#either she drowns or she doggy paddles in my eyes

[doodleybugg]

regulus black hc's that have ✨nothing✨to do with canon (heavy jegulus)

showers daily

and uses a TON of hot water

it drives sirius mad

also can't eat anything spicy

but insists he can

tried to do so to impress james because sirius said james liked spicy foods

cried for hours afterwards because his tongue hurted

james actually got him a big glass of milk and assured him that sirius was definitely lying and that james doesn't care for spicy foods

reg is still embarrassed to this day

whenever reg gets upset he likes to draw

nothing in particular, just mostly either doodles or scribbles on a blank page

he's exceptional at hands and noses

he draws people's noses

one time he was hanging out with pandora

and she saw one page of his sketchbook

"is that my nose?"

"what?! no, no of course it isn't! you're crazy"

it was her nose, really detailed too

he got everything, the tiny curve from when it was broken it second year, he even drew the scab from when they'd tried to pierce it in third

he draws james' nose the most

or sometimes his hands after quidditch practice

he somehow knows how to draw texture, but not making it creepy

if you look at his sketches, you can easily tell which body part belongs to who

he draws the one mole on james' left thumb, and the bruises from that one particular time james fell off his broom and his palms caught his fall

he'll only ever show you the book if you're really close, he thinks it's weird and judges himself

the only people that know are evans and pandora

maybe lily but he doesn't know she's seen it

moving on cuz i could talk about that for hours lolz

he talks really quietly

not on purpose, he just doesn't have a volume switch

but sometimes when he's excited he'll laugh really loud, or talk all jittery

it makes james blush

he writes little stories, is thinking of being an author when he grows up (oh sweetie..)

he bases the characters off his friends and classmates

the main villain is based off sirius, and the henchman is his mom

but (spoilers for his book!!) the man villain joins the good guys in the end, the henchman was the bad guy all along

ofc remus helps proofread it

he's got like 32 chapters so far

with more to come

some days he skips morning classes to write

meaning his attendance isn't as good as he'd like it to be

but he swears he does all the work and understands everything! (see, marisol in the first episode of mr. iglesias)

speaking of mr. iglesias, he makes me think of mikey

marisol being james

he actually took swimming lessons when he was younger

but he wasn't so good

still, he knew how to (kinda) doggy paddle

he looks likes he's drowning every time he tries though, with all the splashing

his animagi is a cat (i think i've read this off of someone's hc's, or maybe it's canon in the headcanon world or something, but lemme build on it)

he turns into a black cat with long, neat fur and piercing blue eyes

nobody knew about it

he went out into the woods every full moon after figuring out that moony was a werewolf and the marauders did that to help him

they barely noticed him, but he was mostly in the outskirts of the forest to keep watch

if anyone tried to go in, he'd distract them and lead them back out by either hissing, growling, or straight up clawing

he accidentally brought it up in an argument with sirius

they were fighting over god knows what

"you know what, you're just like our parents" sirius shouted, and it felt like regulus had barbed wire clenching around his chest

"i'm nothing like them at all! they would let you kill those children" regulus regretted his words, but knew that he couldn't take them back once they were out

"what the fuck are you talking about?!" sirius doesn't sound angry anymore, startled though, he truly is oblivious

peter glances anxiously between the two

"who do you think that cat is?!" regulus says shortly, harshly

it dawns upon them

"i sit in the forest every month, cold and alone! i make sure to lead all those people away from where you and your fucking friends are all goofing around so they don't fucking die! a thank you would suffice, you- you selfish asshole!"

regulus recoils at his own words, he didn't mean to tell them like that

that was the loudest he's ever spoken (maybe not including the one time he yelled at his mom to distract her from crucioing sirius

she just crucioed him instead)

the marauders all look at him, remus looks like a deer in headlights

sirius doesn't know what to say, he just thought it was a wild cat, maybe someone's pet

"regulus" james starts

"save it"

and regulus is gone, walking very quickly down the hall, hoping he can make it to the safety of his bed before he cries

that night, he drew a cat's face

he's not as good at drawing animals, he admits

but it was a nice, different texture to attempt

he drew antlers, and scratch marks

he drew a dogs footprint in the mud

he drew a rat, small but disheveled, with a little 'squeak' in tiny handwriting

he liked to draw the fur, every miniscule line left him more calm than when the night first began

he didn't sleep, but it was fine

he felt more relaxed than any dream could let him

a couple weeks go by and he can't bring himself to speak to anyone in the marauders

he was less talkative with his friends, spent more time in his room than anywhere else

lily noticed this, and asked him about it one time

he didn't say anything, and she told him she was there for him, and so was sirius

"why would you say that? you don't know him. he doesn't like me"

"i don't think sobbing on remus' shoulder about 'i fucked up, ohhhh i fucked up, i need my brother' (lily mocked a drunk, sad sirius perfectly) means he doesn't like you" lily rolled her eyes

regulus thought for a second, disbelief shuddering through him again

"then why are you here, why not him?"

