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Bite Me
Oct 2, 2020 19:12:06 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 2, 2020 19:12:06 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Sit - 2]
That had worked better than expected, the article had mentioned it might take a few tries before the pup sat from leaning back, but Macchiato was rather energetic, and the excitable pup had overbalanced on the first go. "Good pup!" he gave her the treat now, and the puppy gobbled it up. She didn't stay sitting for long though, and as soon as the treat was eaten, popped back up.
Nerius took out another treat, again slowly moving it back over the puppy's head, just out of reach. This time though, she half spun to follow it, instead of sitting. Oh well, it was too much to expect for the puppy to sit perfectly every time, so he stepped around to be in front of the houluh, and moved the treat backwards again. This time, the pup overbalanced again, and flopped into a sitting position. Nerius was watching for this, and just before she landed, called, "Sit!"
(Nerius: 1/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 2, 11/15 | Lyl: 4, 11/15)
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Bite Me
Oct 2, 2020 19:52:04 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 2, 2020 19:52:04 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Sit - 3]
She didn't understand yet, of course, but Nerius gave her the treat and praise. At least it was an easy behavior to trigger, though he wouldn't have thought of this particular technique on his own. He wondered if it might not work so well on less energetic critters, but worked well enough for this particular pup.
So he continued using the technique, and repeated the process, moving the treat back just out of reach, encouraging the pup to lean back until she dropped into a sitting position. At first, it didn't work every time, sometimes she'd spin around to the side, or try to jump up to grab it, but when she did drop into a sitting position, he'd give the command 'sit'. Nerius continued this until the pup was consistently leaning backwards into a sitting position. That didn't mean a whole lot for the success of the training though, what he really needed was for her to sit in response to the word.
(Nerius: 2/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 2, 12/15 | Lyl: 4, 12/15)
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Bite Me
Oct 3, 2020 19:26:59 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 3, 2020 19:26:59 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Sit - 4]
Hopefully the action would be linked to the word by now, but there was only one way to find out. Without using a treat as encouragement, Nerius told the pup "Sit!" Macchiato wagged her tail, but didn't take a seat. Not ideal, but not entirely unexpected. Nerius took out a treat, and held it up where the puppy could see it, but didn't move it over her head. "Sit!" he tried again, and this time the pup did, expecting that it would be moved over her head as it had been before.
"Good pup!" Nerius praised her, and gave the treat. It was similar to what he had before with teaching her to respond to her name, specifically, acting like he was holding a treat, even when he really wasn't. He repeated it a few more times, giving the command while holding a treat, but not moving it in a way that actually encouraged her to sit.
(Nerius: 3/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 2, 13/15 | Lyl: 4, 13/15)
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Bite Me
Oct 3, 2020 19:37:09 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 3, 2020 19:37:09 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Sit - 5]
Once she was doing that consistently, it was time to take away the visible treat. He'd still give her a reward, but he didn't want the pup only responding if he was holding food. "Sit!" he gave the command with an empty hand, and though it took a few seconds, the pup did eventually sit. "Good pup!" he praised her, taking out a treat and giving it to the puppy.
Once she was done eating, he gave the command again, "Maki, sit!" The pup sat down more quickly this time, and was given a treat and praise. Nerius repeated the command a few more times to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and the pup sat down consistently. She seemed to understand what she was supposed to do now, but he had wanted to make sure it stuck. He was fairly sure they were done now, but he decided to give the pup a break before moving on to something else.
(Nerius: 4/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 2, 14/15 | Lyl: 4, 14/15)
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Bite Me
Oct 4, 2020 20:41:26 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 4, 2020 20:41:26 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Come - 1]
This would probably be the last trick for the day, he didn't want to overload the pup with too much at once, but he did want to teach her to come when called. He stood up, and stretched, the pup was so small he'd needed to, and would still need to, lean down to reach. Nerius took a step back, which was several steps for the puppy, held up a treat where she could see, and called, "Maki, come!"
The pup looked up when she heard her name, and seeing the treat, trotted over. "Good pup!" Nerius gave her the treat, and a pat on the head. Pets weren't usually something he used as a reward for his critters, but the houluh seemed to like it, and wagged her tail. While the puppy ate, he took the opportunity to step backward again. He didn't go far, the pup was so small he had to increase the distance in very small increments.
