaches to ease the pressure and increase safety on the existing dog beaches Currently there are only three off-leash dog beaches in the council area

Currently there are only three off-leash dog beaches in the council area The council has approximately 66,000 registered dogs

Daphne McDonald, a Gold Coast City Councillor, said the city's off-leash beaches had been so popular on weekends that you could see thousands of dogs.

While that seems like a lot of four-legged beachgoers, if you look at the city's canine numbers, it starts to look like a more reasonable estimate.

In the past three years the council's registered dog numbers have grown by nearly 10,000 from 56,000 to just under 66,000.

"Certainly there would be a number of unregistered dogs too that are not included in those numbers," Councillor McDonald said.

It has not just been the locals using the two off-leash beaches at Palm Beach in the city's south.

"I have been down here on a number of occasions and spoken to people and they have come from Coomera, Logan, Toowoomba, Ipswich, Lismore, just to use the dog area," Councillor McDonald said.

Councillor McDonald at Currumbin Creek, where dog numbers can be high. ( ABC Gold Coast: Elise Kinsella )

She said three off-leash beaches for the entire city was not enough for those dog numbers, and she has been calling for more beaches where dogs can run free.

Councillor McDonald said her office had been fielding near daily complaints about the dog beaches, and believed canine crowding was contributing to the problems.

"We are having to employ now the police to patrol with our officers because there are a few problems," she said.

Those problems ranged from dog owners not picking up after their pets and letting their dogs run free in leashed areas, to more serious problems like dogs not being controlled and dog attacks.

Making friends on dog walks

Tugun resident Dougie Graham has witnessed the beach tension when walking his black Labrador, Barry, along the beach most days.

He moved from Melbourne to the Gold Coast more than a year ago and said the regular dog walks had helped him settle into his new city.

"I have made good friends down here due to the dogs, and just that sense of community," Mr Graham said.

"When I was new to the coast, when I first moved up, it was just one of the best ways to meet people."

While Barry has been a popular beach figure, loving to swim and chase sticks, he was attacked in the water by another dog about six months ago.

He was bitten, but not badly hurt.

"I just had to remain calm, but it was not good to see," Mr Graham said.

Barry the Labrador plays at Palm Beach where he was attacked late last year. ( ABC Gold Coast: Elise Kinsella )

He has since been heading south to Duranbah Beach, on the New South Wales border, during summer when the Gold Coast dog beaches have been too busy.

Mr Graham said he had also been avoiding a stretch of beach along Currumbin Creek because of the dog numbers there.

He was critical of how the council had been handling the crowding issues.

Mr Graham said he did not like seeing police with council officers and believed too many dog owners were being fined.

"The fact they have to have a cop with them to issue an infringement pretty much says it all. They are actually not working with the community," he said.

Mr Graham also supported the idea of more beaches with off-leash areas for dogs.

Southern dog beach has the 'worst name'

Dog trainer Nikki Logan walks 10 dogs along Palm Beach. ( ABC Gold Coast: Josie Sargent )

Animal behaviourist Nikki Logan has been visiting the Gold Coast's dog beaches for the past 20 years.

She said beach walks were important for the health of dogs and their owners.

"It is somewhere they can run and you have the water as well. They really enjoy having a splash around and it really brings out all the happy hormones in them," Ms Logan said.

She said she had seen an increase in numbers at the beaches, but did not believe it had been drastic.

"Currumbin probably has the worst name because people tend to sit around there, whereas at The Spit people tend to move," Ms Logan said.

"Dogs that are moving don't tend to claim spaces, they don't get as aggressive, they don't feel the need to protect people or places."

Ms Logan said more dog beaches would be a good thing, but also said some of the animal behavioural problems were caused by pet owners not training or controlling their animals properly.

The council said it had no immediate plans to add to the number of off-leash beaches.

Mayor Tom Tate said he would like to see more but that it was "up to residents to lobby their individual councillors".