"you are LOOKING for a reason to be mad, aren't you? who do you think sent me? he thought you'd get pandora to jump him if he even tried to say hi"

"i-... need to go talk to him"

"potions class" lily said, though she barely finished her two words before reg was runnin

oki oki enough with the angsty angst jeez (though i might write a full on story/blurb about that if yall want because AAA)

reg likes to daydream

during breakfast, he'll sit at the table

he'll think of going with sirius to spend christmas at the potters

but he knows they'd never bring him along

even if they did, what if he made a fool of himself

(surprise surprise, once siri and reg made up, james invited him

and remus told him he could hang out with them in the forest

peter was a little insecure about it because "we have enough members as is, guys :((" )

or of his book getting sold out all over the world, people making fanfiction off his stories

he wondered what his parents would think of him if they knew who he was

because he was just like sirius, he hated their blood purity nonsense, he wanted nothing more than to speak out

but he was smarter than sirius, he kept his mouth shut, he was quiet about his beliefs and let them believe he was their only good child left

he didn't hang gryffindor banners in his room, or band posters, he hand empty walls

his bookshelves were neat, tidy, whereas sirius' floor held his papers, his quills, his books

he wanted freedom, to be let go

he really did

(I WENT RIGHT BACK INTO THE ANGST WTF OKAY)

reg doesn't eat normally, let's say that

he lives mainly off fruit and bread

during breakfast, he doesn't grab full plates of pancakes and syrup and bacon like everyone

he has a big pile of berries, especially raspberries, they're his favourite, but some strawberries and diced watermelon

he likes to dip them in honey

maybe before quidditch, he'll grab some sausages and maple syrup, but only a tiny bit

and french toast, with powdered sugar and lime juice (try it, it's AMAZING

lunch is maybe the closest to normal meal he'll eat

there's different foods every time, he likes when there's ravioli (but the three cheese kind)

(i know i'm putting weird foods on the table here but idk what they feed children there i'm sorry 😭😭 just imagine there's multicultural foods alright??)

pandora made him try curry and rice once, he didn't like it but he ate all of it because she did

dinner is his least favourite, in his mind all the foods are too heavy

yknow when you feel like you don't want a meal, you just want a small, light snack??

he feels this constantly

but there is no snack foods at dinner time :(

so he'll maybe grab a yorkshire, but he doesn't dip it in gravy like evans does

he doesn't like gravy

he'll just eat it like a muffin

or he'll take a piece of ham

but cut it and throw the bigger part on one of his friend's plates

there was stir fry one night for a teachers birthday, the staff made it themselves

he hated it

in his mind, veggies should never be cooked

never

oki that's all i can think of

send me an ask if you want more, or maybe some for a different character!! <3

[bestworstcase]

farran rereads lost lagoon: chapters 9-10

it’s been a hot minute! previous installments here, in case you’d like to refresh your memory first.

- this chapter opens with rapunzel observing that cassandra is angry and concluding, correctly, that it’s because rapunzel followed her. i think this is a very interesting choice for howland to make. tts rapunzel is not like this. she often, particularly in s1, fails to notice when cass is frustrated with her and is startled when that frustration erupts into anger after repeated pushing. she is also generally quite bad at linking cause and effect together like this; she might recognize that cass is angry, but miss why. she stomps all over cassandra’s boundaries in large part because she doesn’t know any better. she can’t see how her behavior is hurting cass. but lagoon rapunzel does know better. she’s far more emotionally intuitive, and she can see right away that sticking her nose into cassandra’s business upsets cass, yet she will continue to do it. part of me wonders if this change is to facilitate the character growth lagoon rapunzel gets (which tts rapunzel does not)? it’s much easier, after all, to fix poor behavior if you’re able to see how it’s hurting people you care about.

- rapunzel here also observes that cassandra’s “eyes were wide and vulnerable,” indicating how afraid cass was of the water situation. cass denies that she was afraid when rapunzel asks her. this has a lot of similarities to how cass acts in fanon, cassunzel fanon in particular—outright denying her feelings, even when rapunzel accurately identifies them. and i know i’m beating a dead horse here, but tts cass is not like this. tts cass readily expresses her feelings to rapunzel—except when she thinks rapunzel isn’t willing to listen to her. in COTB, her reticence with rapunzel comes on the heels of rapunzel doing something cassandra pleaded with her not to do. in RATGT, rapunzel outright tells her to ‘be okay with’ the way rapunzel treats her, and in RDO cass bottles up her feelings and refuses to talk until rapunzel forces her to. actively hiding her feelings is a behavior she develops after becoming friends with rapunzel, because rapunzel continually dismisses or ignores her feelings. this is probably not the last time i am going to harp on this over the course of this little reread. it’s a huge pet peeve of mine.

- re: romance novel: “I hadn’t seen Eugene since the night before. After Cassandra left my room, I sent Pascal to follow her. I instructed him to come get me if she went anywhere.” ksdkjf

- cassandra, of course, wants the lagoon to be their—or rather, ideally, her—little secret, because she’s decided this is the thing that will prove she’s ready for the guard. her approach to getting rapunzel on board with this secret-keeping is to imply that frederic and arianna might compromise corona’s national security if they are informed. i think this is very funny.

- (again, contrast this to what happens in tts: when cass begs rapunzel to keep their midnight excursion a secret, she explains her reasoning in detail, because tts cass knows how to communicate like an adult.)

- “It’s so…blue” jksdfl cass has a way with words huh

- i do not think ms howland knows what a lagoon is, because what she is describing is absolutely not a lagoon. it appears to be a cenote. i suppose ‘rapunzel and the lost cenote’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, though, does it?

- cassandra reveals that she doesn’t know how to swim. i will get into this in a moment.

