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I picked up my phone and shuffled back along the bed, leaning against the headboard. “Call Rebecca.”
I listened to a few seconds of silence before the ringing tone started and then I cancelled the call.
Sucking in my bottom lip, I tried not to let it all get to me.
I brought the phone to my ear. “Call Mum.”
The phone rang. She picked up. “Hi, Brian.”
“Hey.”
“How’s the training going?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Just okay?”
I took in a long breath. “It’s fine. It’s...I don’t know. It’s hard.”
“You’ll get through it, I’m sure.”
“I hardly slept last night.”
“I can never sleep in hotels. You’ll be okay in a couple of days. Don’t worry.”
“I’m...” I trailed off.
“What is it?”
“I don’t know. I’m just...I don’t know. I’m just finding it hard.”
“You’re tired. It’s new. This is why you do the training. You’ll come out the other end and wonder what you were worried about.”
“I’m not worried...I’m just...”
A knock came at the door.
“Sorry, Mum. I need to go.”
“Well, you take care. I love you.”
“You too.”
I hung up and opened the door.
“Morning,” Sophie said.
“Hey.”
“You ready to go?”
I pulled on my hoodie and nodded. “What are we doing?”
“I thought we could do some obedience training.”
I picked up Wizard’s leash. “That’s probably a good idea.”
––––––––
Sophie led Wizard and me to a hall beyond the hotel’s reception. Wizard’s claws clicked against the floorboards and resonated around the walls.
“Take these.” She passed me a handful of dog biscuits which were slightly greasy to the touch.
I slipped them into my pocket.
“Okay. If you could ask Wizard to sit. Use a firm voice.”
“Sit.” Wizard sat on his haunches, his tail wagging.
“That’s good. All his attention is on you.”
“Right.”
“Hold your hand towards him, showing him your palm, and tell him to wait.”
“Wait.”
“Now, walk slowly around him. Keep your palm towards him as you go around.”
I walked around him. I felt his head turning through the lead as he remained seated.
“Good. Now give him a big fuss and a treat.”
I knelt at his side and rubbed the fur around his neck. “Good boy.” Fishing a biscuit from my pocket, he took it and swallowed.
“That’s good. Try to keep the praise and treats as close to the behaviour you want to reinforce as possible.”
“Okay.”
“Get him to sit again. Then tell him ‘down.’”
“Sit.”
Wizard sat.
“And down.”
He remained sat. “He’s not lying down.”
“Try it again. Remember to keep your voice firm. Point to the ground. Let him know where you want him to go.”
I nodded and took in a breath. “Down.”
Wizard lay on the ground.
“Go around him again. Get him to wait.”
I held my hand towards him. “Wait.” Following the tension in the leash, I circled him until reaching my original position. “How was that?”
“You need to praise him.”
“Oh.” I knelt next him and rubbed his side. “Good boy.” He took the biscuit from my hand and swallowed. He rolled onto his back, tail wagging, his legs kicking the air. I laughed and rubbed his tummy.
Rolling over, he got to his feet and shook.
“That was good. Let’s try it again without the lead.”
I froze. “You mean, I need to take it off?”
“Get him to sit and wait.”
I stood over him and sucked in my bottom lip. “Sit. Wait.” Wizard sat, his tail wagging. “Good boy for waiting.”
“Give him a treat.”
He crunched the biscuit in his mouth as I removed his leash.
“Good boy for waiting.”
“That’s it. Keep reinforcing what you want him to do.”
“Keep waiting.”
“Now step away from him. About ten paces. Keep getting him to wait.”
I walked away from him, holding my hand towards him and telling them to wait.
He remained seated.
“Call him towards you and give him a treat.”
I patted my thigh. “Here, boy.”
Wizard darted towards me and sniffed my pockets. He licked my hands before I had chance to reach a biscuit.
“Get him to sit.”
I held a hand out towards him. “Sit.”
He panted and sat in front of me, his tail sweeping the floor. I pulled out a treat and offered it to him.
“Good. Now, get him to sit and wait again.”
“Sit. Wait.”
“Excellent. Get him to lie down again.”
I pointed to the floor. “Down.”
Wizard lay down.
“And wait.” I backed away from him, gesturing for him to stay. After counting ten paces, I patted my thigh. “Here, boy.”
He shot towards me.
I held my hand out before he could sniff my pockets. “Sit. Good boy.” I dropped a treat into his mouth and put an arm around him, stroking his chest.
“Put him back on his leash.”
I clipped the lead onto his collar and got to my feet. Wizard sat at my heel.
“That was really good, really positive. I think he likes you.”
I sniffed. “He didn’t like me at breakfast.”
“Yes. Paul said he’d given himself a little free-run. He just needs to know you’re his boss.”
