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Post by Nadia on Sept 11, 2020 16:21:00 GMT -6
When Mabel's paws touched the ground again, she was already turning, prepared to get back up for another treat. Nadia couldn't help but laugh - the eager behaviour was excellent, but the little smartie pants couldn't abuse the system in hopes of constant feeding! As adorable as it was, she'd have to put her foot down.
"Sit up, Mabel," She said, but made no effort to get the treat out. The houluh paused and waited. Where was the food, if she was going to make the effort? "No, I will not get you a snack. Sit up, Mabel. You're a very good girl."
Hearing that usually meant she'd get rewarded, so Mabel's tail wagged and she acquiesced, hopping up to the seat and even sitting herself down properly on the first go for good measure. Treat time? No? Just ear scratches? Aww... it was a bummer, but man, it felt good!
"What a clever girl."
[20] [Sit on Chair - 5] [Added]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 11, 2020 16:29:11 GMT -6
None of these tricks had much practical use, but they were certainly cute. Nadia thought that they suited Mabel to the ground - the pup was very sweet, less hyperactive than Hael but less serious than Gelert. She was loveable in every way. Teaching her to do fun tricks was ideal for her personality.
The next one should be a doozy! Nadia sat herself down on the carpeted floor - gosh, it was plush! - and folded her legs, making sure Mabel was right in front of her. Excited to have her down on her level, Mabel yipped and wagged her tail.
"Good girl. Now, sit," She said. The houluh did as she had been taught, plopping down onto her behind with a quick, hopeful glance at Nadia's satchel. Nope, no treat yet. Instead, the woman reached forward and took one of Mabel's paws into her hands to give it a squeeze and a shake up and down. "Shake, Mabel. Shake."
[21] [Shake - 1]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 11, 2020 16:34:56 GMT -6
Mabel didn't mind being handled! As far as Nadia knew, that was something Obsidion had worked on with her, and she'd gotten through it with flying colours. There was no fuss when the woman touched her paws, but she didn't look very interested, to say the least. Confused at best.
"Good. Shake!" She changed to the other paw, lifting it and giving it a similar squeeze and shake to get her familiar with the sensation. "Just like that. Very good. A treat for you."
The houluh looked pleasantly surprised about getting a treat for sitting down and being touched. So easily pleased! She yipped and crunched it down, poking her nose into Nadia's palm in hope of a follow-up.
"Not quite yet, pup. You have to work a little more, I'm afraid," She said with a wry little smile. Without touching her this time, she held out a hand. "Shake, Mabel."
[22] [Shake - 2]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 11, 2020 16:43:59 GMT -6
Mabel was hesitant. She shifted forwards in her sitting position, to be as close as she could be to Nadia without climbing into her lap, and looked down at the hand. A treat she couldn't see? When she sniffed at her palm, there was nothing there to pick up. Maybe if she pawed at it... as soon as that paw landed in her palm, Nadia squeezed it and shook it.
"Good girl! Good shake, Mabel!" A treat finally appeared for her, and Mabel took it. For such a cute pup, she had no grace when eating. Some drool needed to be wiped off of Nadia's fingers once she was done. "Very well done. This one is easy, isn't it?"
Getting her to do it with both paws would be a fun part. Shake was a jovial trick to teach, and always a laugh! Trying to do it with the equillion was amusing.
[23] [Shake - 3]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 11, 2020 16:46:57 GMT -6
Once again, Nadia held out her hand, ready to give the command. Automatically, Mabel made a move to paw at her with her right foot, remembering that it had just brought her some delicious, meaty success. The woman giggled and pulled back.
"Not this one. Shake, Mabel," She said, and when the houluh tried to give her back the same paw, she gently poked at the opposite one. "This one. Shake, Mabel. This one."
But that required shifting her weight! What a nightmare. The pup huffed a dramatic sigh through her nose as she shifted over, trying the same trick with the other paw. The delight and ensuing treat was worth the effort, she supposed... there was less food this time, though. Maybe her human couldn't see properly and didn't realise the treats were getting smaller!
"Good girl, Mabel. Very nice shake. I am very proud of your hard work."
