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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:31:29 GMT -6
Just like with most young critters, tricking them into learning things by playing was one of the least painful ways to train them! Making them think it was their idea and not hers tended to work wonders. Gold was small enough her jaw strength didn't seem all that amazing, and the ball slipped from her grip in rather short order. The pup would get stronger with age of course, and it wasn't like Lethalia was expecting a drake's crunch from the houluh. Lethalia tugged the toy out of Gold's reach as she lunged for it again, hoping to keep actually getting the ball a novelty for her. "G'on, gettit!" she encouraged with a bright voice, tempting the pup to try even harder to lunge at the toy just out of her reach. These critters had such an easy life, it wasn't so bad to make them work for some things; in spite of her smirk, she felt a little bad about trolling the pup. "Bite it, bite it!" was commanded, just moments before Gold closed her sharp little teeth on the ball. bite|3
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:32:06 GMT -6
"Good bite!" The satyr carried on this pattern for their entire walk around the property, handily wearing the pup out in the process. Gold still took lunges at the toy, even with tongue lolling in an open mouthed pant. "Another bite?" Lethalia asked, holding the ball out in an easily reachable distance. Gold didn't need all that much prompting to latch onto it, albeit more lazily than when they started the day. Dropping the rope handle, the satyr praised her and stroked the pup's head as she was put back in the fenced yard. "Alrigh', y' take a breather till next time."Some time later, Lethalia found the pup sprawled out on her side in the sun with the toy beside her, clearly having needed the recovery time from their walk. "Oh, Gold!" she called, and the small form popped back up. "C'mon, baby girl."This time, the satyr brought out a different target; one of those cute stuffed faeron she kept around. It would behoove her to get a different looking target at some point, lest her hounds start chasing around faeron. For now it ought to be fine, as little as the pup was and how little the squishies resembled real faeron... just best to keep an eye on her with Estelle for a while. bite|4
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:33:09 GMT -6
Gold had picked up her blue-green ball to take along with her, but dropped it the moment she saw something else pastel and toylike in her owner's hand. This one was a little bit surprising, that she didn't run up and snatch it out of the satyr's hand as had been expected - but looked ready for direction. Lethalia smirked at the imagery - rather like a fighter waiting for commands in the pit, but she really needed to stop thinking about it like plague to the brain - and wiggled the plush a little. "Y'want it?" she asked, and got that playful lunge as if she had been released with those words. "No, that ain't the word," she informed the houluh as the plush was lifted above her jump's arch. Landing with a stilled tail, Gold's ears pinned a little as though she were scowling at her owner. "Wanna try again?" A little wag, in spite of being upset. The plush was lowered once again, and Gold looked as though she wanted to rush at it with all her might - but handily contained herself this time. "Good Gold! Now bite it!"Didn't have to tell her twice! Gold jumped straight at the plush, grappling with her owner with joyous growling. When the satyr gave up the plush and allowed Gold to fall upon it, she whipped the poor thing with as raucous of head shakes as she could manage, tail motoring away. bite|5
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:33:23 GMT -6
"Okay, lessgo," the satyr bid, wanting to take advantage of the light they had left in the day. Gold's growl continued as a hand reached for her prized plush, hunkering over the toy and telling the satyr off for trying to grab it from her. "No, Gold," Lethalia reprimanded smoothly, snagging one of the plushie's limbs to drag it out from beneath the puppy. Gold was clearly displeased, but her growling subsided and her tail started to wag without something to guard. "Are we good now?" The pup let out something of a grumbly whine, licking her chops and sidling up to her owner, a clear begging request for her toy back. "Gotta work for it, c'mon."Lethalia led the pup off with toy in hand, a little surprised Gold had caught on this much already. Wondering how far she understood, the satyr let go of the plushie on the upswing of her arm, sending it flying a few yards down the road before them. "Bite it, Goldie!" she cried encouragingly as her houluh took off after it. Given the freedom, Gold fell upon the toy and bit into it as hard as she could, earning a squeak that made her owner giggle from behind her. "Good job, m'girl!"bite|6
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:33:42 GMT -6
This game worked out pretty well for the both of them, Lethalia made note to keep it in mind for any future pups who had the same gusto as Gold did. As the days waned on, she became less and less sure that this was merely puppy-energy. As her spirited-ness grew with her, the hope she'd calm own with age dissipated. Ah well, it just meant that this likely wasn't the ranch dog she was looking for. With her remaining houluh being the equivalent of a dopey teenage boy, where would she find a working hound? Re-focusing on Gold, Lethalia gingerly took the toy from her as she passed to encourage her to finish their walk instead of collapsing in place with her toy. Well, if the pup seemed to know the command and didn't need to attack things specifically in her hand, what else could they try it on? An old army-green tarp fluttering where it covered a wagon for hauling caught the satyr's attention. Calling Gold over, she figured this would be the least destructive things she could practice on. "Bite," she told the pup simply, pointing at the flapping tarp. Gold cocked her head - and didn't need further asking to chomp down on the corner of the tarp as soon as it flapped into her range. Lethalia absolutely did not spend the rest of their walk seeing what she could convince Gold to bite. Gold lv|7 ly|14 bite|7 bite training accepted!
