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Post by Nadia on Apr 12, 2020 17:28:56 GMT -6
And so it went, and would go until Nadia was completely satisfied. A treat was left in the houluh's line of sight, ripe for the taking without the woman's hand over it - he would undoubtedly look, sniff, get close, but her warning command would stave him off. "No, Gelert." She wouldn't shake on the firmness, even if he was starting to get the hang of it. "No. Not yours." It was a little difficult at first. He would get frustrated and yap at her, stamping his tiny paws, and it was hard to stand firm when all she wanted to do was give in. But she knew she had to stick with it and make him learn. It would make everything simpler in the long run! "No!" Eventually, the command was clear enough in his mind that he didn't look at the offering twice. "Such a good boy! You are much improved." (Gelert - 5/5 Nadia - 10/10 No, 5)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 15, 2020 15:16:33 GMT -6
The next thing to be dealt with was his tolerance. Nadia knew that it would be crucial to success at shows - if judges saw a houluh snapping and acting out, she was willing to bet her behind that they'd be turfed out. Gelert didn't look like the aggravated type, but there was no way to tell before they tried. It was all trial and error. "Right. Let me see..." She set Gelert in a standing position, and then began with her gentle inspections. As she had with Hael, she started with the front legs; she ran her hands along each leg, and lifted one paw at a time to press and spread his toes. Disgruntled, Gelert gave a little whine. "Now, now. No. None of that, you are absolutely fine." He set his ears back, but did nothing more until he got fed up of her touching his foot and yanked it from her hands. (Gelert - 1/5 Nadia - 1/10 Tolerance, 1)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 15, 2020 15:29:17 GMT -6
Nadia wasn't going to take that for an answer. Whether or not he appreciated it, Gelert would learn to deal with it - it wasn't harming him, so there was no need for him to fuss. She took back the paw and held it, lightly but firmly, for a few seconds without doing anything. Reinforcing the lesson was important. Once she was satisfied, she let him go, and shifted to his back legs. The process had to be repeated with them, too; one would be squeezed, lifted and inspected, from top to bottom, over his toes and in between. It wasn't too enjoyable for him, but he was less irritable than he had been before, now he'd experienced it a few times. "Very good, Gelert," She cooed, offering him a chunk of meat for his compliance. That definitely put him in better spirits. "We are doing very well. Sit tight for me." (Gelert - 2/5 Nadia - 2/10 Tolerance, 2)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 15, 2020 15:35:26 GMT -6
It wasn't like he had much choice. With his legs held captivate, Gelert wasn't about to run off; he had to stand there, tail drooping, and allow Nadia to continue her inspection. Speaking of which... she was creeping ever closer to that delicate back area, and he gave a warning growl, turning his head to stare at her. "Uh-uh. No!" She scolded the pup, and stroked over his back to soothe his nerves. "You are alright. Enough. I only want to see." It wasn't a pleasant sight, but she raised his stubborn tail anyway, for the sake of thoroughness. The day may come when he needed to be cleaned in that area. She also ran her hands down the back of his legs, before mentally declaring the area a success. Very impressive! A little on the grumpy side, but decent, all things told. A few more steps, and she'd be satisfied for the time being. (Gelert - 3/5 Nadia - 3/10 Tolerance, 3)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 15, 2020 15:46:56 GMT -6
The next thing on her list was some grooming. Careful not to startle Gelert, she pulled her supplies out from her bag; a hard bristle brush, a soft one, and a comb, all to be used on him. The hard bristles came first. She wouldn't be extensive with it, but she'd cover all areas quickly, getting him accustomed to the sensation. He wasn't sure about it. It was a bit scratchy, a bit abrasive - his rigid posture relaxed somewhat when she started with the soft brush instead. It brought out a lovely shine in his fur. The rich red, much like her hair, was bright in the sunlight. "Very good," She murmured, finishing up with that one and moving on to the final step. The more delicate ares of wispy fur were tackled with the comb, to rid him of any difficult knots or snags. "Excellent. What a good boy you are." (Gelert - 4/5 Nadia - 4/10 Tolerance, 4)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 15, 2020 15:55:44 GMT -6
