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Sparks
Jun 29, 2019 1:32:00 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 29, 2019 1:32:00 GMT -6
There was so much that needed done today; but it was important for Morgan to get the houluh to the point of being able to jump through the hoop at any height if assisted. They worked up from the ground height again, and this time, Morgan leaned back over hoop in the air held above their head. The houluh had practiced earlier at leaping off of Morgan's back, and it was showing as Nico leaps up Morgan's back, half-run half-jump, and then practically flew through the hoop, landing on the grass. Morgan didn't stop to praise him at this point, they'd slowly been working him up to not really needing a treat each time anyway. Morgan spent the next hour working with the creature with the hoop at different heights, above Morgan's head. Perhaps whenever he grew up he'd do well with a thrown hoop? For now, Morgan kept it relatively simple, until they were sure that he got the idea well enough.
[5] - [END fixing 'Through Hoop']
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Sparks
Jun 29, 2019 1:41:26 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 29, 2019 1:41:26 GMT -6
Soon after they were done with that, Morgan knew that it was time to start working on something else. Morgan was glad that it was over; it had been just about as anxiety-inducing for Morgan as it probably had been for Nico. Morgan took a moment to give him a few moments of calm before easing him back into training, petting him and giving him a few soft cooed words. Morgan was quite glad that they had chosen such a remote part of the park, so that no one could see them talking at the houluh. "Alright boyo, we need to work on another couple of behaviors, and then we'll go home, okay? I know that stressed you out, but you are a good boyo." After petting him and then calming down for a little bit. The next thing that Morgan was thinking of training was the 'Combat Crawl' behavior, which would be quite impressive, they figured.
[1] - [START 'Combat Crawl']
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Sparks
Jun 29, 2019 17:19:57 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 29, 2019 17:19:57 GMT -6
This behavior was pretty simple. It required 'lay down' first, of course, to get the critter on it's belly, and then basically alternating 'lay down' and the command until the creature comes of it's own accord while sliding on the belly, crawling. The idea was probably for stealth in the long run, but Morgan was sure that they wouldn't need to use it in any real trouble. Morgan wasn't planning on putting Nico in any amount of danger, at least. However, once again, it would go quite well in the obedience ring, the bespectacled human was quite sure in that. Morgan settled down close to the grass, and moved back a little bit of a way, to make sure that the houluh would have a place to go when they started working on this. Morgan gave the signal for 'lay down', and the houluh did just that. Now, Morgan just hoped that he would learn as quickly as usual.
[2]
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Sparks
Jun 29, 2019 17:25:05 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 29, 2019 17:25:05 GMT -6
Morgan made a 'come closer' hand signal, and the houluh's dark eyes were trained on it, trying to figure out what it meant. Ears were cocked forward, and the creature stood up, tail wagging. Morgan shook their head, and then gave the signal for him to lay down again. The houluh did just that immediately, and then Morgan made the hand sign that they would be using for this behavior in the future yet again. This time, the houluh tip-toed in place, nervously, dancing on all fours like he did when he wasn't a hundred percent sure what to do. Morgan made the hand signal again, and the houluh tried to stand up again. The human was steadfast; giving the hand sign for lay down again, before starting on the new hand sign again. Finally, the houluh crept forward, inching like an inchworm along his belly, coming closer while staying 'laid down' the best he could.
[3]
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Sparks
Jun 29, 2019 17:40:18 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 29, 2019 17:40:18 GMT -6
That was the trick! Morgan figured that they would get it out of the creature eventually, even if they had to keep asking him for it again and again until he did the right behavior. As soon as the houluh got to Morgan, he was given lots of pets on the head and an ear scritch before being given a piece of jerky. Morgan knew that it was now only a matter of time and repetition before they could ween him off of having to be told to lay down first, and that was good in the long run. After making sure that the houluh knew that he had done the correct action, Morgan gave him the lay down signal again, and then the signal for the combat crawl. This time, Nico was already working more on technique than actually figuring out anything. The combat crawl was a little better over all this time.