- corona has 315 miles of coastline, according to ms. howland. for purposes of comparison, rhode island has around 380 miles of coastline. now! in addition to those three hundred odd miles of coastline, corona has 212 lakes, 121 ponds, 67 rivers, of which 17 are significant in size and let out into the sea. with some cursory research i haven’t been able to get a precise count of the number of freshwater bodies of water there are in rhode island, but wikipedia tells me that about 90% of the inland freshwater in the state is contained in 237 lakes and ponds, which is a bit less than corona’s 333 total lakes and ponds, so… assuming the other 10% of rhode island’s inland freshwater is contained in a few dozen smaller lakes and ponds, those numbers are quite close as well. and according to wikipedia, rhode island has 59 rivers, of which 17 are ‘considered major rivers either geographically or historically.’ 

there is not really a point to this digression except that i think it is interesting. rhode island is 1,214 square miles in size and based on the general closeness of these numbers i have decided to tentatively conclude that corona is meant to be roughly similar in size. let’s call it a nice even 1,250 square miles for the sake of ease and to account for the greater number of lakes and ponds. 

this is quite a bit larger than the kingdom appears to be in tts—unless the kingdom is very lopsided and island city is situated within a couple dozen miles of the nearest border—but it’s also quite small for a country. (europe has a few very small microstates and city-states, but excluding those, the smallest country in europe is almost twice the size of rhode island). 

for my own writing, i decided that corona was quite a bit larger than this—bitter snow corona is in the neighborhood of 13,125 square miles, of which about ⅓ was formerly saporia and another ¼ is the disputed territory/province of malinar, meaning saporia is/was about 4,375 square miles, malinar is about 3,288 square miles, and pre-conquest corona would have been about 5,462 square miles—but, if you’re writing fanfiction and looking for an approximate ‘canon’ size for corona, 1,250 sq miles is not a bad guess. just remember that that big old wall rapunzel’s so eager to get to the other side of has to be within about twenty miles of the island capital in order for horses to be able to comfortably get there and back in less than a day! so either the island has to be very near the nearest border, or the wall isn’t actually corona’s border but rather a defensive wall around the capital or something like that. 

- now back to cassandra, and the matter of her inability to swim. i think, given that they live on an island and the generally high standards to which he holds his daughter, it beggars belief a little that the captain did not force the issue of her learning how. it’s a safety matter. if you live near water you need to be able to swim.  but, fine, she has a phobia, whatever. it’s for the romance novel™

- but i hate this. i hate it. ms. howland expects me to believe that:

1 - cassandra hasn’t been in swimming lessons since she could walk

2 - cassandra’s phobia was so severe that the captain never forced the issue of her learning to swim, while living on an island

3 - rapunzel magically knows how to swim, because the three or four minutes she spent almost drowning in a slowly flooding cave and then being spat out into a river and dragged to the bank by eugene was sufficient for her to become a great swimmer.

4 - all it takes for cassandra to overcome her debilitating phobia of water is for rapunzel to spend maybe ten or fifteen minutes gently coaxing her into the water and teaching her how to tread water

5 - swimming in the lagoon with rapunzel then becomes one of cassandra’s most treasured pastimes, and

6 - merely a few months after this, cassandra is a strong enough swimmer to (in fitzherbert pi) DIVE INTO THE FUCKING OCEAN FULLY DRESSED WITH HER BOOTS ON in order to rescue shorty before he drowns.

and NO!!!!!! NO! THAT’S NOT HOW SWIMMING WORKS THAT’S NOT HOW ANYTHING WORKS!!

now i get it. i get it. this is a romance novel and the symbolism of rapunzel liberating cassandra from her fears and teaching her a valuable new skill that they bond over and becomes their shared special secret thing to do together is obviously powerful and a staple trope for the genre. but it makes so little sense for this to be a skill that rapunzel has but cassandra does not. it feels almost infantalizing of cassandra and aggrandizing of rapunzel. like… rapunzel is an exceptionally competent young woman, yes. but no she can’t fucking swim you can’t learn to swim from that one time you almost drowned in a FUCKING cave. fuck!

- i’m still on the first page of chapter 10 and i am steamed.

- “It’s amazing how fast you can pick something up when your life depends on it.” FUCK you, ms. howland. you don’t learn how to turn sommersalts or swim laps by almost drowning. at most you might teach yourself how to doggy paddle.

- this scene would have worked just as goddamn well on the romance novel front if cass were the one who knew how to swim and rapunzel desperately wanted to learn and made big sad puppy eyes until cass caved and agreed to teach her. like! ffs you could even squeeze in the phobia stuff - rapunzel freaks out when she gets to a certain depth because it throws her back to being in that cave and cass, who has plenty of experience dealing with her own panic attacks, is able to gently calm her down.

- but that would require ms. howland to allow rapunzel to be bad at something. grumble.

- i don’t think rapunzel is qualified to give cass exposure therapy.

- this is nitpicky but i’m annoyed. this is not how you clean plate armor. “First you hang your suit of armor up to make sure every piece is properly aligned and that there’s no rust” WHAT? it’s not… like, it’s not like a onesie. plate armor is a bunch of individual components tied or buckled to an arming doublet or, in some cases, to other pieces of plate. you can’t ‘hang up’ a suit of plate armor the way you’d hang up, like, a jacket. you can put the pieces together on an arming doublet that you’ve hung up on a dummy, but… why would you do that in order to clean it.

“Then you attach the foot coverings” gjksdfjk just… the mental image of cassandra painstakingly putting a suit of armor together on a fucking mannequin and buckling the sabatons to the greaves or what the fuck ever she means by this and trying to clean the set that way is destroying me

“Then you need to polish the chest plate, with a soft cloth, work in circles, going outward” okay yes but you’d do the cuirrass separate from the rest of the set and you’d do the inside too and cass ought to know the proper name for all of these pieces please it’s not hard

“The arms can be tricky because the joints” WHAT. for arms you’ve got, like, a pauldron (or spaulder and rondel), rerebrace, couter, vambrace, gauntlets. these are separate pieces. you clean them one at a time, inside and outside. does howland think you just… don’t need to clean the inside of a set of plate armor? does she think the inside isn’t just as if not more susceptible to rust as the outside? does… does she realize that you can take plate armor apart i am CONFOUNDED

WHAT is a “mouth cover” in this context. is she refering to a visor. hinged pieces like on an armet? does she mean a bevor? the bevor isn’t even part of the helmet aljksdflkjsfdj

cassandra refers to cuisses and greaves as “thigh plates” and “shin [plates]” respectively i’m die. she also completely skips the poleyns. i do not think this cass has ever cleaned a suit of plate armor in her entire life.

i am losing. my. mind.

