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.

Have you ever wondered why your dog is brilliant at the cues you have taught them when you are at home, or even at your dog training class, but the minute you go out for a walk or anywhere else it's as if they have forgotten everything you have taught them?

I'm guessing most of us have been there!

There are a couple of reasons for this. Firstly are things called trigger pictures. This is where a dog associates behaving in a particular way, in a particular location with a particular person. When you change one of the variables, their behaviour can also change.

The other is working with distractions. Smells, birds, leaves, you names it, our dogs can be distracted by it! One of my dogs when we first got her really struggled with wheelie bin.

If you go to a training class, your dog can become used to the particular distractions in that environment, but when you go to the park for example, and are surrounded by different dogs and people, the distraction is so much greater.

So what can you do? Firstly, when you are training a behaviour, start off in a low distraction environment so your dog can learn from scratch.

Once they have learned it, start moving to different environments. Keep the distractions low initially. For example, you could move from your living room to your garden. Then maybe to your driveway.

Perhaps then you could train in the far corner of a supermarket carpark where nobody ever parks but there are people and even dogs at a distance. Maybe then an open space where you can keep your distance from other dogs.

Each time you increase the level of distraction, your dog's skills increase. If they struggle in a particular environment, try to find one less distracting and then try again a few days later.

I'll be chatting about this more in my free facebook group, the All To Play For Club on 16th July.To join the group just click here: subscribepage.io/f2NWwn

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

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