# What a difference a year makes.



## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Our rescue dog, Tigan (Romanian for Gypsy) has been with us for about eighteen months now. He has some very challenging behaviours when he came but is coming along.


Last year I entered him into a fun obedience competition run by Talking Dogs Rally. It was part of the Ashwell Show in Hertfordshire. The venue was very wet, it rained most of the day and the dog ring was very near to all the "fun" attractions. Poor Tigan spent much of the day sheltering under a farm trailer to deaden the noise from the tanoy and avoid the rain as much has he could.


This year he trotted around the venue like an old pro. There was an exploding motorbike display team, packs of foxhounds and cow pats galore!


I managed to get him eliminated from his first round by taking the wrong course. He worked like a star in the second round and gained an Ace (the highest) rosette which qualified him, after gaining lots of qualifying scores this year, to be titled Champion in Level One! So proud of him.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Congratulations Tigan, and to you patp 

Well done the both of you

Sandra


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

What a lovely story patp, what make is he >
Know Ashwell, used to get lovely Rye bread there from Day´s bakery.
Jan


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Congrats to you and Tigan. good to see such results.

cabby


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Congratulations, how do you do it!?

Giving my four-year old a couple of weeks 'tough love's. Think she's old enough to start to calm down. She's brilliant at road walking, won't retrieve a ball and wants to meet and greet everyone and everything in the park.


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Spacerunner said:


> Congratulations, how do you do it!?
> 
> Giving my four-year old a couple of weeks 'tough love's. Think she's old enough to start to calm down. She's brilliant at road walking, won't retrieve a ball and wants to meet and greet everyone and everything in the park.


I would say she lacks in basic training. Sit, down, Stay, Leave, come, etc.
Jan


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Thank you all. 


Reward based training is the answer. He does the right thing he gets some sort of reward. He does not do the right thing he gets ignored. Timing is everything with rewarding the right behaviour though.


People often go wrong when they do it the other way around. They give attention when the dog is naughty and completely ignore the dog when it is being good!


The Ashwell show was lovely Jan. I was most impressed by the variety of food stalls. Thai, French, Spanish, Indian, Lebanese plus all the usual burgers etc. Pity my stomach could only accommodate one lunch!


Tigan got some sausage as his reward


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

JanHank said:


> I would say she lacks in basic training. Sit, down, Stay, Leave, come, etc.
> Jan


She can do all that plus some more but she has a very sociable nature. So now I've got to get her to make me the centre of her universe!
I do the reward bit, but she's learnt to play the system. So I'm taking advantage of the hot weather which slows her up after the initial energy burn-off. Had her sitting relaxed six feet from a pair of stree-wise cats yesterday who h was a first!


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## JanHank (Mar 29, 2015)

Spacerunner said:


> She can do all that plus some more but she has a very sociable nature. So now I've got to get her to make me the centre of her universe!
> I do the reward bit, but she's learnt to play the system. So I'm taking advantage of the hot weather which slows her up after the initial energy burn-off. Had her sitting relaxed six feet from a pair of stree-wise cats yesterday who h was a first!


She sounds lovely, sociable :smile2: thats better than being shy and nervous around people and dogs. All takes time and training* never* ends. 
Passive training is sometimes good sometimes not and one should be aware of this.
Jan


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Well done Spacerunner.


My latest challenge is the escapee hens from the local free range egg unit! They are all over the bridle path we use to exercise Tigan!!!


I have tried the nicely, nicely approach of "your hens are getting out" and have now progressed to "sort it out or I am notifying Trading Standards". 


Tigan has some hound in his mixed breeding (or, of course, he could be a pedigree Romanian Hunting Dog!). He lives to hunt. I am trying to channel it into scent work, directed by me, but a lovely fluttery hen is very hard to resist!


We shall see.


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