- in the immediate aftermath of cass learning how to tread water i think rapunzel asks her more personal questions than she does in the entirety of tts itself. like, it’s almost jarring how much more interested both rapunzel and eugene are in cassandra as a person in this book than they seem to be in tts. compare this conversation to the way cass opens up to rapunzel in beginnings - here, it’s prompted by rapunzel asking questions, expressing interest in cassandra’s feelings and encouraging her by telling her she’s brave. in beginnings, rapunzel builds a pillow fort in cass’s room because she wants to force a bonding moment and cass, after initially trying to kick her out, relents and volunteers some personal information as a kind of apology for being hostile. the vibes are completely different, so different that it feels like i’m not even reading about the same characters.

- like can you imagine tts rapunzel saying something like “it’s your story, that makes it important” to cass? lmao

- cass reveals that she’s afraid of water because she got dragged out by the undertow at the beach when she was small, and her dad saved her and then got so mad at her that she remembers being as afraid of him as she was of the water. this is not unrealistic per se, but… if cassandra was as scared of her dad that day as she was of drowning, then… shouldn’t that have more of an impact on her relationship with him? like…he screams at her after she almost drowns and she walks away with this debilitating phobia of the water but zero lingering fear of him?

- this chapter has given me a headache

- re: romance novel: “Rapunzel gripped my hand. This time I didn’t flinch.” snrk. 

[honeypwark]

[ You’re Hot ]

  ↳ Showcase: Star in US

       ↳ Kiryoung gets checked out by her members. She nearly drowns. She almost gets kidnapped.

m.list

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“Alright, let’s go!” Kai says excitedly once he’s rid himself of his tee shirt.

Soobin catches him around the waist and stops him from running straight into the ocean.

“Sunscreen first,” the leader says, pushing a bottle of spray-on sunscreen in his hands.

Kiryoung sets up one of the two large umbrellas they brought with them to the beach while Taehyun finishes up with the other. She double checks that it won’t fall over before pulling her shirt off. She quickly takes off her shorts as well, grabbing another bottle of sunscreen and walking a few steps away to apply it.

Kiryoung catches Taehyun’s attention as she goes to spray herself with sunscreen.

“Why is Kiryoung like... hot?” he says.

Confused, the other boys look at Kiryoung and have the same realization. She wears a floral patterned two piece swimsuit, the bottoms high waisted and the top styled with ruffles. Her stomach is toned as well as her legs. Her hair falls prettily around her shoulders when she lets it back down after putting sunscreen on her neck.

She walks back over to them and looks at them confusedly, “What?”

“Kiko, you’re hot,” Kai says bluntly.

Kiryoung flushes almost immediately, “Um... thank you?”

“Kai, shut up, you’re literally a child,” Soobin says.

“He’s not wrong,” Yeonjun adds.

“Don’t encourage him!” Soobin scolds.

“Hyung, you were looking at her, too,” Taehyun says.

“Because I was confused why you all were watching her!” Soobin protests.

Yeonjun pats Soobin’s shoulder, “Whatever helps you sleep at night, buddy.”

Kiryoung laughs awkwardly, “Okay, let’s go swimming now haha woohoo yeah swimming.”

Lucky for her, the boys drop the subject of her being hot and race each other to the water. Kiryoung tries and fails to keep up, reaching the ocean after they’ve all splashed in. Kiryoung wades out to them, arms retracting up to her chest at the chilly temperature of the water.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“Okay, if you don’t play you lose, rock paper scissors!” Taehyun calls.

Just as she puts her hand up as a rock, a wave crashes into Kiryoung and sends her underwater. She kicks off the bottom and back up to the surface, hand still out as a rock.

“Wow, that sucks, you lost, Kiko,” Yeonjun says. “Looks like you have to go buy food.”

Seeing how much Kiryoung is struggling, Soobin grabs her arm and lets her use him as support. She wipes her eyes and sees all five boys holding out paper.

Does she doubt that they all actually put out paper before she almost drowned? Very much so, yes. Does she mind getting a break from attempting to stay afloat while her five giant friends can stand on the sea floor? Very much she does not.

“Fine.”

Kiryoung gets a mouthful of saltwater and spits it out.

Coughing, she says, “I’m gonna go do that.”

Kiryoung starts doggie paddling toward the shore, eventually making it onto dry land. After drying herself off briefly, she grabs her wallet and walks down the beach toward the snack shack. She orders six slices of pizza and six sodas, balancing them all in her arms carefully as she walks back to her group’s spot.

The boys are already waiting for her on their respective towels. They cheer obnoxiously as she gets closer to them. After eating the boys head back out but Kiryoung stays on the beach, tired from trying not to die via drowning.

She situates her towel under an umbrella so she can lay down in the shade. She lays there comfortably for about twenty minutes, just enjoying the warm day.

“You look bored.”

Kiryoung opens her eyes as someone speaks to her in English. She sees that a man has approached her, hair swept back and face cleanly shaven. He’s very tall, Kiryoung can tell even as he crouches down beside her.

“No, just enjoying the day,” she says and sits up.

“I could help you enjoy it a little better,” he says.

