Dog used to publicise beer (8)

I believe the answer is:

airedale

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'dog' is the definition.
(Airedale is an example)

'used to publicise beer' is the wordplay.
'used' becomes 'ed' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'to' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other) (I've seen this in other clues).
'publicise' becomes 'air' (airing is a kind of publicizing).
'beer' becomes 'ale' (type of beer).
'ed' after 'air' is 'aired'.
'aired'+'ale'='AIREDALE'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for airedale that I've seen before include "Dog from Yorkshire" , "Yorkshire district; breed of terrier" , "Barker" , "Thematic type [DOG]" , "Canine breed" .)

I've seen this clue in The Sunday Times.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.