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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 9:59:06 GMT -6
More of a challenge was to follow. Nadia wanted to catch them off guard, when they weren't actively waiting for a treat for their behaviour, and thus tucked the packet discretely into her pocket. Then, they would walk on without any discussion, simply enjoying the environment. After a while, they were bound to forget about their previous activity, and she would be able to gauge their genuine response to her calls. It took about ten minutes for them to be disengaged from her, and they felt hopelessly lost in the maze. How on earth were they going to get out? No matter - they would figure it out one way or another. "Inky!" She called suddenly. To her surprise and delight, the male pup turned in her direction, his tongue lolling from his mouth. Indie didn't look, but Nadia wasn't sure if it was on account of there being something more interesting among the corn. "Good boy! Clever boy, clever little thing!" No food treats this time. The pup looked awfully put out, to be performing without food, but still accepted her pettings with eventual enthusiasm. Bless him. She understood that it was difficult to keep up motivation without a more tangible reward. [34] [Name - 4]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 10:07:18 GMT -6
It was Indie's turn. The female pup was calmer (and snootier!) than Inky, but was intelligent, and Nadia had no concerns about her being able to pick up on tricks quickly. She was, however, more fickle when it came to motivation. If she didn't want to do something, she wouldn't do it - there wasn't a great deal that could convince her if she decided she didn't like something. "Indie!" She called. No response, because the pup was pacing ahead on the long leash, casting disdainful looks at the dirt beneath her paws. Princess. She'd get accustomed to that sooner or later. "Indie! Iiindie!" At last! A look, something to delight the woman into giving her plenty of fuss. She looked equally unamused by the lack of food, but didn't complain about it. Not that she was capable of verbalising any such feelings. She kept her annoyance to a grumpy glance or two. As they went forward through the twisting paths, searching for an exit, Nadia repeated their names, alternating between the two to catch them off guard. It would take some repetition to get them used to it, but they were doing well - by the time she believed she could see a clearing, they were responding steadily to their own names. [35] [Name - 5]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 10:24:42 GMT -6
Was that... a door? A door, standing in the middle of the corn field. Nadia wasn't sure if she liked the look of it. It was obviously out of place, and stood independently of walls. It looked as if a breeze could blow it over, and yet it stayed there, as firm as anything. She had to blink and rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. No, still there. Hmm. With the houluh's leashes in hand, she approached it. They were happy to sniff at the wood - they didn't react with any kind of fear or concern, which was a good sign. She trusted the inclinations of her animals. Pacified, she reached out for the doorknob, and twisted. It led back to the hall. They were standing on that rug again, feeling the warmth from the nearby hearth, when the door closed behind them. Nadia gave a sigh of relief. They could continue training, while they were in a safe area. She leaned down to unclip the leashes from Inky and Indie, and then procured a treat. Time to try something very simple. "Sit," She said as she drew the treat from in front of their noses to behind their heads. [36] [Sit - 1]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 10:52:37 GMT -6
This was a method she had read about after her last escapade teaching sit. It was all very well and good to get hands on, but Nadia thought it would be preferable to find a way to teach them without forcing their bottoms to the ground - even with the best will in the world, it didn't seem very ethical to do it that way. The pups weren't sure what she was driving at. Inky yapped and wagged his tail, turning around to chase the treat head on. Indie, on the other hand, just stared until it was out of her sight. No sits just yet. That was okay! She could try again until they got the idea. "Sit, pups. Sit," She repeated, bringing the treat back to the front of their noses and slowly drawing it back over their heads. The important bit was that they remained facing forwards rather than doing what Inky was doing and spinning completely to get at it! "Sit. Sit." The word didn't have any meaning yet, but it helped to get them familiar with it. Inky tried again, turning around to get to the treat, but Indie was quicker to get the idea; she sat down to tilt her head back in the direction of the treat. [37] [Sit - 2]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 11:10:31 GMT -6
