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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 29, 2020 15:56:04 GMT -6
With tolerance to touch out of the way, Fiera decided to teach Bubbles at least one trick that relied on Fiera having to touch her, if just to make sure that Bubbles was as good at this as Fiera thought she was. She mulled it over while Bubbles ran around madly in the surrounding field, clearly happy to be free from having to hold still for so long. Fiera rubbed her chin, thinking. What would be something that would utilize the skills she had been taught, but wouldn’t be too hard for the houluh? Bubbles was still young after all, and Fiera didn’t think there was much point in trying to teach her complex tricks that she wasn’t necessarily old enough to understand or perform correctly. It was probably better to just teach her basic tricks for now. Well, what was the most basic trick that required touching your pet?
Fiera 6 Bubbles 11.1/22.1 Sit 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 29, 2020 15:56:23 GMT -6
What about sit? Fiera didn’t usually teach it to her pets as ‘stay’ usually accomplished the same function… not to mention a lot of her pets couldn’t sit. (I mean really, how were you meant to teach that to a neptica?) So despite it being a relatively simple trick, it was hardly one that Fiera was tired of yet. She checked her pockets though, and it turned out that the last trick had drained her of treats. Fiera shrugged and walked back over to her training bag, dug out another packet of treats, opened it, and stuffed it in her pocket. When she turned around to call Bubbles, she found the houluh already standing at attention right next to her. Fiera chuckled and patted her head- she supposed that solved the problem of having to call her over. Bubbles’s greatest strength: being able to smell a treat from miles away.
Fiera 7 Bubbles 11.2/22.2 Sit 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 29, 2020 16:05:41 GMT -6
Her standing up also left Fiera in the perfect position to begin training. She moved over to Bubbles’s side, leaned down, and began gently pressing at the houluh’s hips with one hand, right behind the tail. “Bubbles, sit.” She said as she continued to increase the pressure, trying to get the pup to sit down for her. If she pressed hard enough, chances are the discomfort would be enough for Bubbles to sit down, even if it was a little awkward. Sure enough, after a few seconds the weight became too much and Bubbles’s hindquarters buckled beneath her, causing her to sit despite not knowing why. Even if she didn’t necessarily understand though, Fiera still rewarded her. “Good girl, Bubbles! Good sit!” She said while offering the pup a treat, which she happily accepted, her tail stirring up miniature dust clouds from how fast it was wagging against the ground.
Fiera 8 Bubbles 11.3/22.3 Sit 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 29, 2020 16:05:58 GMT -6
The excitement over the treat caused Bubbles to stand up again though, running around while eating out of excitement, or perhaps just youthful energy. Fiera was amazed that she never choked doing that, but she could hardly judge. When she seemed to have calmed down a bit though, Fiera called her back over, tapping the ground next to her. Bubbles trotted up and Fiera told her to stay, giving the humanish a chance to return to her side again. Fiera started up again with pushing down on Bubbles’s hips and repeated the command. “Bubbles, sit.” She was expecting a lot of resistance still but to her surprise, Bubbles sat mere moments after she began applying the pressure. “...Huh. Guess you’re learning. Good sit, Bubbles!” Fiera said, tossing her another treat. She was learning this fast- Fiera suspected she wouldn’t have to touch her at all next time to get her to sit.
Fiera 9 Bubbles 11.4/22.4 Sit 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 29, 2020 16:06:15 GMT -6
When Bubbles was done with her treat, Fiera didn’t move to push on her again. Instead she stood her ground, hoping that Bubbles would understand the trick well enough to carry it out on her own this time, without Fiera’s help. “Ok Bubbles… sit!” She said, smiling. Bubbles looked at her for a moment standing in place while focusing on nothing in particular, and her smile faltered. Perhaps she had been a bit overeager, and Bubbles didn’t know the trick after all? Then, the houluh sneezed, her pause apparently because she was getting ready for that. Then she sat down, arranging her paws in front of her in a polite manner. Fiera looked at her for a moment, then laughed. “Good sit, Bubbles! Atta girl!” She said. Bubbles learning how to sit was great- though she hoped that she wouldn’t end up doing the sneezing part of the trick on the debutante showfloor.
