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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 4:12:02 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 7]
As it got darker though, she started to become more hesitant, and her pace started to slow. "Come!" at that point Nerius repeated the command, and when the pup continued to move forward, he gave her a treat. It kept getting darker though, and after a point Macchiato stopped, not wanting to go any further.
Forcing the pup into something she was uncomfortable with hadn't been his strategy so far, so he stopped. He knelt down to reach the pup better, and tried to reassure her, "Easy, there's nothing out here that's going to hurt you." He pet the pup, who was sticking very close to him, at the same time, "Well, there could be, but I'd set them on fire with magic, so it's fine." It was probably a good thing the puppy couldn't understand his actual words. She couldn't though, and slowly, the pup started to relax a bit.
(Nerius: 6/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 5, 26/30 | Lyl: 10, 26/30)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 4:20:15 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 8]
After a while, she seemed okay, and Nerius started walking further into the darker part of the park again. "Maki, come," he encouraged the pup, and while she wasn't thrilled about it, did follow after him. She kept very close to him, but he was able to reach the darkest part of the park, at least without going way into the outskirts, with the puppy still walking along with him.
She was still clearly nervous, so he decided to keep going on the still in the dark walk. He gave praise and treats every so often, to try to make the experience more pleasant. Over time, she became more and more comfortable with the dark walk, until she wasn't behaving any differently than she would have been if it were light. Nerius continued the walk just a little longer, until he found a bench for them to sit on take a break.
(Nerius: 7/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 5, 27/30 | Lyl: 10, 27/30)
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Bite Me
Oct 5, 2020 20:25:29 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 20:25:29 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Stay - 1]
The bench was somewhat close to the streetlights, and by now the sun was just starting to rise, so it wasn't so dark still that he couldn't move on to training something else. 'Stay' was a useful command, and he wanted to teach that next. It had been a long walk, and while Macchiato had perked up a little after their break, it would probably be easier to start training this particular command before she was full of energy again.
This was a command where he couldn't use treats as a lure, and he was empty handed when he called to the pup, "Maki, stay." He tried not to be too energetic, which might excite the pup into moving. It worked, and Macchiato stayed put, though looked at him when her name was said. Nerius only waited a few seconds, before praising her "Good pup!" and gave the houluh a treat.
(Nerius: 8/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 5, 28/30 | Lyl: 10, 28/30)
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Bite Me
Oct 5, 2020 20:38:30 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 20:38:30 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Stay - 2]
Nerius waited a few seconds after the puppy finished her treat before giving the command again. "Maki, stay." The pup watched him, hoping for more food, and didn't try to move away. He waited a few seconds again, and when the pup still didn't move, praised her and gave her a treat. He wasn't really surprised she was staying still for now, he was right there and had food, the more challenging part would be when he started moving away from the pup.
Once the pup was done eating, he gave the command, "Maki, stay." The puppy, still on the lookout for more goodies, stayed where she was supposed to be, even when Nerius waited a few seconds longer than he had before. "Good pup!" he praised Macchiato after the wait time was up, and she hadn't moved, as well as gave her a treat, and a pat on the head.
(Nerius: 9/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 5, 29/30 | Lyl: 10, 29/30)
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Bite Me
Oct 5, 2020 20:48:19 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 20:48:19 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Stay - 3]
He needed to start adding distance into the stay training, and this was where Nerius was expecting the pup might not do exactly what he wanted. She liked to stick close to him, especially when food was involved, and here that was exactly what she wasn't supposed to do. "Maki, stay," he told the pup, pausing for a second, before taking a step backwards.
Nerius had hoped it was a small enough movement the pup would stay put, but she didn't, and the pup walked forward when he moved, keeping pace with him. "No Maki," he told the pup, though it didn't do much, 'no' was something he hadn't taught yet, but at least it was clear he wasn't rewarding the pup. "Maki, sit," he commanded the pup, and that part she understood, lowering her rear to the ground. "Now, stay," he stressed the word, but didn't yell or otherwise sound harsh.