Finally, the most daunting part. Nadia had to be careful around Gelert's mouth, even if he was just a baby - it would undoubtedly hurt her to get munched by him with those needle teeth. "Okay, darling, bear with me here..." She sat at his side, and cupped his chin. He wiggled away at first, but when she repeated her action and didn't harm him, he gave into it. "Good. Now, hold tight..." With a thumb, she pulled up his lip to examine one side of his mouth. His teeth looked healthy, with no signs of loss yet; that was still to come. He tried to pull away from her careful probing, but she wouldn't allow it. The opposite side, and then both at once, had to be done too. Once they were, she was more than happy to let him go and reward him with meat and ample pettings. "Very good. Excellent start." (Gelert - 5/5 Nadia - 5/10 Tolerance, 5)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 18, 2020 13:56:35 GMT -6
There was one more simple trick to work through before Nadia could move on to something fun. Having gone through it all with Hael, she felt more confident that they could get it done quickly - plus, puppies tended to be mobile, so teaching them to 'come' was hardly a struggle. Gelert could've proven to be a challenge, however. He was far less interested in her than Hael had been. So, distraction appeared to be the way forward with this one. Nadia pulled out a chunk of meat and laid it on the ground; it was slightly too big for him to wolf it down in one go, and gave her time to back off without him noticing. Gelert took his time even looking up from the treat as he was chewing. "Good, good," She was murmuring to herself as she got to her spot a few decent steps away. That was far enough for now. "Now... come, Gelert." (Gelert - 1/5 Nadia - 6/10 Come, 1)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 18, 2020 14:16:22 GMT -6
Gelert stared. She was further away than she had been, but it meant little to him - he was busying himself chewing up the remains of his treat. What about it? His defiant little stare threatened to make Nadia laugh, so she bit her lip to stifle it, and patted her thighs. "Come, Gelert," She cooed. "Over to me, darling. Come." It was going to take a bit more encouragement than that. In hopes of swaying him (and to stop herself cracking up at his visible disinterest), she procured another small treat and held it up for him to see. That was a game changer. "Come, Gelert!" She said clearly, and lowered the treat to within reach of the pup. That made a lot more sense. With a little huff, Gelert toddled over to accept the food he was being offered. His attitude was too cute! "Good boy. Very good come, Gelert." (Gelert - 2/5 Nadia - 7/10 Come, 2)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 18, 2020 14:25:02 GMT -6
The gap between laying the treat down and him finishing it was crucial for Nadia to make her getaway to the next point. Since he didn't know 'stay' yet, Gelert could follow her before time without her having any way to refuse him. 'No' was too vague. She didn't want him to feel like coming towards her was something he could be scolded for. Her destination was further away, that time. They'd increase in increments, until he understood what was happening; she had faith that the pieces would connect quickly. "Come, Gelert!" She called. The pup was sniffing the grass where the treat had been before he ate it - he looked at her and cocked his head, visibly puzzling together the command. "Come!" Last time had given him something good to eat. Tail held high in the air, he trotted across the field towards her, already anticipating the reward. It was smaller, though. Boo. (Gelert - 3/5 Nadia - 8/10 Come, 3)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 18, 2020 14:49:12 GMT -6
Easing the treats out of the equation was going to be a pain, considering Gelert's interest was only being maintained by them. Still, Nadia couldn't feed him up forever - as lovely as he was, it wasn't healthy for him. So, she'd have to pray he'd be distracted enough to stay put while she walked away from him. As it happened, he was. He'd sat down to give himself a good scratch; his little ear flapped as he did. Too cute. The sass and the adorable face combined was making it difficult for Nadia to stay serious. "Okay, come, Gelert," She called, but this time there was no treat to speak of. Only her patting her leg with one hand. "Come, boy! Come!" Gelert stared at her with the look of someone disgraced. Not even some food for him? "Come!" She wasn't going to stop. He gave a whine of annoyance, but rose to his feet and went over. (Gelert - 4/5 Nadia - 9/10 Come, 4)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 18, 2020 14:56:15 GMT -6
