He's not the bloody dog-whisperer

[waitforsuperman]

Who: Alfred and Ludwig
When:  September 26th, afternoon
Where: The Vargas Mansion
What: There's only one man in all of Liberty that can handle an excitable puppy and it's even-more-excitable owner.

Comments

[baer_jager]

There was a hesitant knock on the front door, and Ludwig heard Aster give one booming bark from the hall downstairs. Crossing the room and out into the hall, Ludwig descended the stairs to find Aster, Blackie and Berlitz waiting patiently a few feet from the door, noses pointing directly at it, tails waving ever so slightly. Just like he'd taught them. One bark, then wait.

"Good dogs," Ludwig praised them as he opened the door. On his doorstep he found two antsy puppies. The small black canine one had a red handkerchief tied around her neck, and wriggled happily in her owners arms when she saw Ludwig, and even harder when she saw the three big dogs standing behind him.
Before things got out of hand, Ludwig half-turned and commanded, "Sitzen. Ruhe." Immediately, Blackie, Berlitz and Aster sat down, mouths open, tongues lolling happily.

Ludwig turned back to the door. "Welcome. I'm Ludwig." He saw the blonde puppy jump a little when he spoke, but Ludwig could hardly help how deep his voice was. Gesturing to the wriggling furball in his arms, he said, "Put her down, and watch how they react." 'They' being his dogs.

this is my awkward shark icon

[waitforsuperman]

Okay, new theory: Stereotyping is now allowed in Liberty. Because goddamn if this guy wasn't the perfect German, Alfred would eat his own fist. Or something the size of because eating your hand would be kinda gross.

"Uh... Okay," he slowly let Rosie down, watching her gallop up to the other dogs eagerly, "Hi Ludwig, I'm Alfred, we... chatted on my blog." Beside this guy, even Ivan almost seemed average and Alfred was a little hesitant when he stepped inside.

He glanced over the three large dogs, frowning. Three?! He didn't know if he could handle one!

this is my 'i'm going to beat some manners into you' icon

[baer_jager]

They watched Rosie bounce around in front of the three big dogs. She ran up to each one, then raced away again, only to repeat the process again and again when the big dogs remained where they were. They would bend their noses down to her when she got close, and wag their tails a little, but still they sat where Ludwig had told them to. The German pointed to his dogs, "When a dog is well trained, they will listen to you." Then he looked back at the dogs and said, "Spielen schön."

The dogs immediately bounced upwards, playfully bowling Rosie over and chasing her. Despite the great difference in size, they were gentle with the young puppy. "Komm und setz dich."

Despite clearly enjoying their romp with the young puppy, all three dogs came to Ludwig and sat down beside him, sides panting and tongues lolling. Rosie looked confused, wondering why her new friends had suddenly stopped playing with her.

"Now, have you brought a collar and a leash with you?" Ludwig asked the blonde puppy standing beside him.

this is my 'reaction to said icon' icon

[waitforsuperman]

Alfred blinked, watching Rosie look back at him for an explanation and shrugged because in all honesty he wasn't sure how Ludwig was doing that. Maybe it was psychic. He frowned a little more intently at the man, as if one could tell the six-sense by just staring at someone intently.

"Uh... no," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck slowly, "I just kinda got her yesterday and then when she got dropped off today, I took her here right away."

this is my 'i'm glad you understand that icon' icon

[baer_jager]

Ludwig had expected that Alfred wouldn't have them, but he figured he'd ask. "It's alright, I have some old ones from when these three were puppies. You can use them, for now." Ludwig looked down at Aster, who was sitting beside him. "Außerhalb," he said, and the three dogs dashed out the open door and began gamboling around on the grass in front of the house.

Ludwig waved at the blonde puppy. "Go outside with her, and see if you can capture her attention long enough to convince her to sit. I'll meet you in a moment." Not waiting to see if Alfred leapt to it, Ludwig turned to go and retrieve a small puppy collar and leash from the dogs room. And maybe a few treats, too. Incentive always encouraged participation.

this is my 'wry are you so german' icon

[waitforsuperman]

Alfred stared at him, then nodded slowly, walking towards the backyard. The moment he tried to sit down and call Rosie to him, he was barreled over by three large dogs and then his new puppy. Instead of trying to fight them off, he merely fell over with them, laughing and finding himself not really trying train but rather playing with the dogs.

He was so absorbed in wrestling with the dogs that he didn't notice Ludwig's return.

this is my 'because i AM german' icon

[baer_jager]

He'd left them alone for only a minute, and he'd come outside to find all five of them in a tumbled, laughing heap on the grass. Well, Alfred was the source of the laughter. "Hört auf! Kommen Sie," Blackie, Berlitz and Aster halted their romp and plodded back to Ludwig, looking almost sheepish. As much as dogs can, anyway. Now that they were back under control, that left the two puppies still sitting on the grass in front of him.

Ludwig frowned slightly at Alfred before saying, "If you want to train that puppy in a short period of time, you need to stay focused. If you do, so will she." He pulled a small red puppy collar out of his left pocket, and a short black leash out of the other.

