|
Post by Briar on Sept 7, 2020 19:25:38 GMT -6
Aubrey would give him this much: when Loki was on, he was on. And lately he had been much more keen, possibly because he had finally grown comfortable enough around Aubrey to be keen. Though there seemed to be more to it than that; Aubrey often saw him observing the other two, and he always seemed more interested in doing something that he had seen one or the other pup do first. Aubrey couldn't decide if this was just his way of expressing a desire to be social, or if he was developing something of a thus-far one-sided rivalry with his companions, but either way, it had brought him into sharper focus.
"Loki, heel," Aubrey said, and moved off. Loki kept pace with him, staying at his side the whole time. Interestingly, he no longer followed the treat with his nose, but looked straight ahead. Of course, when Aubrey fed him treats, he still took them immediately, but after that he returned to looking ahead.
On the face of it, if you didn't know any better, a stranger might have thought he was a perfectly well mannered dog based on the way he was walking now. "Good boy," Aubrey said, genuinely a little impressed in spite of himself.
They repeated the command a couple more times, and Aubrey watched to see if he would do the same thing again. Sure enough, Loki carried on in the same manner, his movements mannerly and precise in a way that Lyra's generally weren't.
12
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 7, 2020 19:32:10 GMT -6
It was funny, because it was a bit of a subversion of where they were in terms of socialization. Lyra was the one who was comfortable around people, and thus far still the one who picked up training the fastest and the most easily, since she was the most used to paying attention to people and reading their cues. Loki was... not shy, and not really fearful, but still more guarded than either of the other two pups, and if a particular bit of training involved a lot of interaction, he was slow to warm.
But here was a sign that Loki had a sense of... showmanship, maybe, that Lyra didn't - sweet, assertive Lyra who nevertheless had a sort of relaxed, fast and loose air to her. "Good boy, Loki," Aubrey said, feeding him a last treat and letting him go. He had done well, and now it was Joker's turn.
In the end, Joker was the one who had some trouble with the command, as Aubrey slowly lengthened its duration. It wasn't his fault, but he proved to be a little more distractible than the others. A couple of times he would pause, or wander off, and Aubrey had to call his name and give the command again, to reset him as it were. Aubrey didn't reprimand him, and simply started them over until he got it right. He had to work with Joker a little longer for this bout than Loki or Lyra, but eventually Aubrey managed to get him up to speed.
13
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 7, 2020 19:37:09 GMT -6
After that, when Lyra's turn came again, Aubrey switched things up a bit for her. Instead of walking straight, he would turn this way and then that way, stop and start. If she tripped up, he would reset the command, just the same way that he had done for Joker. It wasn't a punishment or reprimand, but he could see her recognizing it as a sign that this didn't work. Now that there was more to pay attention to, he could also see Lyra's focus begin to laser in the same way Loki's had done earlier. She was still mostly her relaxed self when she walked with him, but there was still a difference between now and before, when Aubrey suspected she was getting bored and phoning it in.
It didn't take her long to get the hang of it though, and with the challenge in place, she threw herself wholeheartedly into the effort of staying right by his left side, watching him for cues as to where he would go next, or what tricks he had up his sleeve. By the time he was done with her, she was long past the point of making any mistakes.
Loki received the same treatment next, and responded to it in much the same way. He was doing well, partly because this wasn't a trick that involved a lot of close contact. Loki had to walk at Aubrey's side, but they didn't actually have to brush up against each other or anything like that.
14
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 7, 2020 19:42:42 GMT -6
Aubrey practiced with Loki until Loki could confidently follow him through turns and start-and-stop situations while heeling. It didn't take much longer than it had with Lyra, which was a pleasant little surprise for Aubrey.
Joker, when it came to his turn, took a little more work. Again, the problem was that he didn't focus as closely as the other two. But with patience and perseverance, and a few more resets, Aubrey eventually got him to heel nicely as well, following Aubrey as he walked this way and that way.
And so there it was: all three of them knew how to walk neatly at his side now, with or without a leash. Now that it was done, Aubrey felt that it had been pretty painless after all. Piece by piece, the pups were slowly turning into, well, if not model citizens of dogs, at least perfectly nice and manageable pets.
He didn't know yet just how far he wanted to go with them. He knew that there were shows and breeding and all, a whole world of high-level performance for these pups if they had what it took... And looking at them, he felt that some of them might. But he also didn't know if that was what he wanted for himself, or for them, for that matter. For the moment he was still just playing it by ear, and learning to enjoy their company as they learned to enjoy his. And for the moment, that was enough for him.