“How?”

Kiryoung doesn’t understand why this man has approached her. Does he want to sell her something?

“Well, there’s this motel just up the road that we can get a room at. Just the two of us.”

Kiryoung finally understands what this man means, having been confused just moments before due to not being a native English speaker and not being used to men approaching her out of nowhere.

“Oh, no, thank you,” she says quickly.

“Come on, little thing. You got anything better to do?”

When he grabs her arm, Kiryoung can feel her fight or flight response kick in. Apparently she’s unable to do either.

“Please don’t touch me,” she asks politely.

“Don’t be a bitch, I’m offering you a good time. Come on.”

“No no no no no no.”

She feels as if all the English vocabulary she’s every learned has been stripped from her mind, leaving her helpless to talk her way out.

The man roughly pulls her to her feet and she realizes how bad of a situation she’s in. This man is much stronger than her and significantly taller; she has no chance of fighting her way out either.

“Please let go of me,” she pleads, trying to drag her feet in the sand without falling as the man pulls her.

“HEY!”

Kiryoung and the man look behind them to see all five of Kiryoung’s members running toward them. Soobin grabs the man’s arm and makes him let go of Kiryoung. Beomgyu tugs Kiryoung away from the man, taken aback when she immediately hides in his chest. Fear and adrenaline still course through her and she doesn’t much care how pathetic she must look.

“What’s your problem?” the man growls at Soobin

Soobin doesn’t speak English, but he still strings together, “You don’t touch my friend.”

“She’s just a slut anyway, hanging around a bunch of dudes.”

Yeonjun steps up beside Soobin, “Hey, why don’t you back off?”

The man looks Yeonjun up and down, “You gonna make me?”

“There’s five of us and one of you, how do you think this is gonna end?”

Yeonjun and Soobin continue to stare the man down. Taehyun and Kai are just slightly behind the two older boys, the four making a wall between the man and Kiryoung, who is still being held by Beomgyu.

After what feels like an eternity, the man scoffs, “Tourists.”

He turns and walks away in a huff.

Beomgyu looks down at Kiryoung without removing his arms from around her.

“Are you okay?” he asks her softly.

“Yes,” she whispers.

It’s obvious she’s lying due to the way she’s visibly trembling. Beomgyu keeps an arm around Kiryoung as they make their way back to their belongings. The sun has began to set now, oranges and pinks beginning to dye the sea as the glowing orb in the sky sinks closer and closer to the horizon.

Kiryoung sits on her towel gently, finding her shirt and pulling it on over her swimsuit. She takes a drink of water and sighs, letting her terror from before melt away.

“Better?” Soobin asks.

She nods.

“Do you believe us when we say you’re hot now?” Yeonjun asks.

Taehyun throws sand at him but Kiryoung laughs. The boys’ worry lifts as they hear that.

“You guys can go back out if you want,” Kiryoung she’s.

“I’ll stay here.”

“Someone should stay with you.”

“I’ll keep you company.”

“We’re not going to leave you alone again.”

Taehyun, Beomgyu, Yeonjun, and Kai look at one another then away awkwardly. Their care for their female member, normally hidden behind teasing and playful bullying, rears its head as they all offer to stay with her simultaneously.

Kiryoung can’t help but smile at that.

“I’ll stay, you all can go,” Soobin says.

The other four boys start to get to their feet slowly, reapplying sunscreen before they go.

“I told you that you’re hot, I just didn’t think someone would try to kidnap you because of it,” Kai says as they start toward the water.

Kiryoung laughs with them and the four boys run off to meet the waves. Soobin’s forced laughter doesn’t fade as quickly as Kiryoung’s real laughs. He turns to look at her.

“Yeah, you’re not going anywhere by yourself for the rest of the tour.”

[gunmetalarchived]

teaching cee to swim with @consultingsister​

SEVERIN He dove in. Head first, pulling his arms back to propel himself forwards in the water. The water was home, even if it was cold and bracing at first. Soon it would be like fresh air, or a warm bath.  She had told him so many stories about Italy, he was starting to see the appeal. His head finally broke above the surface, Severin took a deep breath and stood up. His fingers ran through his hair, wiping at his face before he turned back to smile at her. His hands were on his hips, his smile wide. “You coming in?”

CEE Celia likes swimming in theory. Feeling weightless in the water, an whole new world to discover. However it practise it makes her feel physically sick. She’s happier by the side of the pool; sun on her neck, bikini on, a selection of magazines, medical articles and novels at the ready. She makes a non-committal noise, not looking up from her notes. “I can see you perfectly well from here, why would I risk getting my hair wet?”

SEVERIN He pushed the surface of the water towards her, knowing he would get her papers wet. It was worth it. For some reason, she always looked hotter when he was in trouble. “Now you’re wet. Come on.” He sunk up to his neck again, paddling to the edge of the pool. “I promise there’s no sharks in here.”

CEE The pool was deep at either end, no safe spot to stand and make it look like she knew was she was doing. How easy would it be to slip in and pretend she could do it? An image flashes; a wave crashing over her head, a burning feeling in her lungs. “Stop it,” she pulls back her papers, eyebrows coming together. “If you must know--” no, she can’t tell him. “I don’t like swimming.”

SEVERIN “-what?” That thoroughly confused him. The concept was just alien. Years spent with salt stained skin, sand stuck to everywhere and goosebumps from the cold ocean air meant there was no where else he’d rather be than in the water. He splashed again, even at the look on her face. “I don’t believe you.”