He knelt on the grass and coaxed Rosie toward him with a small treat. Then he picked her up and slid the collar over her head and made sure it wasn't too tight, or too loose. Setting the puppy back down, Ludwig pointed her in Alfred's direction. "Now, try again. See if you can convince her to sit."

this is my 'danceteim o3o?' icon

[waitforsuperman]

Alfred sat in the grass, holding out his arms, Rosie bounding towards him and into his arms, licking his face excitedly. "Okay, okay," he hummed, setting her down.

Meeting her darkblue eyes, then back up at Ludwig, he reached out a hand, forcing her backlegs into a sitting position. "Sit." he said, watching her quirk her head and copied the motion despite himself. "Haha! You did it!"

The moment he said this, she stood up and Alfred blinked, rubbing the back of his neck, laughing slightly.

this is my 'i don't think so' icon

[baer_jager]

Ludwig sighed. Okay. From the very beginning, then. "First, you need to ask her to sit, before you push her down, so that she connects the command with the action. Dogs also respond mostly to the tone of your voice, instead of recognizing the word itself. Watch." Ludwig looked over to Blackie, sitting patiently on the grass. "Nach unten," he said softly. Blackie looked at him curiously before slowly settling down on her belly, as if unsure. Then Ludwig glanced at the other two and said the words again in his usual commanding voice. Both dogs promptly dropped to the grass and stayed there.

"When you give a command, don't sound like you're only asking if they will, otherwise they won't. Mean it." He leaned over towards Rosie. "Sit," he said, and gently pushed her back end.

this is me 'you're such a party pooper' icon

[waitforsuperman]

Alfred watch as Rosie followed Ludwig's command, waiting a few seconds before she popped back up, almost gnawing on his hands before Alfred grabbed her, dragging her over to him. He let the smile fall from his face. His tone was easily as commanding as Ludwig's. "Sit." he order, patting his hand against her back.

She blinked, plopping down, tongue lolling out. "Hey I did it!" he said, smile suddenly back on his face as he beamed up at the German."

this is my 'don't you know it' icon

[baer_jager]

At least the puppies seemed eager to learn. Ludwig handed Alfred a small piece of a treat. "If you can get her to sit without using your hand, you can give her that. But not before."

As he watched Alfred work with Rosie, Ludwig kept a close eye on them, occasionally offering a hint or pointing something out. When Alfred finally succeeded in convincing Rosie to sit without guidance, Ludwig picked her up and carried her a few yards away. "Now, call her to you. And when she comes, make her sit."

this is my 'DID I DO GOOD LUDWIG!?' icon

[waitforsuperman]

Alfred blinked at him. "But she doesn't even know her name yet!" he said, frowning a little. Now if only he'd have a treat, then he'd be able to get the dog over to him no problem. Instead, he merely pat the grass. "Rosie! C'mere!"

She frowned at him, tongue lolling out before rocketing towards him and barreling into his chest, licking his cheek and yapping happily. "Rosie,' he said again, humming and kissing her head, "You know your name, good job girl!"

this is my 'YOU FORGOT TO MAKE HER SIT' icon

[baer_jager]

It was Ludwig's turn to frown slightly. Alfred had gotten Rosie to come, but he hadn't reinforced the 'sit' lesson. So he went back to Alfred, picked Rosie up again and carried her away, even though she tried to wriggle out of his arms.

"This time, make her sit. If you don't continue to reinforce that, she'll forget in all the excitement you're raising. Praise her once, then be done... and no, I'm not going to give you a treat to help you. She needs to learn to obey even without the promise of a treat after every little thing. It also makes them fat."

Ludwig had his eyes on Alfred when he set Rosie back on her feet again.

this is my 'omg you german tool' icon /but really I found it and I was like SCORE

[waitforsuperman]

Alfred sighed, glaring a little at the German. Was nothing he did was good enough? He pat the ground again and Rosie once against trotted over to him and with a small and quiet whispered "Sit Rosie," she proceeded to, quirking her head again.

"Thereeeeeeeeeeee." he said, flopping onto his back as Rosie clambered onto him, curling up on his chest. "And Rosie'll never be fat from eatin' too much! I'll make sure she gets plenty of walks."

I think i saw that somewhere... and I probably have it too. :B

[baer_jager]

Ludwig walked over to the puppies laying on the grass. He leaned over Alfred. "If you know so much, why are you here?"

But, he decided that it was time to prove his point. If Alfred was so desperate to prove himself, then Ludwig wasn't going to help him with this next challenge. He knew from experience how easily distracted puppies were, so until now, he'd kept Blackie, Berlitz and Aster still and well-behaved. He looked over at them. "Sie können jetzt spielen," they bounced upwards, happy that they could run and play again. Ludwig scooped Rosie up again, setting her down to play with the three big dogs.

"Now try again."

and this is my 'GOD AREN'T I CUTE?!' icon

[waitforsuperman]

Alfred blinked. For a few minutes he attempted fruitlessly to get Rosie's attention as she ambled around with the other three dogs. He growled in frustration. "Rosie!" he half-shouted.

Her dark eyes flicked to him and hurried over, plopping down in front of him. He blinked, stunned before picking her up and humming.

"I did it~~~"