|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:45:43 GMT -6
Fiera was back at the public park, this time with a houluh in tow. Unusually though, it wasn’t one of her own. Red was… well, red in color, with white patches decorating his body, and he was bobbing around warily at Fiera’s side. He had been given to her only temporarily by a person named Jack- another one of her ‘training for credits’ deals. Her payment was a bit different this time though. Instead of credits, she was being paid in breedables, and she had a rare female pachee with beautiful wings waiting for her on Red’s return. As a result, it was in Fiera’s best interest to get Red’s training done as quickly and carefully as possible. Predictably however, the houluh didn’t seem to trust her too much. This made sense, she supposed. She was a complete stranger after all, and Red had been handed over to her just earlier that day.
Fiera 6 Red 6.1/0.1 Follow 1
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:46:12 GMT -6
To help alleviate Red’s anxiety, Fiera decided to pick a nice simple trick first, to help get his nerves down. Nothing that would require too much touching or grabbing, and nothing that would stress him out. To held Red along, Fiera had brought some meaty treats with her, currently stuffed in her jacket pocket. She had yet to meet a houluh that didn’t like them, and hopefully Red wasn’t an exception to the rule. Fiera also had the list of tricks to be trained in her pocket, and she gave it a quick glance. What about… follow? The pup already knew ‘come’, so it wouldn’t be too hard to upgrade that to following her consistently. She wouldn’t have to touch him to do it either. Perfect. She led Red into one of the fenced off areas of the training grounds, spots set aside for trainers to let their pets off of the leash without them getting away.
Fiera 7 Red 6.2/0.2 Follow 2
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:46:35 GMT -6
Once they were in, Fiera closed the gate and unhooked Red’s leash, letting him get to know the area. They had had a thaw recently, but there were still patches of snow on the ground that the houluh juvenile seemed eager to sniff through. Fiera let him for a moment, until he was far enough away that she figured she could begin the trick. “Red!” She called, getting his attention. “Come!” She said, giving him a trick he already knew, and held up a treat to encourage him. He sniffed the air, no doubt picking up on its scent, and trotted over. Once he got close though, Fiera began backing away. “Good boy, Red! Follow!” She said, introducing him to his new trick. He was obligated to walk after her, especially if he wanted the treat. He barked quietly, but still trotted after her, following her for a couple feet.
Fiera 8 Red 6.3/0.3 Follow 3
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:46:50 GMT -6
“Good boy, Red! Good follow!” She said, slowing to a stop and allowing Red to take the treat from her hand. An excellent first try. She gave him a few seconds to chew and swallow before getting ready to try again. She secretly grabbed another treat, palming it. Then, she began backing away again. “Red, follow!” She said, but the houluh didn’t move. She sighed briefly, and then called out again. “Come!” She said, and Red started trotting. Then, she kept giving the new command every few feet. “Follow! Come on Red, follow! There’s a good boy, follow me!” SShe said, and even though he couldn’t see or smell the treat, he kept on padding after her, his tail wagging wildly at this new game. Finally, after she had dragged him around for about twenty feet, she stopped and tossed him the treat. “Good follow, Red! Let’s keep it up, hm?”
Fiera 9 Red 6.4/0.4 Follow 4
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:47:08 GMT -6
After that one, Fiera didn’t get out another treat. She wanted to see if Red would obey the command without the possibility of getting fed. He seemed pretty excited about this trick though, so hopefully it would work. Fiera began backing away. “Ok Red… follow!” She said. Red had a little hesitation, but as Fiera retreated, he put one paw forward. And then another. “Yes, yes!” Fiera said under her breath. Then, he started trotting after her, and Fiera turned around so he could follow her properly. He happily walked next to her, his ears perked up in delight as they paced the perimeter of the training area. After they had made it halfway around, Fiera stopped. “You’re such a good boy, Red! You did it!” She said. Despite his earlier anxieties the exercise seemed to have calmed Red down some, as he was now wagging his tail as hard as possible. Fiera was glad- they’d need that enthusiasm for tricks to come.
