It's Training Tips Tuesday and time for some top tips from Alsager Nub News sponsor, 'All to Play for'.

Owning a dog isn't always easy but top dog trainer, Alsager's Julia Hawkins, from Linley Grove is a font of knowledge on the subject.

Julia, a former maths teacher, uses concept training which helps dog owners to see how they can reshape their dogs' brains using games.

And there Julia, who offers tips on her blog https://alltoplayfor.co.uk/blog/ as well as other help and contact details on her website at https://alltoplayfor.co.uk/ shares some special tips for your pooch.

Julia with her two Romanian rescue dogs. (Photo: Deborah Bowyer/Nub News)

'Training Tips' advice

This week, Julia is focusing on dog training and behaviour, so why are we talking dog food?

"Well, you may have heard the gut is the second brain, and there is a lot of truth to that. Behaviour is driven by various hormones and neurotransmitters in the central nervous system - which are all affected by nutrition," says Julia.

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"Have you ever had one of those weeks where your diet is absolutely rubbish? Full of beige foods, highly processed meals and very little thought given to nutrients?

"I've had far too many of those weeks and just end up feeling rubbish. I'm sluggish, find it hard to concentrate and am a nightmare to live with. Well, here's the thing - so do our dogs.

"Let's all consider why we feed our dogs what we do. Is it because it's what the breeder fed them? Because our vet sells it or because it's the cheapest?" 

Julia suggests having a look at the ingredients in your dog's food - Is the first ingredient a named protein (eg chicken or beef)? 

"If it is that's a great sign - are there ingredients with weird, chemical names that you've no idea what they are? If so, that's not a good sign.

"It's been in the news recently how bad for us ultra processed food is and it's the same for our dogs. Look for food which has a good quality protein first on the list (not derivatives or meal), not stuffed full of fillers like wheat (high levels of carbohydrates can have a similar effect to giving loads of sugar to kids) and which does not have loads of unidentifiable additives.

"A great quality food can seem to be more expensive, however as they are more nutrient rich your dog will need to eat less so the actual cost difference is less than you'd think."

And don't forget about treats, says Julia. Keep them natural and additive free - and please, no rawhide!

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Julia with her two Romanian rescue dogs. (Photo: Julia Hawkins)

Interested in finding more about 'All to Play For'? Julia also has a Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/alltoplayfordogtraining and can be contacted on 07913 757304.

You can also read our launch article on Julia here

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