(Nerius: 5/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 3, 15/20 | Lyl: 6, 15/20)
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Bite Me
Oct 4, 2020 21:02:28 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 4, 2020 21:02:28 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Come - 2]
"Maki," he called the pup's name, though she was already somewhat paying attention to him, hoping for more treats. She wasn't disappointed, as he held up another and called "Come!" Macchiato was really only interested in the food, but she walked over all the same. "Good pup!" Nerius gave the puppy the treat once she arrived, as well as a few pets.
Again, he walked backwards, and almost tripped over a rock this time. He was always afraid something like that would happen, though at least he managed to not actually fall. Still, he had a concerned pup trot over to him... or maybe she wanted to play, it was hard to tell. Either way, he still needed distance between himself and the pup, and walked back again, this time keeping an eye out for anything he might trip over. He managed to avoid any obstacles this time, and called, "Maki, come!"
(Nerius: 6/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 3, 16/20 | Lyl: 6, 16/20)
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Bite Me
Oct 4, 2020 21:27:14 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 4, 2020 21:27:14 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Come - 3]
He held up a treat at the same time, which the puppy spotted, and encouraged her to walk to him. "Good pup!" he praised the houluh, giving her the treat. Nerius let the puppy eat her treat, before repeating this several more times, slowly increasing the distance he'd walk before holding up a treat and calling her. Macchiato consistently walked over, but that wasn't saying too much, as he had visible food, and there wasn't a whole lot else going on in the area as a distraction.
He was still only having the puppy walk a few feet, but that was a long way for such a small critter. He'd need to increase the distance more later, but first he wanted to get her to come without having to show a treat first. Nerius had used this trick before many times, and likely would use it more in the future, and held up an empty hand as if holding a treat.
(Nerius: 7/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 3, 17/20 | Lyl: 6, 17/20)
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Bite Me
Oct 4, 2020 21:35:20 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 4, 2020 21:35:20 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Come - 4]
"Maki, come!" he called, and the pup, expecting food as many had before, walked over to him without looking too close. Once she reached him, Nerius showed that he wasn't holding anything, but praised the pup, and took out and gave her a treat, as well as a pet on the head. He wasn't sure if she'd realized he hadn't been holding anything, but the wagging tail suggested she was happy with her reward either way.
Nerius let the pup eat, and walked away from her again. He didn't increase the distance this time, as his goal this time was to call her without holding up even an empty hand. "Maki, come!" he called, and the pup did walk over, though not with as much excitement as she had when there'd been visible food. "Good pup!" he praised her, giving a second treat as an extra bonus for responding to the word alone.
(Nerius: 8/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 3, 18/20 | Lyl: 6, 18/20)
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Bite Me
Oct 4, 2020 21:48:18 GMT -6
Post by Nerius on Oct 4, 2020 21:48:18 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Come - 5]
He let the puppy have her snack, and walked a few steps away again, though not any farther than before. "Maki, come!" he called, and the pup trotted over with a bit more enthusiasm this time. Nerius praised her, and gave treats, as well as head pets.
He continued to do this, walking away then calling the pup, slowly increasing the distance until the puppy was consistently returning to him even when he was about twenty feet away. That was a long distance for the small puppy, and Nerius could tell she was getting tired by the end. Puppies: full of energy, right until they passed out, or so he'd heard. True or not, he was satisfied with the progress they had made today, and felt confident that she'd learned what she had been supposed to. Nerius decided to take her back to the kennel for the day, scooping up and carrying the tired pup.
[--IC day change--]
(Nerius: 9/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 3, 19/20 | Lyl: 6, 19/20)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 1:19:05 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 1]
It was a few days since he'd last brought Macchiato to the park, between wanting to give her a break, and having other responsibilities, he hadn't returned immediately. He was also out unusually early, so early in fact that it was still dark. Nerius had noticed the pup wasn't very comfortable when it was dark, she'd whine when the lights were totally out, and didn't really want to pay attention to commands.
Nerius didn't want her to ignore him just because it was dark, not to mention he didn't want the pup to be scared for no real reason. So he'd decided to head out while it was still dark, and was currently carrying Macchiato. She was on a leash, but she hadn't wanted to walk along with him once she saw it was dark outside the building, so he'd needed to carry her the entire way, thankfully the pup was small and light.
