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Post by Nadia on Apr 21, 2020 17:45:06 GMT -6
It took plenty of definitive repetition to take the treats away, and even more to do away with the hand gesture. It was always helpful at the beginning, but Nadia was finding the motions to be confusing to her companions - she was going to try thinking of a way to make her point without them. Laying down didn't appear to be Gelert's favourite trick, and he was not shy of being grumpy about it. Without the food to motivate him, he huffed and sighed, dragging his paws about laying down whenever he was asked. Still, it didn't matter how much attitude he was giving - only that he was doing what he was told. "Lay down, Gelert!" She said, both hands in her lap with no treats offered. He stared at her for a moment, seemingly asking if it was really necessary, before giving in and flopping down. "There we go! Very good." (Gelert - 5/5 Nadia - 10/10 Lay Down, 5)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 25, 2020 17:50:04 GMT -6
The next task was, in Nadia's mind, less the teaching of a trick and more a battle with Gelert's will. He adapted to her invasive touches during the tolerance training well, but she had a feeling that he'd be less than keen about wearing things. The independent little soul wouldn't be happy about being weighed down. Still, it was a good skill for what she intended for him in the long run, and if she had to fall out with him for a little while to make it happen, then she could live with that. It was a lovely harness, too - dark brown to complement his bright fur. To begin with, she simply allowed him to sniff the straps, so he could see that it was no threat to him. She laid it on the ground first, letting him go to it on his own terms. A new object was always a source of curiosity for a puppy. (Gelert - 1/5 Nadia - 1/10 Wear Harness, 1)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 25, 2020 18:46:58 GMT -6
The next step was to pick it up. Gelert's ears pushed back, unsettled by the jangling noises, but Nadia held it out to him to let him explore it and show him that it was no concern. His inquisitive nose sniffed over the material, under the straps, and he then exhaled. Nothing to report. It wasn't moving, or making any more sounds, so it couldn't be that bad. That was as good a sign as any to move on. Nadia was gentle as she draped it over his back, allowing him to feel the weight of it without attaching anything. Unsurprisingly, he took little time in shaking it off. That was okay. They could work in increments. She picked it up from where it had fallen onto the grass and laid it over him again, this time distracting him with a small treat and some praising words. If he could forget about it, then it would prove to him to be harmless. (Gelert - 2/5 Nadia - 2/10 Wear Harness, 2)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 27, 2020 20:56:21 GMT -6
Gelert didn’t love the presence of something on him, but was rather easily distracted with pettings for the first few moments. After that, though, he got antsy again. He turned his head to sniff at the harness - that was fine, it would help him get used to it. When he opened his mouth, though, Nadia stepped in. “No, Gelert,” She told him firmly. “You leave it alone.” So, he begrudgingly allowed it to stay in place. It wasn’t hurting him, at least, and he was still getting fuss, so... it wasn’t that bad. The true test would follow, as Nadia drew closer to begin clipping and tightening the straps around his body. She began with the one over his chest, hoping that its easily accessible location would make it quicker for her to comfort him if he became anxious. With a snap, the buckle closed over him. (Gelert - 3/5 Nadia - 3/10 Wear Harness, 3)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 27, 2020 21:01:48 GMT -6
Gelert was visibly nonplussed, but did nothing to cause Nadia any concern. That was good. The tolerance training had doubtless helped in this matter, but her hands weren’t constantly on him in that case - the harness would stay on, even if he wanted to shake it off. She took advantage of his calmness to continue on her mission. Click, click, click. She buckled things into place, loosely for the time being, murmuring words of praise as she went and petting his ears between each one. He was doing marvellously. All things considered, with his independent personality, she had expected greater resistance. “Good boy,” She murmured. Once everything was settled, she went back to tighten them up - this was less pleasant for him, and he gave a whine, shaking his body in the hopes of dislodging it. “No, no. It is all alright, Gelert, shh. You are doing an excellent job.” (Gelert - 4/5 Nadia - 4/10 Wear Harness, 4)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 27, 2020 21:06:50 GMT -6