15
|
|
|
Post by Nadia on Sept 7, 2020 19:54:03 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 19:48:32 GMT -6
In the meantime though, they were still working on some of the tricks of basic obedience, so it was probably premature to think about anything big like shows or the future of these pups. There was enough to contend with just as it was. But rather than moving directly on to something else, he let them have a little time to explore and run around. They had all just learned to walk at Aubrey's side, so he felt like they deserved some time to roam, albeit still at the end of a leash.
Still, he was feeling more comfortable letting them have a longer lead these days. Now that it no longer felt like he was constantly on the verge of losing control over them, he didn't have to watch them quite so closely. And now that they had fallen into a more or less established routine, the pups seemed to be calmer too, probably since they knew what to expect out of their days.
There was a lot about raising pups that was kind of like raising sentient children, actually. Aubrey didn't know why this surprised him. It made sense, in retrospect; Houluh were a social species, and some of the needs of young creatures were universal - or at least common among similar enough species. And they were still mammals, so it stood to reason...
... Well, Aubrey had never really worked with animals before recently. Aster had never let him, since he was too small and Aster's animals tended to be dangerous.
16
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 20:00:03 GMT -6
Aubrey didn't resent this, of course, but it did mean he didn't have a lot of practical experience when it came to animals. He could read about them, but that wasn't a perfect substitute for practical experience, and as he was finding, what looked well and good on a piece of paper didn't always translate to the hands-on process.
He was learning though, slowly, and the thing was that he had plenty of experience with kids of his own kind. Or at least Harachiu kids, anyway, which was close enough. He'd taken care of Damien a lot when Damien was still growing up, though he had still been a boy himself at the time; and after that he had sort of become the unofficial second in command of the household, as far as looking after the others was concerned. Their problems had been more complicated and cerebral sometimes, but they liked a good routine too, especially when they were younger, so they knew what was going on and what to expect. And other things translated well: being irritable when they were hungry; the importance of getting enough sleep, and lots of it; having to have a way to let out excess energy.
If he thought of this undertaking as sort of like raising a child - or in this case a trio of children - some things really were easier to understand. And even Harachiu kids had to be taught basic manners, which he supposed was sort of what he was doing now.
17
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 20:04:28 GMT -6
But all work and no play did take a toll on kids, and he knew the pups could only pay attention for so long, even if they did want to please him, as some of them were beginning to do. Actually, in his heart Aubrey thought even Loki had come around. Maybe it really was just a sense of rivalry with the other pups, without anything to do with Aubrey himself, but he liked to think that he and Loki were bonding, just a little more slowly. And of course he understood that things would be more difficult with Loki, possibly for the rest of the pup's life, because he'd had some difficult experiences very early in his life, at a formative stage. He was still young enough that much of it might be overcome, but possibly not all of it, and certainly not without at least some degree of effort.
But he could be touched now, which was already miles better than how he had been before. And he was learning to tolerate Aubrey's presence, at least, though Aubrey hadn't really tried walking him in any particularly populated areas to see how he fared with strangers.
He probably ought to, and sooner rather than later, since it would be tough to have a dog that couldn't handle crowds. While he was young and his behavior was still malleable, that would be easier... Once he was older and set in his habits, it would be harder to acclimate him to new things.
18
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 20:27:25 GMT -6
If Aubrey wanted to do that though, he was probably going to have to work fast. The pups were already showing signs of growth, and he knew that if he didn't keep track of things, before he knew it they would be grown without his realizing.
He watched them run around for a while, then decided it was best to get back to work. The nice thing was that the next trick he wanted to teach them should be quick and easy - or at least he thought it would be, anyway. He supposed he would find out the hard way if it turned out not to be the case.
"Lyra, Joker, Loki!" He called their names to get their attention, and once all three of them were looking at him, he held up a treat and said, "Come!"
Funnily enough, it was Joker who moved first. He wasn't a pup that Aubrey had thought of as particularly proactive, though he wondered now if that was simply the result of the company he was in. It was hard to seem proactive if you were always being compared to, say, Lyra.
But Joker, for whatever reason, was the first to react; and his reaction started a chain reaction, and pretty soon all three pups were running at full tilt for Aubrey, who was beginning to wonder if this had been a good idea. If all three of them bowled into him, he was pretty sure he wasn't going to be able to stay upright.
19
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 20:35:53 GMT -6
But as he was watching his doom steadily advance towards him, there was a detached part of him that noted that Joker was also the fastest of the pups. He'd had the best start, of course, since he had gone first, but he was actually pulling ahead of them even as they ran to catch up with him. Aubrey hadn't really noticed it before, but this time he did.
And then they were upon him, or rather, Joker sailed past him, turned on a dime, and then came trotting back to his side, by which point the other two pups had passed him to either side. Since he was first, Joker got the first treat, but Aubrey rewarded the other two as well.
Hey, they did it on the first try. That wasn't too bad, was it? And he didn't fall down, which was always a nice bonus.