CEE "Well I don't believe you don't like shopping in London but there we go." Even Sev, who she genuinely loves, genuinely trust, can't know. It's a family secret; the biggest family secret if you ask Cecelia. How can the brightest girl at Cambridge medical school not swim? Struggle with doggy paddle but not the central nervous system. She swaps out her uni notes for a Vogue magazine. Hiding her face, she coughs and then admits, finally. "I can't, alright?"

SEVERIN “You can’t?” He had to say it again. He was in shock, to be honest. He didn’t think it was realistic that anyone couldn’t swim anymore. He stood up, his face dropping. “Hey, look at me.”

CEE She held the magazine steady, allowing some some of her cheeks to un-redden. She takes a breath and drops the magazine, giving Sev a look that dared him to laugh. "I cannot swim. I could when I was younger but when I was six... we were at the beach in Scotland and I nearly drowned and the only reason I didn't was because Sherlock got me out and... well I don't swim anymore."

SEVERIN Severin pulled himself out of the pool, heading to the lounger opposite her. “Right. So I guess I’ll have to thank him when I meet him.” He was dripping everywhere. There was a pool forming underneath him but it was fine. “It’s a pool. If you wanted to, you could try it. You can see the bottom — and I’ll have you know I do have life guard training. I might not be baywatch ready-“ He laughed, his chest rippling. He took pretty good care of himself. “I’m here. But only if you want to.”

CEE Her look softened as he spoke and she even managed a smile. Anyone else who found out Cee couldn't swim found is hilarious. A severe chink in Cecelia's intellectual chain. It was a wonder that not people found out really. "You look pretty baywatch ready to me..." she mumbled. The heiress gives a little huff, looking between him and the pool. "You'll have to hold me."

SEVERIN He liked it when she smiled. “Hey, my eyes are up here.” He winked, offering his hand out. “Wouldn’t dream of letting you go.”

CEE "I don't have an interest in your eyes." With another little sigh she closes all her books over, pushing them away from the pool and stands up. She looks as if she's about to swim in the Olympics, not in her grandmothers warm pool. "If I drown, you're in big trouble."

SEVERIN “Way to make a guy feel special, eh?” He wasn’t so concerned about being objectified. Even if he was pretty good at faking it. “Maybe, start small.” He knelt down, flopping into the water and standing beneath her. “I don’t think you’re going to be Micheal phelps straight away.”

CEE She felt like a child, sitting down on the edge of the pool, letting her feet settle into the water. Her knuckles turn white as she grips the hot tiles around the edge but she pushes through it. In fact, she pushes off of it, jumping into Sev's arms with small scream. Arms wrap around his shoulders with more force than it looked like she was capable of.

SEVERIN Severin caught her, his arms holding her close so that she’d feel protected. “Honey, I need to breathe-“ he was grinning still. “You trust me, right?”

CEE "Breathing is for pussy's, just hold me." She liked the feeling of the water around her; the hot had warmed it all morning but it allowed some relief from the heat. She bit her lip, letting Sev go a little bit. "No. Yes. Maybe, I don't know it would depend on what you want me to do."

SEVERIN “I’ve got you.” He pushed away from the side slightly, far enough she could still reach with a bit of a stretch. “Just, lie down okay? I’ll have my hands under you, you’ll float but I’m not letting go. Promise. You feel scared, just grab me.”

CEE Celia understood that the water could carry her if she lay still but wasn't quite sure she would be able to manage that. She allowed her legs to come up but as soon as water moved over her face and shouted and went back to holding tightly than ever. "No, no, I did it, I can swim now, let me get back to my reading."

SEVERIN “I promised, alright? I’ll hold your head. Nothings going to hurt you.” He kissed her cheek, softly. He could be incredibly kind, even more so with her.  “Just give it a second and you’ll feel yourself float.”

CEE She trusted him when he said that, whenever he said that. She allowed herself to tilt back, winces and then tries again. "Do you remember--" she begins to let go of him. "Do you remember on our first ever round in the hospital and that kid's stitches burst all over me and I had that panic attack for like twenty minutes. You-- ah! You-- had to talk me into being a doctor all over again."

SEVERIN He held her head gently, his fingers in her hair and one hand on her lower back to get her to settle. Only once she was level did he let his hand drift away from her back, just an inch. Just to let her feel weightless. Severin wanted her to know that, and know that he would be here is she needed him. “Yeah. It’s not like you haven’t returned the favour a few times.” He was smart, but not her level of smart. When it came to studying, her patience and drive was incredible. She made him want to learn. “How do you feel?”

CEE "Like I'm going to throw up." Celia was, without even meaning to be, a tense person. Straight backed, shoulders back, flinches when you touched her sort of girl. The feeling of weightlessness was new to her; when she tensed she  slipped under the water. She had to relax her shoulders, unclench every muscle. "I... I like it. Don't move though, fuck," as panic surged through her, she slipped under the water again, this time, her whole head submerged but as she rose back up, she was laughing, grabbing onto Sev again. "Fuck," cough cough, "shit!"

SEVERIN “Alright- I’ve got you.” He pulled her up into his arms, holding her close and pressing kiss after kiss against her cheek. Hearing her laugh was a good thing. She didn’t do that enough. Her wet hair cling to his skin but he didn’t care, it was all part of being wrapped up in Cecelia. “See? I think it should be known that sometimes, I have good ideas.” He rested his forehead against hers gently. The sun, the water, her. Heaven on earth of it had ever existed.

CEE "Yeah, that's your good idea for the year, enjoy it." She wipes her hair from out of her eyes, the air seeming cool on her wet skin. Her hands move easily to the side of his face, breathing in for a moment. A first step, a safe set towards learning something new and it was all thanks to him. She had learned a lot in his arms; that there is more to life that grades and your brothers opinions being one. "I'm going to... swim to the edge, don't.... I can do it myself."

