[Class] Basic Conformation

The ship swayed gently, buoyed by the tide as the sailors stowed the sail. Sundown approached, and with it the coming of the night shift crew, bound for shallower waters in search of the creatures drawn to bright lights in the dark. Rob listened to the comforting sound of the anchor lowering, heavy chain clinking as it sank to the depths, while sounds of dinghies being lowered rang from the other side of the deck.

 

The bustle of the ship - a controlled chaos of sorts - soothed him, as he knew it did most others on board. The majority of his life had been spent on these floating behemoths, vessels that, to this day, Rob could think of no suitable replacement. Even the advent of the steam carriages couldn't quite do it.

 

As the dinghies descended, Rob rose from his perch in search of Ollie. He found his brother below decks, rushing about like a storm, changing out of his gear and stuffing it back into the closet with a haphazard lack of order that made Rob cringe.

 

"Why the rush?" he asked, eyes followed each article of clothing as it was flung unceremoniously into its container.

 

"Landfall! Training class!" Ollie said brightly, shoving his shoes on and calming his mess of hair before straightening up with a grin. "They have new ones on at the guild - conformation classes! You know how Landfall is built quite nicely? I thought she'd be a good fit for this."

 

He was still trying to find their niche, and in typical Ollie fashion, he had decided he would try just about everything. Cast a wide yet, as the fishermen liked to say.

 

Ollie didn't wait for Rob to process or respond. He grabbed his brother by the shoulders and spun him around, ushering him back above deck. "Let's go, I want the first dinghy back to shore," he said earnestly, hurrying them both down the length of the deck and clambering onto the first boat he could find

 

"Well, hang on, we aren't finished-" 

 

"I'll go ahead then! You finish up!" Ollie threw back cheerfully, and away the dinghy went, much to Rob's obvious disapproval. But it didn't seem to phase Ollie, whose thoughts had been consumed most of the day with how this new class would suit Landfall's natural build and disposition.

 

It took him no time at all to row the dinghy back to the pier. He tossed the ropes in a loop around the anchors to secure it and hopped out, waving goodbye to the crewmates and speed walking home. All he needed to do was crack the front door, whistle to Landfall, who slipped through the opening with enthusiasm. Minutes later, they had made it to the guild, Ollie plotting the whole way how he was going to learn and teach Landfall to do all the things that a show dog needed to do.

 

"Hey Ollie!" the trainer greeted him as he took his place in the class. "Today we'll start simple, we're going to learn to start stacking! You'll see I've drawn out these rectangles for each of your dogs. The goal is to get them to stand in the rectangle, one paw on each corner, and praise when they hold the position. It doesn't have to be long, just a second. We'll build the duration once they understand what's going on."

 

Ollie nodded, fixing the leash to Landfall's collar. With a piece of bait, he lured her into position, and set her paws, one at each corner. She made an attempt to follow him out of the box, so he reset, led her back, and set her feet once more. This time, Landfall looked at him, waiting for a cue.

 

"Good girl!" he said enthusiastically, stuffing a piece of bait into her mouth. "Alright, release."

 

She came toward him, tail wagging happily as he gave her another reward.

 

"You're such a smart Landfall!" Ollie cooed, giving her head a vigorous pat. "Alright come on, one more time!" He led her back to the box and set her feet again, lifting each one and carefully placing it upon the marked corners of the rectangle, so that she was aligned properly. Once again, Landfall waited, and he praised her.

 

"That's good! Release!"

 

She seemed to understand what he was asking, and seemed equally happy to comply. The class went by in a flash.

 

"She did great today, Ollie," the trainer said with a grin. "You might have yourself a nice show dog on your hands!"