He hadn't taught them 'stay' just yet - he figured he would do that next, but not at the same time - and so he simply let them lose interest and wander off again before he made his next attempt. By this point the pups more or less knew that if he had a treat to give to them, he would make it obvious, so it didn't take them long to figure that he had nothing for them at the moment. And then it was back to whatever it was they had been doing, which in this case was sniffing at a nearby bush.
20
|
|
|
Post by Jack on Sept 10, 2020 20:56:49 GMT -6
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 21:02:44 GMT -6
There was probably a pocketpet in there, and that was why they were all so interested in it. But as long as they didn't try to eat it again, Aubrey wasn't going to stop them. It was probably not a very good day for a pocketpet if it was being harassed by three pups, but... well, he couldn't stop them from doing every little thing so long as they weren't actively causing harm. And he was pretty sure if the pocketpet bolted, it would cross paths with another one sooner or later to pass the pups onto, since they were so common around here.
Now that they were away from him though, he could repeat the command. "Come!" he said, without calling their names this time. The three of them looked up anyway at the sound of his voice, and once they saw the treat, they were all too eager to run to him again. "Good boys, good girl," he said, feeding them treats and patting the ones that liked to be patted. He still didn't pet Loki unless the pup invited it, and kept handling to a necessary minimum, since part of earning Loki's trust was showing him that Aubrey could respect his boundaries when it wasn't strictly necessary for him to impose on them. And it seemed to be working so far, even if earning trust really was a gradual process.
When the treats and the pats were done, the pups gave Aubrey one last sniff, then wandered off again.
21
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 21:11:48 GMT -6
Aubrey waited for them to get a good distance from where he was, then called out to them once more. "Come!" he said. He held out a treat so they would know to come to him, but this time he could see them already moving into a run before they fully turned around and saw it, so maybe that step wasn't quite so necessary anymore. Maybe on the next attempt he wouldn't hold out the treat, to see if they would still come to him.
Once they reached him, he gave them the same round of treats and praise and pats, then waited for them to lose interest and wander off again.
The next time he called them, he didn't take out a treat, but the pups must have started picking up on the word. They didn't hesitate at all to come to him even without the visible bribe, and Aubrey kept up his end of the bargain once they got there, handing out the same rewards as always. At least that was consistent, and so long as it was, he was sure the pups would keep coming to him. They were taking to this command pretty well, just as he had hoped, so that was gratifying to see.
Just a little more practice, and he was sure they would have it. Heck, they were even wising up to the fact that he needed them to walk away from him before he could call them to him again, from the looks of it.
22
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 21:16:15 GMT -6
The way that they peeled off from him definitely seemed more purposeful than it had before, and he caught Lyra looking back at him not once but several times, as if waiting for something, or checking for something. She was trying to figure out this new game too, the way she had tried to figure out all the tricks they had done together.
Once they had gotten a good distance, he called to them again. "Come!" he said. Before the word was even finished, they were all running toward him.
They practiced the trick a few more times, just to make sure that they became thoroughly familiar with the command, but it really wasn't a very difficult thing for them to learn. Pretty soon, Aubrey felt confident that they had the command down pat, and was ready to move on to something else.
The next trick was a little trickier to do with all of them at once, but he thought he would try it, just for the sake of efficiency. If it didn't work out, he would do it one at a time like he had done with 'heel', and have them take turns. That kind of method had its own advantages, like letting them more easily model the behavior for one another, learning through observation as well as doing. They could always watch each other as they worked too, but if he was actively engaging them, their attention was more likely to be on him than on each other.
23
|
|
|
Post by Briar on Sept 10, 2020 21:20:51 GMT -6
Rather than letting them all wander off, after calling them to him one last time, he said, "Loki, Lyra, Joker. Stay."
All three pups looked at him. He had called them all by name, so that meant he wanted their attention for something; they had figured out that much. But almost immediately after Aubrey said 'stay', he said, "Easy. Okay, good boys, good girl!" and handed them small treat rewards.
That was probably a little confusing for them, since they hadn't done anything. And he was incorporating two different commands that he wanted to teach them at once too, which hopefully wouldn't be too confusing once they got going. But it was definitely going to be a little tricky at first, and he wouldn't be surprised if this took a lot longer because of it - though it would be a pleasant surprise if it didn't, too.
The pups were happy to get the treats, of course, but he could already feel Lyra's gaze boring a hole into him. At least she was interested! And it was nice to have her focus, though sometimes Aubrey felt a little overwhelmed by the force of that focus too.
Nothing for it but to keep going and do it again.
"Stay," he said again. This time he waited a bit longer before he released them by saying, "Easy," but it still wasn't a very long span of time, and none of them had moved during that time span, so he rewarded them all again.
24
|
|