(Nerius: 10/10 +Added!) (Macchiato: Lv: 6, 30/35 | Lyl: 12, 30/35)
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Bite Me
Oct 5, 2020 21:26:33 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 21:26:33 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Stay - 4]
Nerius waited for a moment, before slowly taking a step back away from the pup, and this time Macchiato stayed seated. At least, for a few seconds. Not wanting to risk her getting up and trying to move, Nerius only waited a few seconds before stepping back to the houluh, praising her "Good pup!" and giving her a treat.
He waited until she was done eating, but still hadn't stood up again, to give the command, "Maki, stay." Nerius slowly took a step back, keeping a close eye on the pup. She fidgeted a little, but didn't move, and after a few seconds, he stepped back to the pup, giving her a treat and praising her "Good pup!". He had her practice the command a few more times at this distance and duration, until he wasn't concerned that the pup was going to pop up the second he took a step.
(Nerius: 1/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 6, 31/35 | Lyl: 12, 31/35)
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Bite Me
Oct 5, 2020 21:34:01 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 21:34:01 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Stay - 5]
He would need to start increasing the distance now, as well as having her stay put longer. "Maki, stay," Nerius told the pup, before slowly taking a step backwards, then another. He had decided to alternate between time and distance, for now he just went farther, and didn't make the houluh wait any longer than before. So after a few seconds, he praised her "Good pup!" and gave a treat.
Nerius let the puppy eat before giving the command again, "Maki, stay." This time, he took two steps back as he had before, but this time had the pup wait a few seconds longer than he had been. She stayed put, he was pretty sure she had some idea of what the command meant by now, it was just a matter of getting her to stay for longer periods of time even if he wasn't nearby. After the time was up, he walked back to the pup, praising her and giving a treat.
(Nerius: 2/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 6, 32/35 | Lyl: 12, 32/35)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 0:07:22 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Stay - 6]
Once the puppy had finished eating, he gave the command, "Maki, stay," before moving backwards, taking an extra step. The pup stayed put, and since he didn't increase the time, he walked back after a few seconds, praising her "Good pup!" and giving a treat.
From there, he continued to alternate between having her wait a few seconds longer, and taking another step back. It took a bit of time, as he worked slowly, but eventually Macchiato was staying put for several minutes, even when he was few dozen feet away. At that point he was pretty sure she had the command down, and would be able to move on to further training. It was still early, but they'd still been out here quite a while, and the pup was probably only up for one more trick. He still had several things he wanted to train the pup, but for now he'd need to choose just one.
(Nerius: 3/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 6, 33/35 | Lyl: 12, 33/35)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 1:29:23 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Catch - 1]
What he ended up deciding on wasn't exactly something for basic obedience, or even super practical. It was more of a fun trick, but did have some use, he wanted to teach Macchiato to catch something he tossed to her. In the case of treats, this actually had some use, as she was currently so small he had to lean way down to give her a treat, it would be easier if she could just catch it.
It was also fully light enough that the pup would be able to see, which was important for this particular trick, since she'd need to be able to see to catch anything. Nerius knelt down, the hope was to be able to avoid this later, but for now he wanted to start with a shorter distance. "Maki," he called to the pup, holding up a treat where she could see, roughly a foot away from the pup, "Catch!"
(Nerius: 4/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 6, 34/35 | Lyl: 12, 34/35)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 1:36:29 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Catch - 2]
The pup wasn't quite sure how to react, and the treat bounced harmlessly off her nose, and onto the ground. She was very confused, which gave Nerius enough time to pick up the treat before she could eat it. Macchiato made a sad little whine, but he just held up the treat again, and called, "Maki, catch!" and gently tossed the treat. The pup still didn't know what to do, and it bounced off her shoulder this time.
Fortunately, treats made for a harmless projectile, and was unharmed as Nerius picked up the treat. She hadn't gotten it yet, but there wasn't anything else to do but keep trying. "Maki," he called, "Catch!" He gently tossed the treat, and this time Macchiato did move, but it wasn't enough to actually catch the treat, and it bounced off her ear this time. Still, it was something, so Nerius praised her "Good pup!", though didn't actually let her eat the treat.
(Nerius: 5/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 7, 35/40 | Lyl: 14, 35/40)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 1:42:41 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Catch - 3]
She was a little confused when she didn't get food along with the praise, but Nerius wasn't going to let her eat the treat until she caught it. He held it up again, and called, "Maki, catch!" and tossed the treat. She reacted a little faster this time, and actually tried to bite at it, but still missed. It was the right action at least, so Nerius praised her "Good pup!" and gave her a pet on the head.