At last, the harness was clipped in place and tightened sufficiently. It held Gelert, but still had room enough for Nadia to slip fingers underneath - there would be no discomfort on her watch, thank you! After rewarding him with a treat for his patience, she allowed him a few moments to become accustomed to wearing it. He rolled, seemingly surprised when it didn’t come off him, and shook a few more times. Nothing. “There, you see? Nothing so terrible,” Nadia cooed, and then stood up. “Shall we go for a walk with it on?” She attached a leash to the harness, and took him for a stroll around the area. The pressure on his chest was unusual, but not painful - besides, he was plenty distracted with other things as they went, and had forgotten all about it soon enough. Perfect. That was exactly the outcome she had been hoping for. (Gelert - 5/5 Nadia - 5/10 Wear Harness, 5)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 28, 2020 14:16:18 GMT -6
There was a new tactic in hand for the tricks coming up next. Nadia wasn't sure how effective it would be, but she was willing to give it a go - keeping it fresh for Gelert was important to stop him getting bored. It was a peculiar looking contraption that was essentially a ball on a stick. She allowed him to take a good look (and sniff) at it before they begun. "Look, this may seem silly, but..." She pointed at the rounded end. "I will put some tasty paste on this end... peanut butter, I think I have... and it should encourage you to go where I point it. Somewhat of a magic wand." Right, it was about time to start. She coated the ball in some of her peanut butter - gosh, it smelled delicious, she was almost jealous - and waved it in the air in front of Gelert. The houluh followed it with his eyes. (Gelert - 1/5 Nadia - 6/10 Leap, 1)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 16:21:41 GMT -6
At first, Nadia kept the stick low. The purpose was to get him interested in it, and willing to reach for it - if he knew it had a treat, then he would try for it. Gelert’s nose was instantly dotted with peanut butter, and he lapped it up eagerly. More? She took the opportunity to raise the stick by little increments, so he had to stretch his neck up. Bit by bit, it came further up, until he was stretching to the limits that he could manage on four paws. Then, it kept going. The houluh appeared puzzled. It stayed still, meaning it could be gotten to if he could figure out how… Gelert used Nadia’s knees as support to stand on his back legs, but as he did, she pulled her stick higher. Drat. There was no way he could get to it all the way up there! “Jump, Gelert!” She said. “Jump!” (Gelert - 2/5 Nadia - 7/10 Leap, 2)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 16:25:36 GMT -6
There was healthy reservation on his part. With four paws back on the ground, Gelert saw no feasible way of getting there - he barked, his tail lashing back and forth, but nothing happened. Nadia kept coaxing, wiggling the stick in place. He was a big lover of peanut butter. "Jump, Gelert! You can do it!" She cooed. The puppy made a shy hop, as if he was considering a jump, and she beamed, lowering her contraption down to let him have a lick as a reward. "Yes! Good! A little more this time, okay?" He had only managed to get a sliver of the treat before it was taken back out of his grip. It was frustration more than anything that drove him to keep trying. The little bounce turned into a spring, taking him a decent distance off the ground and towards his goal. When Nadia happily rewarded him with more butter, the dots began to connect. (Gelert - 3/5 Nadia - 8/10 Leap, 3)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 16:30:06 GMT -6
It was sort of funny, to see Gelert leap in the air like that. Considering he was so small, he didn't exactly get huge airtime, but the way his ears flapped made Nadia laugh. He was on the right lines. If they kept at it and directed him correctly, he'd be finding it easy in no time. "Jump, Gelert!" With a fresh layer of peanut butter applied, she returned the stick to its position above Gelert's head. Standing on his back paws was not quite enough to achieve it - he'd have to make the bounce. "Jump! Jump!" The further they went, the more amusement the houluh found in the leaping around. He was far more enthusiastic after getting used to the premise; he found it to be like a game! He began to bark in excitement as he went up each time. Nadia was happy to reward him for being keen! (Gelert - 4/5 Nadia - 9/10 Leap, 4)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 16:33:53 GMT -6