[24] [Shake - 4]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 11, 2020 16:59:00 GMT -6
It would be a breeze from there on out, Nadia was sure. Mabel was intelligent enough to have already picked up on what to do when she saw her hand - even if it was just because she wanted some snacks - and was getting to grips with swapping sides when asked.
"Shake, Mabel! Other paw!" The pup would inevitably get tired of doing the same thing over and over again, but for the moment she was happy, her tail sweeping over the carpet with satisfying little thumps. Treats were getting smaller and smaller, though, until the praise was verbal, with a few heat pats thrown in for good measure. "Very good. You learn so quickly."
She was satisfied, and thought they could move on from there. It didn't require work quite as intensive as other things, and could be practiced as they made their way around, exploring the mansion in more depth.
[25] [Shake - 5] [Added]
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Post by Jack on Sept 11, 2020 19:18:33 GMT -6
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Post by Nadia on Sept 28, 2020 13:18:25 GMT -6
Nadia had some guts, to bring two houluh to the mansion at once. After her stint with Mabel, she had taken a rest at home, playing with the puppies while they were still babies - she had too many to count, at this point. The thought of training them all was beyond stressful. Still, she had to make a start one way or another, and doing it in a dynamic environment would make it engaging and interesting for all involved. "Come on then, you two!" The mansion hadn't yet changed. October was still a few days away, so the grounds were familiar, scattered with fallen apples and golden leaves. The two houluh bounded alongside Nadia as she led them on leashes up to the front door of the house. Indie was the prissier of the two, and turned her nose up at the prospect of getting dirty. Inky, on the other hand, couldn't control his excitement. He tugged at the leash with unmasked joy. "Okay, okay. Can we calm down just a tiny bit? You have no idea what you are in for, believe me." The door creaked open. The hall beyond looked normal, as it had before, and Inky was already snout-and-paws inside. [26]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 28, 2020 13:28:16 GMT -6
"Inky, my goodness," Nadia said, having to jog forwards to keep up with the puppy's pulling, and gently closing the door behind her. "Please, let us take this one step at a time. It won't do to be exhausted before we even begin!" Where to go first...? They could go into the dining room as she had before, and take a look at the food that was being served up. No, no - the puppies were too untrained to be trusted around dishes that weren't confirmed to be safe. The other options were upstairs, or along and towards... a kitchen? The garden? The woman nibbled on her bottom lip as she considered her options. Indie sniffed at her more enthusiastic counterpart. Why was he so excitable? Nothing had even happened! He, on the other hand, yapped in her face and wagged his tail. To prevent a scuffle, Nadia gently inserted herself between them, trying to make sure their leashes didn't get tangled up either. "Okay, this way, then," She said, nodding towards a door at the end of the entrance hallway. Off they went, in that direction, ready to take in whatever awaited them behind it. A deep breath, a nervous shudder, and... open. [27]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 28, 2020 13:43:17 GMT -6
The mansion never gave people what they expected, but Nadia was once again surprised. Corn. Huge, towering stalks of corn, growing on a huge scale - were they giant, or had she become tiny? She couldn't tell. The pair of houluh had become interested in the telltale swishing of the crops in the breeze, and leaned forwards, sniffing at the air. What would be found in this maize maze? "This looks... daunting, does it not?" She said, with a nervous laugh in her voice. Stepping onto the path would mean that they'd have to navigate the whole way through, if she knew anything of the mansion's habits; there would be no turning back and retracing your steps along a safe route to the exit. It was all or nothing. Still, she supposed that it looked inocuous enough. A bunch of corn could not be that dangerous. "Well, we should try. Let us begin." As soon as she took a few steps forward, she heard the door slam shut behind her, and flinched. Indie whined, glancing over her shoulder, while Inky hardly noticed. Well, one would need more work on accepting loud noises than the other. Everything had it's purpose, even if it was scary. [28]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 28, 2020 13:50:48 GMT -6
Nadia had thought that the first part of the maze would be easy, at least. No such luck - she had the option to continue on in a straight line, or turn in either direction to the side. "So, what do you think we should do, hm?" She said warmly to the pups. They blinked at her, curious, and wagged their tails. "Enthusiasm, good! Yes, very good! Do you have any ideas? Those sniffy noses of yours ought to help us out, don't you think?" Neither Indie nor Inky had any clue what was meant by that, or how to use their sense of smell to benefit her, but at least they were cute. She petted their heads, and then gestured with her hands to each of the available turnings. "This way? That way? What do you think?" Inky stared for a second, and then decided he was bored standing in the same position for too long. He tugged sharply on his leash as he moved to the right. That was as good a sign as any. "Okay, then. This way it is." The right hand path did not offer anything fresh immediately. The corn still towered above them and waved. [29]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 28, 2020 13:56:14 GMT -6