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:33:55 GMT -6
It seemed to have helped keep Gold engaged last time when she took the day to run the land with her. Lethalia wasn't certain what she was going to do with the pup in the future, but it didn't seem like she was going to have the patience to learn a lot of tricks that involved slowing down or stopping. Well, she could deal with that in the meantime, even as her thoughts of making this one a ranch hand dwindled. It could happen yet, and they may as well put in the effort just to give the pup some basis of training for the future! But she couldn't picture this gal being focused enough to do work in the end, in spite of definitely needing to be kept busy. That said, there might be a stupid trick the satyr could teach her, just for the fun of it. That would really make her look like a real working dog! This could be fun, especially with a growing pup who was likely getting spry enough to test out some of their famed agility. Gold lv|7.1 ly|14.1
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:34:22 GMT -6
"Ready t'go, Goldie?" she asked the houluh pup, who wiggled as the satyr's hand approached the gate. Already they seemed to have gotten a pattern from day to day down, and she knew full well to anticipate their walks through the day. Either the houluh was kept entertained by some small training exercises, or just chasing a toy Lethalia brought along. Lethalia knew as soon as she bored the pup, she was going to lose her. So having a 'special' time she looked forward to was great!
It didn't seem like it had been all that long, but the pup definitely knew each and every turn of the road at this point, and took off before her owner. Lethalia followed at her own pace, taking in the cool morning and debating what they could work on during their walks today. At least her pup was getting plenty of exposure to her stock animals at this point, sometimes expertly weaving between flocks of hooves even as Lethalia's heart fluttered over it.
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:34:30 GMT -6
Eyeing the tarp covered wagon, Lethalia called Gold back over a she pulled said tarp off the wooden structure. The tarp only slightly chewed on now that it was used as biting practice. It was a simple low wooden plank base on wheels, though the boards were showing signs of weathering from being outside so long without use. The tarp had done nothing in sparing it that fate, apparently. Another project for another day, but she didn't think Gold was about to be the one towing this thing. Regardless, it still appeared sound enough, and the pup watched her curiously as she experimentally stomped a hoof on the platform a few times. Finding it to not be too dilapidated yet, she stepped onto the wagon, looking down at the houluh she'd left behind. Gold's head tilted this way and that, trying to figure out how her owner had gotten up so high. Stairs - those, she had managed some time ago! Now this strange thing that the satyr that was atop of, that was like one giant scary stair... well now, Gold didn't know what to make of it! jump up|1
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:34:55 GMT -6
At the sight of her owner's head poking over the edge of the wagon, the houluh pup barked her displeasure at her, tail giving a nervous wagging. What was that lady thinking, leaving her alone down here like this? She was so clearly upset about it! "Well?" Lethalia asked, sitting down cross-legged at the edge of the wagon. "Thought y'might come'n join me up here, little girl. Oh well, guess I'll have'ta just... have out on my own..." she lamented. Her voice only worked the pup up more, wigging with a harder wagging of her tail as though it would convince the satyr to take pity on her. Gold's almost-fake whining was squeezed out of her in time with her squirming, and Lethalia couldn't help but giggle at the image. It only brought more bossy barking from the houluh; man, she'd gotten loud since getting older! The satyr plugged her ears, but otherwise stood firm. jump up|2
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:35:07 GMT -6
Another pathetic howl, and when that didn't do it, Gold backed up as far as she could to see her owner better. All the better to tell her off for this! "C'mon, then," Lethalia told her, patting the wagon's bed. The satyr giggled a little, not likely to make the pup suffer for too terribly long - she couldn't stand the babies being in any sort of discomfort of course - but she had hopes that Gold was going to at least make an attempt at hopping up here. More kicking of dirt and bossy barking; was this going to be one of those full grown dogs that can't jump up on the couch? "Poor baby girl. Y'comin?"Gold walked a few circles around just in front of Lethalia, tail still going like mad as though it would help her. Maybe it would help 'propel' the pup up here? Lethalia tittered at the thought, causing the pup to bark and howl her displeasure all the more. Gold lv|8 ly|16 jump up|3