The puppy clearly still wanted the treat though, which was why he was holding off on giving it to her, she might not bother to actually catch it if she got to eat it anyway. "Maki, catch!" he called, tossing the by now somewhat battered treat. That didn't bother the houluh any, and she moved for the flying treat, and actually caught it this time! "Good pup Maki, very good pup!" Nerius praised the houluh while she ate, before petting her head.
(Nerius: 6/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 7, 36/40 | Lyl: 14, 36/40)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 1:49:54 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Catch - 4]
Nerius waited until she was done eating to take out another treat, holding it where she could see. "Maki, catch!" he called, before tossing the treat. She tried to catch it, but missed, and it bounced off her nose again. With this particular trick, it was more that just having to learn a new command word, like with 'sit', she also had to learn to perform the action properly. It was like him tossing popcorn and catching it in his mouth. ...Great, now he wanted popcorn.
That would have to wait, and for now, the puppy would be the only one getting snacks, and Nerius picked up the treat, holding it where Macchiato could see it. "Maki, catch!" He called, tossing it again, and this time, when the puppy moved to grab it, was able to catch it in her mouth. "Good pup!" he praised her, and gave a few pets.
(Nerius: 7/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 7, 37/40 | Lyl: 14, 37/40)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 1:57:35 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Catch - 5]
He kept this up for several more tries, giving the command word, 'catch', before tossing the pup a treat. They kept practicing until Macchiato was catching the treat pretty consistently, and at that point Nerius decided to slowly start increasing the distance. He held the treat about two feet away now, and called "Maki, catch!" before tossing it with a little more power than he had before. The puppy moved to catch it, but misjudged the distance, and missed, resulting in the treat hitting the ground.
Nerius picked it up before she could eat it, and tried again, "Maki, catch!" and tossed the treat. This time, she was able to catch it, and he praised the houluh. He kept having her practice the trick, slowly increasing the thrown distance, until he was tossing it to the tiny puppy from a standing position, and she was consistently able to catch the treat.
(Nerius: 8/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 7, 38/40 | Lyl: 14, 38/40)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 2:04:30 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Catch - 6]
It could be useful, or at least interesting, for her to catch other things as well. Nerius had gone through enough houluh magazines lately to have seen articles on canines catching balls or frisbees, and maybe he could do something like that with her? Once she was older, of course, for now, throwing either of those things could potentially harm the small puppy. He had brought an assortment of small critter toys, all off brand, he really needed to visit the Playful Pup at some point.
He dug through his selection, choosing some soft foam disks. Nerius doubted they'd hold up to puppy teeth long, but would probably work for catching. Nerius held one where Macchiato could see, and called, "Maki, catch!" before tossing the disk. The pup lunged for it, and actually caught the disk, but wasn't quite sure what to do with it, it wasn't food, and she chewed it a moment before dropping it. "Good pup!" he praised her, and gave the houluh an actual treat.
(Nerius: 9/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 7, 39/40 | Lyl: 14, 39/40)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 6, 2020 2:12:04 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Catch - 7]
Nerius was afraid she might not try to catch it next time, but when he tossed the disk again calling, "Maki, catch!" the pup still moved to catch it. He praised her "Good pup!", and gave the houluh an actual treat. He kept tossing the disk, giving the command word as he did, and while at first she didn't catch it every time, with practice she was able to catch it consistently.
Nerius had brought other toys as well, and added a few others into the mix, choosing things that were small and soft, and wouldn't harm the puppy if she missed. It took a bit of practice, the stuffed toys were the hardest, but eventually she was able to reliably catch most of the properly sized things Nerius tossed to her. It would be nice to teach her to return thrown items at some point, but for now he was happy with the progress the pup had made for the day. Macchiato was getting a bit tired as well, and didn't protest as he gathered up the toys, before starting the trip back to the kennel.
[-- Nerius and Macchiato exit --]
(Nerius: 10/10 +Added!) (Macchiato: Lv: 8, 40/45 | Lyl: 16, 40/45)
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