ENDURING {Sequel to Everlasting}

Chapter 52

A week goes by, and before I know it Matt is arriving to evaluate the dogs progress. Personally I think he expects next to none, and he'd be right to assume that. I feel like I haven't made much progress with Lucifers attitude, but I suppose Matt will be brutally honest either way.

"Hi, how are you? No fresh bites I see, that's good." He smiles politely, shaking my hand.

"Yeah, I haven't made much progress unfortunately." I admit, leading him over to the dog.

"Sometimes progress can't be seen at first, let's see how he does when you give him food." Matt stands back as to not interfere.

So I head inside and grab the treat pouch filled with biscuits, heading back out and approaching Lucifer calmly. He doesn't lunge for me, simply sleeping on the grass, unfazed by his surroundings.

"Lucifer." I call calmly, standing at the mark I made in the grass to make sure I don't overstep.

The dog instantly perks up, noticing me standing with my hand extended as I offer a biscuit, Lucifer slowly gets up. Shaking out his filthy matted fur, he approaches me calmly, although his eyes are still guarded.

I don't give the command, I simply raise my hand and hold the biscuit just above his snout, moving it back slowly. Lucifer slowly moves into the sitting position.

"Good." I praise softly, handing the biscuit and stepping away before I turn to Matt.

"Wow." He nods, staring at me and the dog as if he's impressed.

"You think he's made progress?" I ask, glancing down at Lucifer who simply sits staring at me.

"Hell yeah, last week that dog was looking at you like you were his next meal, now look at him." Matt says.

"He's showing patience, he knows that you bring the food, he's calm. The way he is looking at you right now, that's interesting. We can use that, it means he's focused, he's ready for what comes next." Matts tone is encouraging, passionate about training Lucifer.

"You think he's ready for the command?" I ask with a slight frown. To be honest I didn't realise Lucifer had made so much progress, but I suppose an experienced trainer that specialises in aggressive behaviour knows what to look for.

"Definitely. Try it." He nods.

So I do, approaching Lucifer calmly. I take out a biscuit and bring it above his head, moving towards his tail. His head goes up, and his backside begins to go down.

"Sit." I give the command in a firm yet calm voice as he sits.

Then I praise and reward with food. Then I take a step to the right, getting Lucifer back on his feet. I repeat it again, using the command. I repeat it between twenty and thirty times, before trying just the command.

"Sit." I say, calmly staring down at the dog, seeing its own golden brown orbs staring right back.

He just looks at me for about ten seconds, before slowly but surely, sitting. I felt my heart stop slightly, and skip with excitement.

"Good." I praise with a smile, handing him the biscuit.

"I can't believe he did it." I admit to Matt, somewhat bouncing happily.

"Hard work pays off, his mind is stimulated with praise and foundation training, and that's something he's never had. Dogs are intelligent, he's aware of the difference between biting you, and obeying." Matt says.

"I'm going to be moving within the next couple of weeks, the environment is a lot different to this one. Will it affect his training?" I ask, not wanting to uproot the dog if it means going back to stage zero.