"You are a very good boy!" Nadia was sure to bend down to Gelert's level and pet him for his troubles. Despite his grumpiness, the first sign of a begrudging respect came - he wagged his tail. "Yes, I quite like you too. We'll be fast friends soon enough, won't we?" That remained to be seen. Still, they had work to do on strengthening the command. Though not pleased about not receiving any more treats, the houluh became more consistent as Nadia repeated herself; he kept his attitude, but lost the level of hesitation that he'd exhibited the first time. It was a relief. She was fine to be sassed, but him refusing to move would have been a pain. "Come, Gelert!" She said, standing on the other end of their lot, and he'd meander over. In his own good time, but still successfully. That counted as a win in her books! (Gelert - 5/5 Nadia - 10/10 Come, 5)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 18, 2020 15:05:09 GMT -6
Now, it was time for some fun! Nadia was excited to try the next parts - they were a welcome change from the more serious training she'd been doing with the houluh so far. It was a new experience for her as well as Gelert. It would require some setup, though. Gelert watched with open confusion as she began to move things around. Teaching him to jump over while he was young was either a great idea, or a terrible one; either way, she knew that it would be a hoot. When she was finished, a little wooden jump was set up. High enough for it to be a definitive jump for Gelert, but not so daunting that he wouldn't even try. Hopefully, at least. "Alright. Come, Gelert," She said, and the puppy trotted over. A chunk of meat was taken from her pack; she allowed him to sniff it, and then took a few steps backwards, drawing it in the air over the jump. "Okay. Over! Over, Gelert!" (Gelert - 1/5 Nadia - 1/10 Jump Over, 1)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 18, 2020 15:10:37 GMT -6
Gelert stared at the wooden structure with disdain. Yes, the treat was tempting, but having that thing in the way wasn't good! He sniffed at the pole, leaving a wet mark on the wood, and let out a whine. In an attempt to make things easy for himself, he darted to the side to go around - Nadia was too quick, though. "No, no," She said, standing in front of the houluh's exit and ignoring his further grunts of protest. "You must go over if you wish to have the treat. Over, Gelert! Over!" She repeated the motion, drawing the treat from his muzzle over the jump. He wasn't buying it. One stubby paw raised to bat at the pole; it rattled, and he reached forwards to close his teeth around it. "Hey, no, you terror," Nadia laughed, raising one foot to hold it in place. "No. You let that poor pole be, Gelert. No." (Gelert - 2/5 Nadia - 2/10 Jump Over, 2)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 20, 2020 16:17:32 GMT -6
It was adorable, to see Gelert try to wrestle the pole to the ground, but they had a job to do. Nadia allowed him to take a good sniff of the treat to get his focus back, and then tried going slower - she slowly pulled it away from him, letting him follow until they got to the jump. Once he was almost there, she raised it up and over, to hover it over the other side. "Over, Gelert," She repeated. The houluh whimpered, frustrated, and Nadia saw his back legs skip as if he might make an attempt. "Yes! Good! Over, Gelert! You almost had it!" She wiggled the piece of meat, hoping to tantalise him into at least giving it a go. It wouldn't do him any harm! She could always catch him if something went wrong. After another moment of deliberation, the puppy crouched, and then attempted to pounce over the hurdle. (Gelert - 3/5 Nadia - 3/10 Jump Over, 3)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 20, 2020 16:21:07 GMT -6
It was clumsy, that was for sure. Gelert's front legs clipped the pole and he came tumbling over the other side to land on his nose! Nadia was concerned, but much like a toddler, the puppy seemed to have barely noticed, and was already standing and reaching for the treat by the time she was asking if he was okay. Well, then! That was a good sign! "Good boy! Good over," She cooed, tossing him the piece of meat. "Hopefully, now you've seen it isn't scary..." It was all about breaking that first boundary down. Gelert had seen that no harm came to him through the trick - on the contrary, he'd get a treat! She halved the amount of meat to use to perform the trick again, and led him back around to the jump with it. "Over, Gelert!" She said once the treat was on the opposite side to the houluh. With greater confidence (and a better understanding of how to do it), Gelert jumped the pole. "Very good! Clever thing!" (Gelert - 4/5 Nadia - 4/10 Jump Over, 4)
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