All they could do was keep walking. The sound around them was almost deafening, in its own way - it wasn't chaotic, but it was constant, with the rustling of the corn and the distant chirp of insects. There could've been any amount of other people also in the maze, and Nadia would've been none the wiser, being unable to see them. Any minute now, they could stumble upon a stranger. Any moment-- "Oh, my goodness!" Inky had chosen that moment to bark and tug fiercely forwards. A crow took off, squawking and flapping its wings, and soared overhead. Both Nadia and Indie regarded the pup with cool, unamused looks. "You startled me, Inky! Leave that dear bird alone, he is going about his business." Indie huffed through her nose. There wasn't much to look at around here, and the dirt didn't feel very nice against her paws. When were they getting out of there? She pawed at the ground and threw her head back, resting it on Nadia's shin. The drama of it all made the woman laugh, even if that wasn't the desired effect. "Yes, yes. I understand, this is not your environment. You will soon be out of it, I am sure, but you need to grow accustomed to it." [30]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 3:49:51 GMT -6
It would bode well to begin with their training while the day was still young. Nadia had a plan, after all, and intended to stick with it, even if the environment around them shifted. First on the agenda was names, as was typically done - if they could tell themselves apart, it would make everything a lot easier. "Alright. Now, Inky, Indie, this shall be a challenge, since your names sound alike, but we shall manage," She said, and pulled a packet of treats from her bag in preparation. "Listen carefully and we will proceed without any problems. Shall we begin?" The two houluh were more interested in staring at each other and the corn around them than listening to what she was saying. That was alright. They'd get the message. "Inky! Iiiinky!" She started with one at a time, shaking the bag to get their attention. It meant nothing to them quite yet, and didn't warrant an active response. When she cracked open the packet and the smell of treats hit their noses, however, it was quite a different story. A pair of curious snouts began to twitch in her direction. "Yes, very good!" One snack was awarded to Inky for responding, but nothing for Indie. [31] [Name - 1]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 4:01:35 GMT -6
It was difficult, to reward one without the other, but there was method in her madness. Nadia thought that they would learn to recognise their own name rather than responding to her voice alone if she rewarded them individually - whether or not that would work out in her favour, she was yet to establish. "Indie! Indie!" She enunciated clearly, to show that there was a difference between the two names, even if they sounded similar. The pups were both still looking at her, so she passed a treat down to Indie this time. "Good girl. Good girl, Indie, there you go." Inky wasn't sure if he enjoyed seeing his friend getting a treat without him! He snorted and tossed his head, fixing Nadia with an unhappy stare to really bring home the distress. She did nothing but laugh at him. It wasn't fair at all, and he wanted a treat too! "Inky," Nadia said. The male pup's tail wagged - was that a modicum of recognition already? Either way, it was worthy of a treat of his own! He was far more satisfied to be eating his own food than to be watching Indie. "Good boy. Good start, both of you, good start." [32] [Name - 2]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 9:54:33 GMT -6
Nadia would have to work on weaning them off of the treats, while also making sure they knew the difference between each other's names. That was a daunting task - she'd have to go slowly and give them enough time to make sure they didn't get confused. To be honest, she was the one who was likely to get muddled up! "Inky," She said. Indie looked at her expectantly with her tail wagging; she didn't even turn her head in the pup's direction, in fear of giving her false hope. They had to remain totally separate for it to work out. "Inky. Inky!" Inky had become fascinated by the corn stalks, and was hard-pressed to pay attention to his human. However, when the tone of her voice began to shift to the demanding, he turned his head towards her, and was promptly rewarded by a treat (albeit a smaller one). Good! An eventual response was better than no response. "Indie! Indie," She said - the female was already paying attention and got her treat and plenty of praise to go along with it. "There we go. Good girl." They continued their walk on through the maze, and she took pause from the lesson. [33] [Name - 3]
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