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Post by Fanged on Mar 18, 2020 12:30:02 GMT -6
With Dream quickly learning the trick, she’d need to make things a little more challenging. She moved away from Dream, telling him to stay in place as she did so. She needed to maintain the distance between them for a moment. She needed to make sure that Dream could perform the trick no matter where he was in relation to her.
“Dream, sit!” she commanded.
The Houluh immediately sat down, following the command with ease. She was pleased with this, but she wanted to see if he would do it again with such efficiency. She whistled for Dream to come to her. The puppy obeyed, trotting over happily to his owner’s side. When he was close, Fanged rapidly told him to sit again.
“Sit!”
Dream sat down, keeping his attention focused on her. Fanged had him hold the position for a solid minute before releasing him. She was satisfied that he had learned the trick.
(Dream 8, 16)
(Training: Sit 5)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 18, 2020 12:44:19 GMT -6
Now that Dream had learned sit, it seemed only appropriate to teach him lay down as well. The two tricks went practically hand in hand with each other. She grabbed the food again, having discovered that it seemed to work best to motivate Dream into trying a new trick. She cut off a tiny strip and moved in front of her Houluh. She told him to sit and then got to work on the next trick. She took the treat, making sure that his attention was focused on it, and began to tap the ground in front of him. Dream automatically assumed the lay down position in attempt to grab the treat.
“Lay down!” She gave him the new command word as he unwittingly performed the trick.
With Dream in the correct position, she allowed him to have the treat. He was quick to snatch it, wagging his tail happily as he ate.
(Dream 8 1/5, 16 1/5)
(Training: Lay Down 1)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 18, 2020 22:53:22 GMT -6
It would be an entirely different experience to try and get Dream to do the trick all on his own. They’d need to work up to that first. She got the puppy to sit again, this time not using the incentive of a treat. She then began to pat the ground in front of Dream, trying to encourage him into lying down. The Houluh was hesitant at first, but remembering the treat he had just received, he assumed the lay down position to check Fanged’s hands for treats.
“Lay down!” Fanged repeated the command word.
The Houluh remained in the lay down position, inching forward as he licked at Fanged’s hands in attempt to obtain a treat. She didn’t have a treat to offer him, but she did pat his back to convey a job well done.
“Good boy, Dream! I’ll need you to repeat that again.”
That was a task easier said than done.
(Dream 8 2/5, 16 2/5)
(Training: Lay Down 2)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 0:02:22 GMT -6
Fanged allowed Dream to have a short break. She didn’t want the small puppy to get burnt out too quickly. He spent his break rolling around in the grass, burying his scent among the earthy tones of the plants. When he was finished, he stood up and shook himself.
“Are you finished there?” Fanged laughed at the silliness of the puppy. “Let’s get you refocused, sit!”
Dream immediately sat, his attention focused on his owner.
“Lay down!” She switched back to the new command, testing to see if he had retained any knowledge of the trick. She patted the ground to encourage him to lay down as well. Hopefully the visual cue would help him.
It took a bit of prompting, but Dream eventually slunk down into the lie down position. Fanged beamed at him, pleased that he was learning.
“Good work boy!”
She stroked his back, holding him in position for a little while longer.
(Dream 8 3/5, 16 3/5)
(Training: Lay Down 3)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 7:02:52 GMT -6
After a few moments, she released Dream from the position. He hadn’t minded too much considering he got pets for his trouble. She would now need to test if Dream could perform the trick smoothly, without any prompting from her. She called his name to grab his attention before proceeding to train him once again.
“Lay down!” Fanged said the command clearly.
Dream took a second, but he managed to lay down properly. Fanged had him hold the position for a while before releasing him. When he was finished the trick, she praised him and patted his back. Dream accepted her touch and looked at her in disappointment when she stopped.
“If you want more pets, you’ll have to do the trick again,” she laughed. “Let’s try it out again. Dream, lay down!”
This time, Dream reacted quicker. He lowered himself, assuming the proper position in the quickest amount of time yet.