Fiera 10 Bubbles 12.0/24.0 Sit 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:38:09 GMT -6
With sit out of the way, Fiera decided to go for something a little fancier with regards to getting Bubbles to hold a specific position now that she was capable of doing that. She was a show houluh after all- she needed to know how to sit pretty for the judges. Thankfully, Fiera had something in mind for that. Stacking was perfectly common in pet contests, and involved a pet standing and holding a specific fancy position while the judges looked them over. It required a lot of patience on the pet’s part, not to mention being able to hold a position for an extended period of time. Fiera hadn’t really thought that Bubbles would be capable of it when she first brought her into the training area, but now that she had had some training and discipline, the humanish thought that she just might be able to pull it off.
Fiera 1 Bubbles 12.1/24.1 Stack 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:38:27 GMT -6
To help her out in holding the right position, Fiera brought some stakes with her. They had wide, flat tops on them so it would be easy for the houluh to step up onto them. Once she did though, she couldn’t exactly move around much without falling off, thus forcing her to hold a specific position based on where the stakes were arranged. Fiera got to work arranging them in the positions needed, pressing them into the soft soil. They were arranged two by two, with the front paws sitting on the two in front and the back paws sitting on the two in the back. Once Fiera was sure they were properly arranged (and not too far apart or close together), she called Bubbles over. The houluh sniffed at the stakes curiously, clearly not worried about them. Fiera was glad- it would be easier to teach this to Bubbles if she wasn’t worried about it.
Fiera 2 Bubbles 12.2/24.2 Stack 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:38:44 GMT -6
Once Bubbles seemed acclimated to the stakes, Fiera gently lifted the pup up and set her down on the stakes, setting her feet to the right positions. “Good girl, Bubbles. Good stack. Now stay!” She said, holding her hands out. Bubbles looked at her awkwardly but held the position. After a few moments though, she seemed to get bored and moved her head as if she was going to walk away. “No!” Fiera said quickly, and then reiterated. “Stack. Stay, Bubbles.” The houluh looked at her again, but stayed for a little longer. Before she could stop entirely though, Fiera gave it a couple more seconds and then walked forward to hand her a treat. Bubbles rushed forward to meet her. “Good stack, Bubbles! Good girl!” She said, letting the houluh claim her treat. Not perfect, but she did stay there. It was a good first try for such a young houluh.
Fiera 3 Bubbles 12.3/24.3 Stack 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:38:58 GMT -6
When Bubbles was done, Fiera got ready to try the stack again. “Ok Bubbles, let’s stack!” She said. On some level Bubbles seemed to recognize the word, even if she didn’t understand what it meant yet, because she walked back over to the stakes. Fiera decided to try to do it without them, though- after all, she probably wouldn’t be allowed to use them in a debutante or salonne show. So instead, she sauntered over to Bubbles and gently patted her back. “Stay there, Bubbles.” She said, and then began adjusting her feet, dragging them to the correct positions until she was in stack formation. “Good stack. Stay.” She said, giving the command. Bubbles waited for several seconds, and Fiera counted them as they ticked by until she reached a point that she deemed satisfactory. “Ok good girl, good stack!” She said, clapping. Bubbles sighed with relief and loosened up.
Fiera 4 Bubbles 12.4/24.4 Stack 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:39:19 GMT -6
After she gave Bubbles another treat for good performance, Fiera was ready to give it one last try. Maybe Bubbles would even do it on command now! “Ready Bubbles?” She said, putting her hands on her hips. The houluh wagged her tail slightly, recognizing Fiera’s tone of voice. “Ok, now… stack!” She said, hoping Bubbles would follow the command. Sure enough, the houluh began shuffling her feet, getting into position and holding her head up proudly. Once she was settled, Fiera smiled and gave the second command. “Good girl. Now stay.” She said, and then walked around the houluh, pretending to examine her like a judge would. To her credit, Bubbles stayed still the whole time. Fiera smiled- looked like she would do well in a show after all. “Ok Bubbles… you’re good.” She said, and just as expected Bubbles practically tumbled out of her stance, running out into the field with all of her pent up energy. Ah well- she deserved to get some out.