Excellent! That was exactly what Nadia had imagined - the treat was relinquished to Indie to show that she had done the right thing. "Yes, good! Good sit, Indie!" Nadia said, and the houluh crunched on the treat with obvious delight. Inky did not enjoy being left out, and whined, nosing at the woman's hand in search of a treat of his own. "No, no. You shall get yours when you have grasped the idea too, Inky." They walked on along the corridor. She wasn't sure which direction she intended to go in; the mansion was as full of surprises as ever, and she wasn't overly keen on the idea of getting stuck in the corn field again. If she could peer in through the doorway and establish whether or not it was a scary environment, that would be greatly beneficial. "Sit, pups! Sit!" With another piece of food in hand, she focused on Inky this time, drawing the treat back over his head. He didn't quite understand, yet. So, in an attempt to show him what she was getting at, she changed to Indie and repeated herself. The female hesitated at first, but eventually her bottom touched the floor. "Good girl!" [38] [Sit - 3]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 11:14:13 GMT -6
Inky watched what was going on with a sullen expression. It wasn't fair! He wanted to have a treat too, and he couldn't understand why he wasn't getting one. What was Indie doing that he wasn't...? Maybe if he tried copying her, he'd get to have a treat! "Sit, pups! Sit!" There was that word again. He knew it meant something, as the treat floated over their heads. He saw Indie plop herself down as it went... was that the answer? Snuffling, he decided he would imitate and sit down too, in the hopes that it was the right course of action. "Yes, yes! Clever boy, Inky, well done!" Nadia was delighted to give the treat to Inky, especially considering the grumpy face he'd been pulling. Poor dear. At least he was getting to understand, now; having two to train at once was a challenge, but they could learn from each other as well as her, and that made things move faster. Indie leaned over to lick Inky's snout in a show of solidarity that made the woman grin. They truly were too cute. How did she ever manage to get any work done with these antics going on in the background? [39] [Sit - 4]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 11:20:02 GMT -6
Repetition, repetition, repetition. It was the key to all knowledge, in Nadia's opinion - she wouldn't be anywhere near as successful in her training if she didn't insist on repeating the same tricks over and over again. Her companions no doubt grew tired of it, but she didn't mind. That was a momentary annoyance in exchange for a lifetime of understanding. It was a fair exchange. As she sought the next doorway to go into, she repeated herself, this time without the physical motion. "Sit, pups!" Indie was the first to obey, having picked up the desired action faster than her friend. Inky stared at her for a moment, and then looked at Indie, hesitant. Where was the food? "Sit, Inky. Sit. Good boy, you can do it!" There was further hesitation, but it came to him in the end; he sank down next to Indie, and earned himself a barrage of pettings for the trouble. Nadia was not afraid to show her delight when things went as she hoped. "Wonderful, wonderful! Clever pups. You are learning so fast," She cooed, scratching them both gently behind the ears. "Now, let us see where we shall head next. Nowhere too exciting, I hope..." [40] [Sit - 5]
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Post by Jack on Sept 29, 2020 11:56:20 GMT -6
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 12:31:45 GMT -6
From what Nadia could ascertain, there was a sitting room off to the side of the hall. She could see almost the entire interior from outside; a few couches, a fire in the hearth, intricately woven rugs on polished wood floors. Nothing suspicious. A basket of apples sat on a side table, beautifully red and tempting, but she put her hunger aside in favour of reason. It looked safe. For once, she was willing to trust the mansion's intentions. In they all went. It smelled delicious - the smoke from the fire mixed with a fudgy, sweet scent, dashed with cinnamon. Autumnal and welcoming. The woman took a deep, delighted breath, before her focus was once again drawn to her puppies. "Now, we have something else to learn. Sit," She said, and both houluh obliged, plopping down onto their backsides on the rug. "Very good. I am going to take a look at you now." She crouched before them and allowed the pair of them to sniff around her. Indie was less interested, as per; Inky had the bulk of the enthusiasm. Once they had settled somewhat, she reached out and took a paw each in her hands, rubbing her thumbs over the backs. [41] [Tolerance - 1]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 12:51:12 GMT -6
The puppies didn't look phased, but they did seem curious about what Nadia was doing. Her fingers worked over their paw and their lower leg, squeezing and manipulating - they watched, but because it didn't hurt, they did not make any grand efforts to pull away. That was good. She praised them quietly as she worked, making sure they knew they were behaving well. Slowly and surely, she changed focus. Over to the other paw, this time, and up the following leg. Inky began to fidget at that point, trying to tug his arm out of Nadia's grip, but she hushed him and kept a careful but firm grip. As long as he showed no signs of actual pain or distress, he would be fine. The whole practice was about him learning to tolerate unfamiliar sensations. "Good, good," She spoke quietly, rewarding them with small treats for sitting through the first part of her examination. "Very good. Next part, now." The back legs were always more difficult. No animal she knew enjoyed being messed with in certain areas, and the backside was one of them, all the way from their rump to their toes. At least she wasn't in imminent danger if they kicked. [42] [Tolerance - 2]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 12:55:19 GMT -6