SEVERIN It was only a distance of about 3 meters but of course she wanted to. Nothing would stop Cecelia once she got an idea in her head. Maybe, Severin just had to be grateful he was the one planting them. He held her a little tighter. “Not without a kiss for luck.”

CEE "I don't need luck, I'm a Holmes." She kissed him anymore, lips hard against his and pulled away with a "mwah" before practically jumping from his arms. At once she was under the water, having trouble moving her arms and legs the right way. The water up her nose burnt and she could feel the panic rising. Adapt then. The aim was to go up, which she could tell was up because of the glittering light. One push forward propelled her to the side and she came out of the water with a gasp, clinging onto the side. It was hardly swimming but it was a stroke in the right direction. "You see," she spluttered, wiping her face. "I got this."

SEVERIN She didn’t. She made her own luck through perseverance and hard work. And on some level, that scared him. One day, Cee would turn around and realise she had no business being with him. Sure, Severin worked hard. But things just sort of came naturally to him. He didn’t have much ambition, or drive outside of what his father had said was a good example. He just.. existed. As she left his arms with a comical kiss, he watched just in case she needed him. He wanted to step in as her head sunk under the water but held firm. As soon as she was at the edge, he started to swim over to keep her company again. “Well, looks like I’m out of a job as your swim coach. Shall I just head off back to Cambridge now?”

CEE "No," she looked almost alarmed, worried that she might of legitimately offended him. The words of a old friend from school rang in her ears, boys don't like girls who are too independent. At the time she had just scoffed but she had understood her to be true over the years. You have to treat them like children sometimes, telling them they're big clever boys when they do something for you, usually especially when it was something you could actually do quite well for yourself. "No..." she gave a small whine and reached out for him, leaving the side of the poor as she clung to him again. "I have more uses for you than just swimming. Sex in at least every downstairs room before Sherl arrives. All this space has to be used for something."

SEVERIN “When you put it like that, I can think of a reason or two to stick around.” Was it to much to ask that she clung to him like this forever? It was nice, when she wanted affection. It was almost as fun as watching her scrunch her nose up when she had been told she was wrong. He caught her, standing up to spin her around in the pool. “How many downstairs rooms are there?”

CEE "Let's see, there is the formal living room," she kisses his shoulder, following a line of pool water up his neck, "the dining room, the kitchen," as she reaches his ear, she bites softly. "The parlour, a storage room, the ironing room..." as she reaches his jaw, the kisses continue, lingering on his lips before moving down to the other side of his neck, biting hard enough this time to leave a mark. It wouldn't just be a tan that gave away what they did all summer. "Let me know if you're getting tired."

SEVERIN “I see. That’s a lot of rooms.” He moved her to the edge of the pool, pressing her body gently against the wall as her lips covered his skin. Oh she knew exactly what she was doing. “It looks like I’m going to be exhausted.” He held her with one arm, using the other to pull her who and wrap her legs around his waist. “And when we’re done with downstairs, what’s your plan then?”

[wcnderwitcha]

    the camera blinks on, revealing two chubby cheeked children staring into it. 

   “ i think it’s working !! “ say the shorter one, a little girl with blonde curls all toppled onto of her head. she is dressed to the nines, certainly, with make-up heavily applied on her face. she did a decent job for a six year old. her dress looks more deserving of a award show stage than the living room where the video appears to be set. a tiara glitters on top of her head to match the rest of the glamorous jewelry she is wearing. not all of it looks like play jewelry, either. do her parents know what she’s been up to ?? probably not.

   beside her, a slightly taller, shy looking little boy dressed in similar fashion. a crown adorns his curls, too, but sits lopsided on his head. the way he fidgets in his fancy getup leaves one to assume he did NOT choose the lavish outfit he is wearing or have a say in the make-up detailed upon his face. he stands a little behind the girl, as if he expects her to protect him from whatever trouble the camera might cause. 

   one thing is for certain. 

   the little girl is DEFINITELY the BOSS.

  “ hello, world !! “ she begins, throwing her arms open wide. “ i am PRINCESS LOUISE CRESSIDA JONES THE FIRST !! this is my baby brother, prince heracles cymbelline jones the first. we’re royalty ‘cause my parents said so. we’re twins, but i’m older ‘cause i was born first by two minutes, which makes him the baby. we’re six years old !! well, six years and seven months ! we’ll be seven and no months in two more months ! today, we-- “ 

  “ pssst !!! “ a high-pitched voice sounds off from outside the view of the camera. “ sissy !! do i come in now ?? “ 

  “ not yet ! “ quickly replies louise to the faceless voice, holding her hands up to signal to whoever they are to remain in their place. “ i’ll tell you when. just wait. “ 

    she looks back to the camera and flashes a billion dollar grin. “ where were we ?? oh, that’s right !! today, we are going to be doing a DANCE SPECTACULAR !! my brother and i know how to dance because we watch LOTS of barbie and disney movies !! we’ve practiced for like, ELEVENTY BAZILLION hours !! so we’re really talented !!  you’re going to love watching us !! “ 

     “ but, sissy !! “ this time it is heracles that speaks up. “ what if they laugh at us ?? “ the seriousness of his tone makes such a fate sound worse than death. 

      it doesn’t faze louise.

     “ they’re not going to laugh at us, herc’. daddy and mommy say we’re ADORABLE, remember ?? that means they have no choice but to ADORE us, duh !! “ she returns her attention back to the camera. “ besides, we have a secret weapon that will make this dance spectacular the BESTEST in the WHOLE, WIDE UNIVERSE !!! and the galaxy, too !!! we have -- “ she pauses for dramatic effect. “-- A DISCO BALL !!! “ 

       a beat.

      another beat. 