The stick had to be weaned out of the situation to make sure Gelert wasn't reliant on it. Seeing it being put away was a little disappointing to him - he'd been enjoying that peanut butter - but all was forgiven when it was replaced with a treat, shown to him by Nadia before being closed up in her fist. "Jump, Gelert," She asked. The houluh looked uncertain, shifting from paw to paw, without the guidance of the stick. "It's okay, dearest. You can do it, I've got you. Jump!" Hearing her encouraging tone was beneficial. Even if Gelert didn't know what she was saying, he could understand how it was being said, and it made his tail wag. From it, he found the courage to try a bounce into the empty air. When the treat was tossed to him, he could be satisfied in the knowledge that he'd done everything correctly! (Gelert - 5/5 Nadia - 10/10 Leap, 5)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 17:25:03 GMT -6
While they were on the jumping tricks, it was worth moving on to something that was linked. Gelert wouldn't need to leap randomly for this one - there would be a point to it, which Nadia found simpler in the long run. The stick could be discarded for the time being. Instead was a series of boxes, each one slightly bigger than the one before. "Okay..." She got herself another treat for Gelert, hoping he hadn't filled up on the peanut buttery goodness, and showed it to him. "Now, bear with me here, dearest." The treat started its journey right in front of the houluh's nose, so he could get the scent. Then, he followed as it traveled towards the smallest box. Nadia hovered it above the box, and patted it with her free hand. "Up, Gelert! Jump up!" She hoped that tapping the surface would make it clear what she was driving at. "Up!" (Gelert - 1/5 Nadia - 1/10 Jump Up, 1)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 17:29:23 GMT -6
Perhaps training 'leap' beforehand was a good idea, because Gelert seemed to cotton on very quickly. As Nadia continued to gesture, he stood up on his hind legs with his paws resting on the box - after she encouraged him further, he scrambled up onto it. The girl was blown away by how fast he'd taken to it. Still astounded, she allowed him to eat the treat from her hand. "Well... good job, Gelert," She said. As if sensing her incredulity, he stared at her, nonplussed. "Of course, I knew you could manage such a thing... it's simple, after all... I just--" No matter. If he was already getting comfortable with what they were doing, they could move onto the next size! Increasing the jump was likely a more intimidating factor for a puppy, so it would be a good focus. When she was ready, she lifted him down to the ground. (Gelert - 2/5 Nadia - 2/10 Jump Up, 2)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 17:40:25 GMT -6
The middle box wasn't enormous, but would take more than a little hop to get to it. Gelert followed the treat as Nadia pulled it out of the bag, already switched on and ready to go. Food motivation really did come in handy for training. "Okay, a little bigger... jump up!" She drew the treat in a line through the air, from Gelert's snout to the top of the box. It took him greater thought the second time around. His back end wiggled for a moment as he considered, backed up, and measured his jump. It wouldn't do to fall! Still, he sprang into action after some consideration, and managed to make it to the top without much fuss. "Excellent! You clever boy!" He was taking to it like a duck to water! Ah, swimming probably should take a spot on the agenda too, even if Nadia had a dubious relationship with water. (Gelert - 3/5 Nadia - 3/10 Jump Up, 3)
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Post by Nadia on Apr 29, 2020 17:43:46 GMT -6
Second treat munched and box scaled, Gelert was put back down onto the floor by Nadia. Learning to get down himself would come after he was totally confident in getting up. The last one was definitely the most intimidating - it wasn't outside of his ability, but it was rather high, and he'd have to trust himself to be able to scale it. "Last one! Jump up, Gelert!" Nadia said cheerfully. The houluh was nervous. His ears drooped, and so did his tail, tucking between his legs. Yes, the treat was there if he made it, but it was scary! The other ones had been easier. "Come on, boy. You can do it! Jump up, Gelert!" He went back and forth on it. Nadia could practically see the cogs turning in his mind as he deliberated, making soft whimpering sounds. A tiny hop... a little verbal encouragement, an excited tone, and... yes! Up he went, and sat proudly atop the final hurdle. (Gelert - 4/5 Nadia - 4/10 Jump Up, 4)
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