(Nerius: 10/10 +Added!) (Macchiato: Lv: 4, 20/25 | Lyl: 8, 20/25)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 1:28:13 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 2]
Every so often, she'd glance around, but for the most part she hid in his arms. Nerius allowed this, if she was able to feel more safe with him, that would make it easier to help acclimate her to the darkness. There was no way he'd be able to find the exact spot he'd trained the pup last time, but any open area that was reasonably dark would do. There were streetlights every so often along the main road, but off into the plots themselves it got much darker.
There! That area would do, it was free of large rocks or plants, as far as he could tell, as it was also dark enough he couldn't see much more that basic shapes. He decided not to start in the absolute darkest area, and stopped in an area that was still dimly lit, and gently set down the pup. They'd work up to the darker parts later.
(Nerius: 1/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 4, 21/25 | Lyl: 8, 21/25)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 1:51:15 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 3]
Macchiato still didn't like being set down here, even if it wasn't totally dark, and whined, putting her front paws up against his leg. "It's alright Maki," he tried to soothe the pup, gently lifting her off his leg, and setting her paws back on the ground, before taking a seat in the grass himself. She took this opportunity to climb onto his lap, which he permitted for the moment, though he did hope to get the pup comfortable enough to not stick to him like glue.
"You're safe, nothing is going to get you," Nerius continued to try to reassure the pup, petting her as she cured up on his leg. She clearly didn't want to explore or anything, but he didn't rush the pup, and just continued to pet, and talk soothingly to the young houluh. Slowly, she uncurled, relaxing a little, and actually trying to look around a little, though made no move to explore on her own.
(Nerius: 2/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 4, 22/25 | Lyl: 8, 22/25)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 2:00:38 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 4]
Nerius wasn't going to force that, but he had brought along something (other than food!) to encourage the pup. He'd brought her favorite squeaky toy, it was an off brand one, not one of the nice ones from Playful Pup, and he couldn't tell what avian pet it was supposed to represent, but Macchiato didn't seem to mind.
He took out the toy, holding it just to the side of the pup, and squeaked it, drawing her attention. He squeaked it a few more times, and that resulted in a tiny tail wag. "This one's your favorite," he brought the toy close enough for Macchiato to sniff, which she did, and wagged her tail just a little more. After letting her check it out for a moment, he moved it just out of the pup's reach, though not so far that she'd have to hop off his leg to reach it.
(Nerius: 3/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 4, 23/25 | Lyl: 8, 23/25)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 2:10:57 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 5]
She wobbly stood up, and followed the toy. Somewhat to his surprise, she awkwardly hopped off, but he supposed it was easier for a puppy to walk across grass than on a person. "Good job Maki," he encouraged the pup, and decided to give her a treat. For once, food bribes weren't his main method of training something, but he figured a few edible rewards would only make the experience better for the pup. Macchiato hadn't been expecting it, but ate the treat, temporarily distracted from the toy.
Once she was done though, he squeaked it again, recapturing the puppy's attention. The pup wagged her tail, a little less hesitantly than before, and was actually willing to play. At first, she wasn't quite as excited as she usually was, but as he played with the puppy, she became more comfortable. Nerius gave her a treat every so often, and over time, she returned to playing how she usually did.
(Nerius: 4/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 4, 24/25 | Lyl: 8, 24/25)
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Post by Nerius on Oct 5, 2020 3:59:22 GMT -6
[Macchiato - Accept Darkness - 6]
He played with the pup for a while, until she seemed comfortable in the dim lighting, and a bit of her energy had burned off. He didn't want to stop the playtime until she was ready, the more fun he could make the experience the better, but eventually she grew tired of the toy, and flopped down into the grass. Nerius let her have a break, and once she was no longer paying attention to the toy, put it away.
Macchiato was still on the lead, and after giving the pup a bit of a rest, stood up, brushing off any excess grass. The pup saw this, and stood up as well, but otherwise stayed put. Nerius started walking away from the streetlights, into the darker area of the park. "Maki, come!" he called, seeing the pup hadn't yet started to move, and at first, she walked after him without any hesitation.
(Nerius: 5/10) (Macchiato: Lv: 5, 25/30 | Lyl: 10, 25/30)
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