'Dog' star Channing Tatum would choose Jonah Hill over a canine co-star (exclusive)

Watch: Channing Tatum on his 21 Jump Street co-star Jonah Hill

Channing Tatum says he would choose Jonah Hill over a canine co-star on any movie, while also conceding that his 21 Jump Street partner 'can bite too.'

The 41-year-old Magic Mike star is back in cinemas this week with Dog after a four year break from the big screen.

It's the story of a former Army Ranger taking a military dog to its handler’s funeral and, as well as marking his debut as a director, the film sees Tatum forging another strong on-screen double act with Lulu, a Belgian Malinois.

Read more: Five years off movies gave Channing Tatum 'perspective'

Comparing working with a four-legged screen partner and two-time Oscar nominee Hill, Tatum told Yahoo: “It depends on the day, it really does. Jonah can bite too! Jonah's been known to bite,” he laughed.

“There are certain things that the dog does better than any human," Tatum added. "The dog is singularly motivated and these dogs were all work dogs — they love working, they want to work — but they’re not in the actual scene with you.

“They don’t know the story, so you need to manipulate your performance and what needs to come out of the scene around what the dog is doing. You don’t know what they’re going to do.”

In Dog, the role service animal Lulu was performed by three different dogs: Britta, Zuza and Lana. Two of the three were flown in from Europe and trained for over a year ahead of shooting the film.

Tatum starred opposite Hill in 21 Jump Street and its sequel 22 Jump Street, although a third film with the duo remains a pipe dream for now.

Read more: Jump Street-Men In Black crossover canned

“With Jonah, you’re just trying to keep up," Tatum added. "He’s so talented, so funny, we have a good thing and we make fun of each other on set all day. I guess if I had to pick, it would be Jonah!”

A female-led Jump Street spin-off Jump Street: Now for Her Pleasure is currently in development.

Dog is in cinemas from 18 February. Watch a trailer below.