Nadia coaxed them to their feet. It wasn't difficult - they were young pups, after all, and sitting still for any amount of time was a challenge. Inky stretched out his front legs and yawned, while Indie took the opportunity to scratch behind her ear before she stood properly. Once all was settled, she resumed her practice. Inky was first to be handled. She smoothed her hands along his back paws, and up towards the tops of his legs, squeezing and kneading the muscles as she went. He didn't seem too amused - he mouthed at her ear playfully as she went, and she tutted at him, trying to dissuade him from the action. No bites would be a reasonable addition to their training list. He was hardly chomping her, though... just mouthing. Once it was over, she patted his head, and went over to Indie. Indie, as ever, was calmer. However, that didn't mean that she took to the feelings more easily; in fact, she whimpered her way through it, a weak protest in the hopes that she would be left alone. Nadia would do no such thing. She knew that the pup was not in distress, and so continued, until she had dealt with the same amount of fuss as Inky. [43] [Tolerance - 3]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 12:59:22 GMT -6
The next part was equally as awkward. No one enjoyed getting up close and personal with the intimates of their animals, but Nadia knew it was essential in case anything in that department ever went awry. So, with them both on their feet, she took the opportunity to raise their tails. It was not taken well. Indie squirmed away with indignance at best, and Inky yapped, spinning around to assail the offending hand. "Enough," The woman said firmly, taking her hands away from their access. "Now, now. This won't hurt you, so please be brave and try to work with me, won't you?" Whether they understood or not, she was determined to continue. With a firmer grasp, she raised both of their tails at once - perhaps the repetition of the action gave them cause to believe it was inevitable, because although they were grumpy, they kept still. They were promptly rewarded with treats for obliging. "There you go," Nadia murmured, petting their heads as they chomped on their nibbles. All was forgotten as quickly as it had happened, with food in their belly and pettings to be had. It was remarkable how changeable animals were when food was on offer. [44] [Tolerance - 4]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 13:07:52 GMT -6
The last major hurdle was the facial area. Nadia was happy to get away from their backsides and sit in front of them again, and they were equally as charmed, as well as expectant of more treats. Fair enough! They only had to sit through a little more and they'd be able to have as many as they wanted. "Okay, let's try one more thing..." She took Inky's face in her hands first, and carefully began raising the skin over his teeth with her fingers, to inspect them. His head nodded as he tried to back away, but she followed, calm and insistent. All around his mouth had to be checked before she found it agreeable and moved on, to feel over his ears and peer inside them. "Looking all clear to me, darling. Very good boy. Here you go." With a treat occupying him, she could move on to Indie. Indie did not have a problem with her ears being fondled, except for the odd twitch, but was even less of a fan of her mouth being looked into. A little growl raised in her throat, but a stern word deterred her, and she sat still for the end of the inspections. [45] [Tolerance - 5]
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Post by Nadia on Sept 29, 2020 13:39:54 GMT -6
What was next on the agenda...? Something a little easier, Nadia thought, to keep them engaged. Well, since she had the leashes on her, she supposed that teaching them to heel nicely was as good as any other idea. The leashes were clipped back to their collars, and she stood up once more, ready to take a turn about the room. It was spacious enough for them to walk at her sides without too much bother, and they had the ability to turn in decent circles. Marvellous. She set off without hesitation, allowing the houluh to take their places at her side. Indie wasn't incredibly boisterous, but her leash manners were not perfect. Inky, on the other hand, was reckless. He threw himself against the leash and tugged, insistent on getting ahead; in response, Nadia stopped and stood still. "Heel," She said. The pups looked at her, curious - Inky got bored of standing and tugged again, in the direction he had been heading before. She would not move, and kept a tight hold on the leash, adding a gentle tug backwards. "Heel, Inky." They had no idea what it meant. Indie was standing at her side regardless, though, and got a treat for it. [46] [Heel - 1]
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Post by Jack on Sept 29, 2020 13:44:25 GMT -6
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