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.

She 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.

Today's advice is talking about how to pick battles and how to approach them.

What do you do if your dog takes something that they shouldn't have such as a sock or a sausage roll? Do you chase them around and then PRIIIIIIZE it out of their mouth?

"So, let's say your dog has stolen a sock," says Julia. "We know that eating a sock could cause an intestinal blockage leading to an enormous vet bill or even worse. So the natural reaction we have is to chase the dog around, so we can get that sock back!

"But here's the problem. Firstly, by chasing your dog you are creating a brilliant, rewarding game for them. They'll be having a blast running away. Let's play that game again - so they steal a pair of pants. Secondly, you catch them and take the sock away.

"Next time they may think they're onto your game and swallow the sock super quick so you can't get it. Not only that, but we know that a predictor of resource guarding behaviour in dogs is taking things away from them - humans coming towards them becomes a predictor of a loss. (If you're a bit geeky and love reading the research, Jacobs et al 2018 is a good study on this!)

"As an aside, this is also the reason you shouldn't take food bowls away from dogs whilst they're eating - if you want to protect against resource guarding, put something even higher value into their food bowl when you approach instead."

So what should you do in the case of the sock?"Swap. Always swap. You can swap for a favourite toy, or for food. You may have to go for something super high value like some chicken, you are trading with your dog so need to come up with a swap which is a good deal for your dog.

"I know some people worry that this is rewarding taking the object, but so is chasing after your dog to get the object, plus resource guarding is definitely something you need to avoid.

"What about the sausage roll? Unless your dog is very allergic to the ingredients, look at it as a learning experience to not leave sausage rolls unattended where your dog can get them!"

Swap don't take.

Julia with her two Romanian rescue dogs. (Photo: Deborah bowyer/Alsager 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