(Dream 8 4/5, 16 4/5)
(Training: Lay Down 4)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 7:14:44 GMT -6
“Wow, excellent work!” Fanged declared with enthusiasm.
She leaned over and stroked his back, making sure to scratch all the spots she knew he enjoyed. When she was finished, Dream pushed himself up into a stand position and shook his fur out. She allowed him a quick break, but soon she had him get back to work.
“Lay down!”
Repetition was they key to learning tricks and the more Dream did the trick, the easier it became for him. He lay down without hesitation, his attention focused solely on his owner as she gave him commands. This time, she had him stay in position for a solid two minutes before releasing him. She wanted to ensure that he solidly new the trick, so she tested him immediately after he was released.
“Dream, lay down!” She commanded him once again.
Dream lay down smoothly and without protest. Fanged considered him to have a solid understanding of the trick.
(Dream 9, 18)
(Training: Lay Down 5)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 7:24:17 GMT -6
There was one more trick that Fanged wanted to teach Dream for the day. It would be a little bit more difficult considering she hadn’t taught any of her pets the trick before. She would have to do some trial and error to figure out the best way to teach this trick. First, she had Dream lay down once again. She was lucky that the little Houluh didn’t get bored at this point. She had some food ready to go for him and she made sure he saw. With his attention focused on the treat, he was easy to guide onto his back. From there, she encouraged him back onto his stomach, effectively having him complete a full loop.
“Roll over,” she gave him another new command word.
It wasn’t the smoothest guidance of the new trick, but she gave him the treat anyway. She wanted him to stay motivated after all.
(Dream 9 1/5, 18 1/5)
(Training: Roll Over 1)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 7:31:44 GMT -6
Dreamed ate the treat happily, his expression one of pure bliss. Fanged couldn’t help but shake her head in amusement. It was cute that he enjoyed treats so much, but she decided she would only encourage this enjoyment in a training setting. When he was finished, Fanged had him lay down again. She placed her hands under his belly. In preparation for belly rubs, Dream flipped over onto his back automatically.
“Roll over!” She gave him the command word again, trying to solidify its meaning into Dream’s mind.
Right after she told him to roll over, she guided him back onto his belly. She used touch as a way to both reward him and steer him into the right positions. When he was back on his belly, she praised him.
“Good boy, Dream!” It might not be a perfect rendition of the trick, but she needed to show him proper encouragement.
(Dream 9 2/5, 18 2/5)
(Training: Roll Over 2)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 7:38:08 GMT -6
Now she needed to see if he could perform the trick without the guidance from her hands. She already knew it wouldn’t go as smoothly as it should, but she needed him to show a little independence here. Needing the assistance of food, she prepared another fairly sizable piece for Dream. When he saw the treat, the Houluh sat up attentively. With him following the movement of the treat, Fanged brought it down close to the ground. Dream lay down without explicitly being given the command. His focus was entirely on the treat as she moved it to her left. Following the treat, Dream twisted his body into a slow roll. She kept her movements fluid, using the treat to guide treat onto his back and then back onto his belly.
“Roll over!” She enunciated the command clearly, needing to ensure that he was grasping this new word.
When she was done, she allowed the Houluh to have the treat.
(Dream 9 3/5, 18 3/5)
(Training: Roll Over 3)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 7:47:02 GMT -6
He accepted the treat happily and carried it over to a grassy area. The choice seemed random to her, but he settled down without fuss onto the long grasses. When he was done, he trotted back over to her, his tail bouncing with each step. Now it would be the difficult part, having Dream try out the trick all on his own. When he was close, she gave him a quick pat on the head for good luck. First, she had him lay down, figuring that would help him perform the trick easier.
“Roll over!” She told him.
It took Dream a moment, but he clumsily flopped over onto his back and then rolled back onto his tummy. It was uncoordinated, but the gist of the trick was there.
“Good boy! That was a good try!”
She leaned down and stroked his back. She drew back shortly after, ready to give him the command again.
(Dream 9 4/5, 18 4/5)
(Training: Roll Over 4)
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Post by Fanged on Mar 20, 2020 7:52:47 GMT -6
She first had him lay down again, wanting the trick to go as smoothly as possible.