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:35:23 GMT -6
A few times it really looked like she was going to give it a try too, bowing down and popping back up ineffectively when she couldn't quite brain through the jump she was trying to make. "Oh, poor pathetic dear." Better help before the pup hurt herself, or gave up entirely. She'd never recover Gold's attention if she decided that this wasn't worth doing! The pup hadn't taken notice of the convenient stump that the trailer had been shored up against. Lethalia stood on the bed and walked over to it, a significant step down to the stump from the wooden trailer. "How 'bout here? C'mon."Gold had followed whatever edge of the wagon her owner was closest to, and wiggled harder once the satyr stepped down closer to her. Great, she wasn't abandoned anymore! Whining when Lethalia didn't step down all the way, the pup put her front paws up on the stump to see if she could prompt her owner down. jump up|4
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:35:42 GMT -6
"Com'on, see? 'Ya just as tall," Lethalia prompted, patting the stump - another dubious look from Gold, though. With a deep sigh, she knelt and scooped the pup's rear end up, ungracefully hauling her front end up onto the stump between her hooves. Her posture tensed just for a moment, but the pup fell back into what Lethalia expected - checking out the new experience with a slowly wagging tail. "Not so bad, huh?" If she could't get this far, she wouldn't be able to make another jump up to the wagon bed. Another day for that, then. Letting the pup hang out on the platform for a moment, Lethalia stepped back down to the grass and prompted Gold to follow. Apparently going down wasn't nearly as intimidating as going up, because the pup leapt right off the ledge. 'Leaping' was being quite generous for the, uh, dismount off the stump which was more akin to walking off the edge than anything with intentional... avoidance of planting her nose in the ground. jump up|5
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:35:51 GMT -6
Holding down her simmering giggles once she made sure the pup was fine, Lethalia figured some time would probably be needed for this one. Gold didn't seem very spatially aware yet, but it would develop easily with time. More play and learning the world around her, and growing into those monstrous paws, would do the pup good. At the very least, Gold seemed to like the post atop the stump so much, she managed to get herself up there by a few walks into the day. Leth went a little out of her way to seek out short fallen logs on their walk around the wooded property edge; everything was pretty tiny, but she made certain to make a big old fuss over the puppy when she managed to jump atop something. It didn't take long before Goldie was scoping things out herself - nothing ever good for a mother's heart came of that, but at least the puppy was having fun and growing bolder by the day... she couldn't stifle that. jump up|6
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:36:01 GMT -6
Of course she could jump on things no problem, and it didn't take much prompting for patting a surface to become an easy que for her. There was just the matter of gaining her confidence and muscles until she was a little bit bigger! Their ventures progressed naturally in the days to follow as the houluh continued to grow like a weed. More stumps and logs to jump onto; jagged rock outcroppings that proved a decent few hops for her later in the week. Lethalia was probably spending a little bit too much of her work time running around the woods with her, but that was... not fine, but she could always put more work in. She only had so much time with a growing pup! Seeing as it was the first time she'd done it, the satyr was hoping to do it somewhat right. At the very least, she needed a well-adjusted pet in the end, no matter how much of a job they ended up having. jump up|7
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Post by Lethalia on Apr 7, 2020 16:36:26 GMT -6
Gold was growing so fast, and getting more lithe by the day; Lethalia was quite pleased to see how nicely she was growing up, for how little she'd met of her parentage! Fast approaching the rough age her 'old' Boy looked like, Gold seemed to be reaching the biggest she was going to get for now. The fully grown hound at the adoption agency was downright gorgeous; she couldn't wait to see how the pup was going to mature! Unfortunately it would be some time before then, since Leth still felt they had woefully little to show off to any sort of judges to prove her worthy of growing up. She only hoped they could appreciate a budding working dog as much as anything else. Watching her with a quirked ear and circling nearby, Gold 'helped' by trotting around and dodging wagon wheels and hooves as Lethalia hauled the flatbeded wagon out from it's resting place. At least one of them was having fun with this. Gold lv|9 ly|18 jump up|8
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