Fiera 5 Bubles 13.0/26.0 Stack 5
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:39:38 GMT -6
When Bubbles finally finished tearing around the grassy field like a mad dog and looped back around to Fiera, the humanish had already decided on what to teach her next. Bubbles certainly had a lot of energy- that seemed to be her main characteristic trait, in fact. Why not use it for a trick? She had been able to burn off a bit of extra energy while learning ‘come’, but Fiera figured that another active trick couldn’t hurt. In fact, she’d probably enjoy it! Bubbles came skidding to a stop in front of Fiera, clearly excited about that look in Fiera’s eye- the one that usually indicated she was going to be taught something. “Ready, Bubbles? Let’s get started, hm?” She said, smiling slyly. She had a pretty good idea of what she was going to teach the juvenile houluh already- ‘follow’ was a pretty common trick to teach pets.
Fiera 6 Bubbles 13.1/26.1 Follow 1
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:40:05 GMT -6
Learning how to follow her owner could help Bubbles in the show ring too, now that Fiera thought about it. It wasn’t uncommon for the owners of houluh to do a loop around the stage with their pet, showing off the quality of their houluh to the audience as well as the judges. Some of them were quite skilled at it, following at their owner’s heels without missing a beat, but Fiera would at least like to get the basics of it down. It shouldn’t be too hard- where there was treats, there was Bubbles. Speaking of treats, she got one out and held it up, getting ready to get Bubbles started by using a trick she already knew. “Bubbles, come!” She said, making sure she had the houluh’s attention. Bubbles’s ears pricked and she immediately began trotting over to her owner, always happy to complete a trick to get a treat.
Fiera 7 Bubble 13.2/26.2 Follow 2
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:40:19 GMT -6
Instead of holding still so her houluh could reach her though, Fiera started moving the goalposts. By that she meant that she began backing up. She still held the treat out in front of her and encouraged Bubbles to come closer, but she was moving away from Bubbles as quickly as the houluh could catch up with her. Soon, Fiera switched from ‘come’ to the new command. “Follow, Bubbles! That’s it, follow!” She said as the pup trotted along behind her, though her frustration was growing. Eventually, she just upped her pace and ran up to Fiera before the humanish could adjust her own to match, snapping at the treat. “Woah! Ok, then.” Fiera said, moving her hand out of the way just in time. She dropped the treat down to Bubbles, placating her before she could get too upset. “Good follow, Bubbles. Maybe we should give it another try though, eh?” She said.
Fiera 8 Bubbles 13.3/26.3 Follow 3
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:40:36 GMT -6
When Bubbles finished eating the treat, Fiera got out another one. This time, she didn’t bother tricking Bubbles with ‘come’ first- she was probably starting to get the idea by this point anyway. She’d only need the treat. “Bubbles, follow!” Fiera called, waving the new treat in front of the houluh’s face. Bubbles yapped and began trotting after Fiera. Her owner took the opportunity to start walking away again. Bubbles seemed… more patient this time. Perhaps she knew that Fiera was planning on giving her the treat now, so she didn’t have to go chase it. As a result, Fiera took the opportunity to walk more normally instead of backing away, keeping the treat by her side instead of directly in Bubbles’s field of vision- she was sure that the houluh could smell it anyway. After about two dozen feet Fiera stopped again, happy with their progress as of now.
Fiera 9 Bubbles 13.4/26.4 Follow 4
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Post by Fiera Ferella on Mar 31, 2020 10:40:52 GMT -6
“Good girl, Bubbles! Good follow!” She said, tossing the houluh the treat. She happily snapped it out of the air, gnashing it between her teeth. As she ate, Fiera rubbed her hands together- this next part would be the final test for Bubbles. Would she do it without the treat? There was only one way to find out. “Ok Bubbles…” She said when the houluh was paying attention again, licking the last crumbs from her chops. “Follow!” She said, and began walking away. She kept her ears pricked, and… sure enough, she heard the sound of puppy paws crunching through the grass behind her. A quick glance confirmed that Bubbles was indeed following her, even without the offer of a treat. Fiera sighed with relief- that was one more thing she could trust her pet to do on the show floor. It also meant that they were nearly done with training for her debutante show, too!
Fiera 10 Bubbles 14.0/27.0 Follow 5
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