“Dream, roll over!”
This time the Houluh had more confidence as he performed the trick. He rolled smoothly onto his back, hesitating slightly before twisting back onto his belly. It was by far the best execution of the trick yet.
“Good job! I’m so proud of you!” Fanged leaned down and patted him happily. She took some extra time to scratch behind his ears as well. She waited for a few moments before commanding him to do the trick again. “Roll over!”
This time she hadn’t told him to lay down first. Dream sank down onto his belly to prepare himself to perform the trick. He then fluidly rolled onto his back and then back into his starting position, completing a full loop. Fanged couldn’t stop the grin that spread across her face.
“Great work! I think you solidly understand the trick!”
She stroked the top of his head, beaming down at him with pride.
(Dream 10, 20)
(Training: Roll Over 5)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 15, 2020 15:22:16 GMT -6
It had been a while since she'd taken Dream out for training. He had grown a bit now and would be able to learn more complicated tricks now that he was a little older. She had brought with her some newly acquired training supplies, a reward for a quest that she had recently completed. She had proper treats and a ball that she could utilize in her Houluh training. Today, the first trick they would start with would be fetch. Fanged had never trained this trick before, but she had a good idea for how to do it. "Dream!" she called the Houluh to attention. Dream happily stared at his trainer, ready to complete the task she had for him. Fanged then drew his attention to the ball in her hand. Immediately, Dream wagged his tail as he anticipated her giving it to him. Instead of handing it over, she threw the ball away from them. (Dream 10 1/5, 20 1/5) (Training: Fetch 1)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 31, 2020 21:48:46 GMT -6
Dream expressed a moment of hesitation before his prey drive kicked in and he darted after the ball. He caught up to it quickly and immediately dove forward to grab the ball between his jaws. Part one of the trick appeared complete.
“Good boy, Dream! That was a nice retrieval!” Fanged praised him quickly. Dream wagged his tail from where he was, but he didn’t move closer to give the ball back to her. That would be the next step to the trick, but she wouldn’t rush things. She waited for Dream to drop the ball on his own and took it quickly. When it was back in her hands, Dream barked and waited for her to throw it for him again.
“Alright, but I’m going to make you bring it back to me this time,” she told him.
She drew her arm back and launched the ball across the field she was training in.
(Dream 10 2/5, 20 2/5)
(Training: Fetch 2)
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Post by Fanged on Aug 31, 2020 22:02:09 GMT -6
“Dream, fetch!” she called out once the ball was released from her hand.
With the new command word given, she would be able to get Dream to make a connection to that word and the trick he was performing if she repeated them both enough. The Houluh raced after the ball, retrieving it faster than he had before. When the ball was securely captured in his mouth, Fanged moved to approach him. Dream wagged his tail and darted away, still carrying the ball.
“No Dream, I need you here!” she exclaimed. She then whistled to get him to come over to her. He followed the command and trotted closer to the woman. However, when she reached out to take the ball from him, he ducked his head down. “No, Dream!” she scolded him again. This time when she went to grab the ball, he dropped it in her hands. “Okay, good boy!”
(Dream 10 3/5, 20 3/5)
(Training: Fetch 3)
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Post by Fanged on Sept 5, 2020 16:09:26 GMT -6
Once she had collected the ball from Dream, she got ready to throw it once again. If she could get him to retrieve the ball and bring it back to her, the trick could be considered a success. She raised her arm and tossed it, throwing it further than she had before.
“Dream, fetch!” she commanded him.
Immediately, Dream took off running after the ball. He followed it as it bounced across the ground and rolled. He jumped forward and snapped it up within his jaws. Wagging his tail triumphantly, he began to trot back towards Fanged. When he reached the woman, he dropped the ball at her feet. She leaned down and picked it up, quickly rewarding him with a treat for his hard work. He ate happily before turning back to wait for her to throw the ball again. Fanged would test him out a final time in order to ensure he had learned the trick.
(Dream 10 4/5, 20 4/5)
(Training: Fetch 4)
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