[4]
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Sparks
Jun 29, 2019 17:50:35 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 29, 2019 17:50:35 GMT -6
The idea now would be repetition, as it always was. Morgan would give the command to lay down, and then give another command to combat crawl, and each time Nico did it properly, he was given ear scritches and praise of course, and a jerky piece. The houluh was performing very well, better and better each time they did it; though now his fur was full of grass bits and he would certainly get a bath and brushing later today, Morgan figured. Soon, Morgan switched to only using the command for combat crawl, and Nico caught on to it incredibly quickly, immediately moving down to the crouched position and moving along a combat crawl to where Morgan was sitting. Morgan would give lots of praise and a treat each time this was done; they continued working on the command for a while, until the bespectacled human was sure that Nico had gotten it well enough.
[5] - [END 'Combat Crawl']
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Sparks
Jun 29, 2019 18:06:06 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 29, 2019 18:06:06 GMT -6
The next one was incredibly important; because Morgan wanted the houluh to be as safe as possible at all times. It was tantamount that the tiny creature not be harmed whenever they went places; and if someone's sarane got lose, it was very possible that the poor creature would need a place to hide. Morgan had gotten things together to teach the creature where a good place to hide would be if something did happen and Morgan gave the command; because he would need to be out of plain sight if possible. It was best to get behind things like trash cans or bushes, preferably in something if there was a creature flying overhead. Not every enemy would be smelling him before they saw him, of course, so it was very important to make sure that Nico could hide properly. They took a moment to pet him on the head and think about a good command for this and how to do this.
[1] - [START 'Cover']
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Sparks
Jun 30, 2019 22:49:11 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 30, 2019 22:49:11 GMT -6
The houluh would probably find this a little more difficult to learn than the other commands, but Morgan was convinced that they would do just fine with time and work. The command would need to be a whistled one, Morgan decided. Morgan moved the creature over to an area nearby where there were bushes, a couple of boulders, and a few of the trash cans hardly anyone used around here that were kept all nice and clean. The houluh was already interested in the area, and walked around, sniffing the area curiously. "Alright Nico, we need to work on something here, boyo." Nico heard his name, and was immediately interested in Morgan, moving from the area where he was last sniffing. Morgan whistled out the command; a quick and urgent sound. The houluh immediately figured this was a command, but didn't really know what to do with it yet. Morgan pushed the puppy, guiding him to be inside of the bush.
[2]
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Sparks
Jun 30, 2019 23:01:11 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 30, 2019 23:01:11 GMT -6
Nico was now in the bush, and Morgan patted him on the head, praising him. "Good boyo, Nico!" A jerky piece was given. At this point, the houluh pup was learning how the training worked, he knew that a command, then an action, and then food meant that he needed to do it, preferably in that order. Morgan finished petting the puppy, and then backed up, asking him to come out of the bush with the come command. Morgan then performed the whistle another time, and then helped the houluh behind a rock. At that, the bespectacled human gave him some more pets and lots of praise, and then a jerky piece. At this, Morgan also did the exact same thing in the same order, only taking the puppy behind the trash can instead. At this, Morgan decided that they also needed to add an important aspect to this training as well.
[3]
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Sparks
Jun 30, 2019 23:23:08 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 30, 2019 23:23:08 GMT -6
The next time, Morgan gave the command for combat crawl, and then gave the command for the 'cover' behavior that they were working on at the moment. Because the training had been done recently, he seemed to remember it well enough. The creature immediately dropped to his belly and then crawled, moving towards the trash can at first, and then turning over to the bushes. He seemed confused about where to go, which was fine for now, Morgan figured, but he did get into the bushes. Morgan was pleased! "Good boyo, Nico!" Morgan said, and then gave the creature a piece of jerky before petting his head and ears. "Such a good boyo." Morgan was pleased about it. Morgan gave the creature the command to come; and then set it back up again; giving him the command for the 'cover' behavior. This time, Nico didn't have to be told to move to the bush, he chose the bush himself, perhaps because it was the first one he'd been shown.