“Is that why we’re doing this?”
“Exactly. You’ll get there.”
I smiled at that. “What now?”
“I’ll get Nidra and we’ll go through how to groom the dogs. Will you fetch the brushes from your equipment bag?”
I nodded. “Cool.”
––––––––
Returning to the hall, I got Wizard to sit.
“Have you got all your brushes?”
“I think so.” I emptied my pockets. “I’ve got a rake thing, a rubbery brush, a normal one, and one that’s like a metal comb.”
“Perfect. Start off by raking through his fur with your fingers, pull them against the way the fur grows.”
I crouched next to Wizard and began the process, raking my fingers from the base of his tail to his neck. Loose fur fluttered from my fingers.
“That’s good. You’re getting rid of some of the moulting under the top layer of fur.”
I continued for another minute or so before Sophie spoke. “Now take the rubbery brush and massage him in small circles.”
“How small?”
“Maybe twenty centimetres diameter. Make sure you do his tummy and legs.”
“Okay.” I brushed along Wizard’s back and sides, loosening more hair.
Sophie placed a bin next to me. “Put any loose bits in there.”
As I reached his rear legs, Sophie handed me the brush that felt like a rake from a child’s sandpit.
“Now bring that along his back and sides. Go with the fur this time.”
I raked along his back and sides. The experience was strangely relaxing. “Does he always lose this much hair?”
“Yes. This is why you have to keep on top of grooming.”
“Right.”
“And gently follow his tail.”
Wizard turned and nibbled his tail as I passed along the fur.
It surprised me how different the fur was at various parts of his body—soft and short around his head, velvety along his ears, thick around his neck and chest, sleek along his back and legs, and coarse along his tail.
“That’s it.” She handed me an oval-shaped brush, a little bigger than my palm. “Again, pull this along from head to tail. Follow the fur.”
I brushed along Wizard’s back, enjoying the way he seemed to do a little dance on the rear legs when I brushed near his tail, his head craning towards the ceiling and as he stretched.
“Now, you just need to pull the fur from the bushes into the bin.” She handed me the comb with tightly packed metal teeth. “Again, head to tail.”
The comb’s head was only about five centimetres wide.
Sophie walked away as I combed Wizard’s fur, pulling out any snags.
She returned a few minutes later with a bowl of warm water and the chamois leather.
“What’s this for?”
“This is the last step. Pull this long his back. From head to tail. This will make him look nice and clean.”
“Aren’t these for cleaning windows?”
“And dogs.”
When I finished, his fur felt smooth and clean.
“The black Labs always look so good when they have been groomed.”
“It takes a while though.”
“It’s necessary.”
Wizard licked my hand, methodically scraping his tongue between my fingers and around my wrist. I laughed. “That tickles.”
She patted my shoulder. “It looks like you’re bonding.”
Despite my grumpiness from lack of sleep, I smiled as I realised that she was right.
––––––––
After taking Wizard to the spending pens, I returned to my room and let him off his lead.
He padded over to me and dropped a drool-smeared ball into my hand. “You want to play.”
Wizard sat and began to pant.
I tossed the ball towards the door. He dived for it and returned it to my hand. “Good boy.” I rubbed his head. “Sit.” I threw it again and we continued like this for about twenty minutes before he dropped the ball in my hand and padded over to his bed with a sigh. “Have I tired you out?”
Wizard didn’t respond.
I considered logging into Gambit, but instead I picked up my phone. “Call Mum.”
It rang once. “Hello, Brian. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, just thought I’d call you back after earlier.”
“Good. I was a little worried about you.”
“I had a really good session of training since we spoke. I’ve done some obedience with Wizard this morning and I’ve groomed him.”
“That’s good. What’s the weather been like? It’s been bitter cold here.”
I laughed. “I’m about two miles away from you. It’s not that much of a microclimate around here.”
“Oh course. Silly me.”
“Any word from college?”
“Not yet, dear. They probably get thousands of applications they need to work through.”
“I guess. Just want to know if I got in or not.”
“I’m sure you’ll be absolutely fine.”
“Hopefully.”
“So, how’s Wizard?”
“He’s good. I think I’ve just worn him out playing fetch. We’re getting on really well. “
“Any problems?”
“I...it’s been fine.”
“And are the staff at the hotel treating you well?”
“Yeah. The food is good. They’ve got swimming pool. I might see if I can go for a swim.”
“With what? Do you have any shorts with you?”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought about that.”
“Anyway, Brian, I was just on my way out. Thank you for calling back. I do worry about you, you know.”
“Oh, right. I know. It’s okay. I’ll speak to you soon then.”
“Take care. I love you.”
“You too.”
She hung up.
I considered calling Rebecca. “Screw it.” Instead, I logged into Gambit.