Fiera 10 Red 7.0/2.0 Follow 5
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:47:36 GMT -6
Now that Red was a little more used to her, Fiera decided that they could try some more touchy tricks. Nothing too extreme, such as making Red hold some bizarre position, but just some gentle adjustments. He’d need to get used to touching in general after all, if he was going to be a show houluh. Jack hadn’t mentioned her intentions for Red to Fiera other than breeding him, but she knew full well that Jack would need to at least do a debutante show with Red as the star for that to happen. The houluh breeders association didn’t allow the breeding of any pet that they hadn’t personally seen, after all. Well, when Fiera was done with him, she was sure that Red would be the belle of the ball, so to speak. She had never failed in training a houluh before, and she wasn’t about to start now.
Fiera 1 Red 7.1/2.1 Sit 1
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:47:52 GMT -6
To ease Red into being touched, she had picked a simple move. Sit seemed to be one of the staples for all pets to learn, a basic obedience training and a sign for the judges that Red knew his basic commands. It also generally required placing pressure on a houluh’s hips. Now that Red was calmer he should be ok with that, and it would make a nice segue for more complicated moves in the future. Fiera approached Red, fingering the treats in her pocket. He seemed happy to see her after the brief break they took after training ‘follow’. The time for rest was over now, though. Fiera was ready to begin his training anew, and she kneeled down next to him. The young houluh immediately took the opportunity to sniff her head and hair, and she tried to keep a straight face as he sneezed directly in her ear.
Fiera 2 Red 7.2/2.2 Sit 2
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:48:09 GMT -6
Gross, she thought as she pinned that ear back. She couldn’t let it distract her though, and she reached out to begin the trick. “Sit.” She said, placing her hand on his hips and pushing down. “Sit, Red.” She repeated. He seemed confused but didn’t run away, though his legs were trembling with the effort of keeping himself upright. She sighed, and gently tapped at the back of his knees, trying to encourage them to bend. Eventually, he could take the weight of her arm no longer and his haunches collapsed, forcing the houluh into a sitting position. Fiera immediately took her hands away, going for her pocket. She pulled out a treat and offered it to him, and despite his previous confusion, the houluh was happy to eat from her hand. “Good sit, Red!” She said happily, and stroked his head. He stood back up again to get a better angle, and Fiera was just fine with that.
Fiera 3 Red 7.3/2.3 Sit 3
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:48:24 GMT -6
It gave her a new opportunity to get him to sit, after all. When Red was finished licking the last traces of food from the humanish’s hand, she was able to return them to the back of his hips once more. “Red, sit.” She commanded, pressing down again. He didn’t budge again, even with Fiera’s gentle encouragements, but she noticed that it took him far less time for his legs to collapse again, only needing gentle pressure on the top of his hips this time. She still had to press on him, but it took far less encouragement for him to do what she wanted. He seemed to be getting the hang of it! She was quick to give him praise and treats again, not wanting the houluh to backslide or miss the point of the trick. With any luck, the pair of them would have this one knocked out quickly.
Fiera 4 Red 7.4/2.4 Sit 4
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Feb 26, 2020 10:48:43 GMT -6
When it didn’t look like Red was getting up again though, Fiera shuffled over a few steps, which encouraged him to walk over to her, bringing him out of the sitting position in the process. Perfect. Now, hopefully… “Red, sit!” She said, pointing at him. He only looked at her for a moment, and Fiera wondered if she’d have to press him down again. Then, slowly but surely, he lowered himself to the ground, looking to Fiera for approval. She only smiled, and that seemed to be enough for him, as he finished flopping his back half onto the ground. “Great job, Red! You did so good!” She said, and rubbed his head eagerly. A few more tries, and he was doing it with no hesitation at all. He was picking these tricks up fast- as far as she knew, they’d be done in no time at all. Especially with how happy he was to learn.