[4]
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Sparks
Jun 30, 2019 23:29:54 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jun 30, 2019 23:29:54 GMT -6
The next hour was a complicated one. Repetition was of course the key to getting this right over long periods of time, but Morgan found it incredibly important to teach the creature that he could 'go hide' in lots of different areas where he might need to. Morgan went through the command a few more times in the area with the three things to choose from, and each time the houluh chose the bushes, perhaps because they were more covering? Morgan purposefully moved to a better area after this, just a bit away, where the creature could cover up in trash cans, and then moved to an area where he could cover up in a craggy place with rocks that jutted out. After a rigorous training hour, where Morgan would switch between asking the creature to just do the command, and asking the creature to do it while combat-crawling, Morgan was finally convinced that the houluh got the idea of 'finding cover' as a behavior when commanded to do so.
[5] - [END of 'Cover']
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Sparks
Jul 1, 2019 0:27:37 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jul 1, 2019 0:27:37 GMT -6
Two more things today, Morgan decided, and they would go home for the day. It was starting to get late in the morning, anyway, and they would need to get home for tutoring by that point. However, Morgan was happy with the way that the houluh had worked on these commands today. They had done a lot over these two training sessions that they have had, and Morgan had to admit that the creature was not requiring a lot of 'going back over things', and that was always good. The last two things that Morgan figured that they could safely work on were the 'Silence' command, and perhaps the 'kick the can' behavior. Morgan thought it would be really cute to do that latter behavior, and the Silence command was incredibly important in case something dangerous was going on. It was incredibly important to Morgan that the houluh be safe no matter the situation.
[1] - [START 'Silence']
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Sparks
Jul 1, 2019 0:31:48 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jul 1, 2019 0:31:48 GMT -6
The silence command was going to be quite easy to teach, Morgan thought. It would be taught using a hand signal, because if the houluh needed to be quiet at any point, than the poor boyo would probably not need any attention to be brought to him with a loud noise command. What hand signal, though? It was always important to choose something that wasn't anything like one that they had already chose. Morgan chose a fist-signal, with the thumb on the inside. That way the creature wouldn't confuse it for any other command. Morgan got the houluh's attention pretty quickly, and then held up their hand in that signal. The houluh watched it, wanting to do what he was supposed to do; but didn't know what. He began to whine, and Morgan gave the signal for 'no' and then held up the command again. Another, characteristic whine was emitted, and Morgan gave the command for no again.
[2]
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Sparks
Jul 1, 2019 0:39:53 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jul 1, 2019 0:39:53 GMT -6
Morgan knew that the houluh would get it eventually. Morgan held up the hand sign again, and this time the houluh looked more nervous than usual; but didn't whine. Morgan waited for a while, and then cracked a wide smile (they just couldn't help it!). "Good boyo, Nico! Good job boyo." Morgan bent down and gave him lots of pets, and a piece of jerky, as well as lots more praise. Morgan was hoping that the way that they went at this command wouldn't damage Nico in any way, since Morgan was using the negative command for what he was doing, but Morgan wasn't sure how to push him in the right direction in any way. Afterwards, Morgan played with the houluh for a moment, getting him riled up. Then, right when he began gently and playfully growling; Morgan raised up the fist command for the silence behavior, and waited.
[3]
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Sparks
Jul 1, 2019 0:49:38 GMT -6
Post by Morgan on Jul 1, 2019 0:49:38 GMT -6
The silence command was super important, and Morgan was very serious about training it. The tiny creature immediately stopped growling whenever he noticed Morgan's hand sign, and remained quiet. Morgan was very happy with this, and wanted to test how long the command would be held after the hand sign went away, because it needed to be until the command was revoked. The idea of telling the creature to combat crawl, find cover, stay, and stay silent and then the creature following all of those commands until properly revoked was certainly a relaxing thought; it made Morgan feel like he might be safe if this was the case. The stay command, after all, was kept until revoked.
Morgan continued to work on the command, getting the creature worked up, and when it would begin making noise, Morgan would tell it to be quiet using the command, and then he would be given a treat and praise.
[4]
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