Fiera 5 Red 8.0/4.0 Sit 5
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 1, 2020 17:56:48 GMT -6
Two tricks down, four to go. Red was a clever pup, that was for sure. The sun was bright overhead now, slowly melting away the snow. If she was lucky, spring would come soon and she’d be able to train a lot more often. Winter was a miserable season to train in- she could only really do the hardiest pets. The rest of her menagerie was obligated to stay at home, as the poor weather would prove too distracting for them. That wasn’t so for Red- he seemed like a very eager to please creature so far. Despite his short coat, the cold barely phased him, and if anything he found the patches of ice and mud fun to play in. She cringed as he splashed through another mud puddle- she’d definitely have to give him a rinse before returning him to Jack. It was fine for now though, as he clearly found it very entertaining.
Fiera 6 Red 8.1/4.1 No 1
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 1, 2020 17:57:04 GMT -6
This next trick wasn’t going to make him too happy though, if the experience with her other pets was any indicator. The concept of ‘No’ was a vital trick in pet training. Teaching a pet a trick, and action to do, was one thing, but teaching them to resist an urge was another entirely. Still, if a pet was going to have any manners, such tricks were important. It wouldn’t be the last of his ‘don’t do that’ tricks either, so he would just have to suck it up and deal with it. To help him learn, Fiera had her meat flavored treats with her, perfectly flavored and strong smelling. Needless to say, they would be quite enticing to the houluh. There was a catch though- he’d have to wait until she let him have them before he could eat. Most pets didn’t like that, but… well… that was the trick.
Fiera 7 Red 8.2/4.2 No 2
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 1, 2020 17:57:19 GMT -6
Fiera put one of the treats in her palm, and let Red see it. The houluh quickly trotted closer, the smell wafting to his nose, and Fiera pointed at the speck of food. “Red, no.” She said firmly, and the houluh juvie tilted his head at the new command. It didn’t stop him for too long, though. He soon dove forward at the treat, meaning to grab it. Fiera snapped her hands closed around it, and the puppy got nothing but a mouthful of glove. “No.” She repeated, and waited. The houluh whined and pawed at her hand, but she didn’t relent. His cries increased in volume, but trying to get that treat by begging was like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. At least, it was when Fiera was the one holding the treat. Eventually Red seemed to give up, flopping on the ground in a muddy heap.
Fiera 8 Red 8.3/4.3 No 3
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 1, 2020 17:57:36 GMT -6
That was precisely what Fiera wanted of course, and she opened her hand up again. “Thatta boy, Red! Good no!” She said, and held the treat out to him. Despite the dramatics, Red seemed to recover from his despair immediately, and leapt up. The piece of meaty food was gone in an instant, before Fiera could even blink. She chuckled at the sensation of sharp puppy teeth on her hand, and took it back before he could take a finger as well. While Red chewed and swallowed, Fiera got out another treat. “Ok Red, let’s do this again. No.” She said, pointing at the treat again. Red crept toward it, and Fiera repeated the command. He stopped for a moment… and then kept creeping. “Red, NO.” Fiera said, and closed her hand again. Once more, Red whined with disappointment and looked away, wagging his tail slowly in a bored manner.
Fiera 9 Red 8.4/4.4 No 4
|
|
|
Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 1, 2020 17:57:55 GMT -6
Fiera gave it a minute or so, and then opened her hand again. “Ok, good boy Red. Good no.” She said, and Red’s wagging picked up the pace as he snatched the treat from her. She immediately went back to her pocket for another one. He seemed to be getting the idea, but she wanted to give it one more go to see if he could get it down pat. “Ok Red.” She said, setting the treat on the ground this time. “No.” She said, pointing at it. Red immediately sat down, looking at it but not moving. After a few moments, he lifted one paw. “No.” Fiera said again, and he stopped, putting it back down. The seconds dragged by almost painfully, but neither of them moved. “...Ok, Red. Good j-” Fiera tried to say to release him from the trick, but Red moved faster than she could even finish the sentence, snatching the treat up the moment he suspected it was ok to do so. Well… good enough, as they’d say.
Fiera 10 Red 9.0/6.0 No 5
|
|