       “--A DISCO BALL !! “ she tries again, waiting for whatever is supposed to happen to happen. when it doesn’t, she tries again, this time a little more insistently. “ A. DISCO. BALL ! “

        still nothing.

       louise looks off camera. “ seraphina !! that’s your cue !! “ 

         finally, another little girl totters onto the camera. her outfit is much simpler than either of her siblings, no tutu for her. just a pair of overalls over a white onesie. a red bow that’s half as big as she is sits on her head.  she bumbles around, looking lost, before coming to stand beside her sister, not even coming up to louise’s shoulder in height. 

       she gives the camera a friendly wave. “ hello, friends !! “ 

     “ before we begin, seraphina, is there anything you want to tell all of our bazillions of loving fans that are watching at home ?? “

      sera beams at the camera. “ i’m sera !! i’m--” she pauses, trying to count on her finger. she appears to get the wrong answer once or twice, but finally holds up two chubby little fingers. “--this many years old !! i love my mommy and my daddy and my sissy and my bubby !! when i grow up, i’m gonna marry the beast from beauty and the beast !! “ 

    “ good job, seraphina. “ louise grins. “ now wait ! i know what you’re thinking ! this is a baby, not a disco ball ! WELL, YOU’RE WRONG !  she is both a baby AND a disco ball !! watch and be amazed !! “ 

    she lifts up the toddler, no easy feat, and presses a loud smooch on sera’s cheek. sera squeals with delight !! a typical reaction of any toddler receiving love, but louise is right. that’s not all. 

    the glow starts subtly, at the root of sera’s light brown curls, but it quickly spreads until every bit of hair is shining brightly. pleased, louise sits her back down. 

    “herc, now ! “ she calls, rushing over to a stereo and hitting the buttons at the same time as heracles rushes over to turn off the lights. he has to stand on his tippy-toes, but he manages the task. the song begins just as the lights go out.

    some child friendly pop song begins to crackle out of the speakers loudly. illuminated by sera’s glow, the children break into dance. or, what they claim to be dancing. heracles starts jumping up and down. sera spins around and around and around. louise’s moves are the most complicated. a combination of the bop and the running man, she is going HARD. the youngest is having such a good time, sera seems to be starting to lift off from the ground. laughter starts to drown out the music as the children get lost in the fun they’re having. 

     light suddenly floods into the room from an opened door. all the children immediately stop their dancing to see who DARES to interrupt them and three squeals of delight are heard over the forgotten music. “ mommy !! daddy !! “ the children scream  in unison. louise and herc take off running toward the figures at the door, throwing their arms around the legs of their parents. little sera, now a foot off the ground, appears to be doing her best to get to them, too, in some sort of mid-air doggy paddle. 

     thankfully, their father doesn’t make her wait too long. he scoops her right up out of the air and nestles her against his suit jacket. sera giggles and squirms until she can get her arms around his neck and nuzzles her face in the crook of his shoulder. 

    “ what were you three doing, hmm ?? having a raid ?? “ coos the ever soothing voice of their mother, with both twins held into her arms. she looks from twin to twin with an amused smile on her face. 

     “ we were having a DANCE SPECTACULAR !! i was the host ! “ louise shouts, beaming with every ounce of pride she can muster. 

      “i was in charge of lights !! “ herc said, equally proud. 

       “ i was the disco ball !! “ finished little seraphina, wanting to make sure her older siblings didn’t forget her very important part. 

       “ goodness, we ARE in the presence of greatness ! such talent, our little darlings !! “ the impressed tone their father responds with isn’t faked. he could never fake the great awe he has for his children. “ i do have one question, though. why weren’t your mother and i invited to such a fantastic shindig ?? we love a good dance spectacular !! “

        “ we do ! “ their mother’s grin shines as beautiful as every other piece of jewelry she wears. “ we hate that we missed this one. “ 

         the children share a brief look of horror. how could they have forgotten to invite their parents ?? 

         louise is the first to speak up with a solution. “ daddy, mommy, you didn’t miss this one, though !! it was just on pause !! we can start the music again and keep going !! “ 

         “ oh, how splendid !! i can’t imagine better news, can you, my love ?? “ their mother gives their father a knowing look, grin shifting more into a smirk. “ i love watching your father dance. it’ll be wonderful to have it on camera. “

       the grin on their father’s face doesn’t budge, but there is a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “ oh, i don’t know. the camera’s taking up an awful lot of room. my dance moves are incredible, but they need so much space. . .we better turn it off. just this once. “

       louise shrugs. “ that’s okay !! we can just film it next time !! “

     her father and mother share another look. they both know he can’t lie to his children. thankful to at least having gotten out of it this once, he nods. “ next time, sweetie. for sure.”

     with a wave of his hand, the video goes dark. 

[ironmq]

Another lost post….

I ran 4 miles in Dallas followed by an amazing breakfast. I love running. My body just hates it right now. I’m taking the Glucosamine. I’m buying DMSO tomorrow. It feels great after I warm up. Terrible after I’ve cooled down.

Spent some time with my daughter and had a little coffee/shopping date otherwise known as Starbucks and Academy. I went searching for a new pair of goggles for an out of town friend to borrow because mine are embarrassingly gunked up with mascara.

Came home and took the best Saturday nap. I fell asleep with my jacket on, shopping bag next to my face- guess I was tired. Met my Colorado friend for a swim and they ask me about the extra goggles. $&@?!$&?! I left them at home. So I hand over my goggles with an inch of mascara in them and go to the car to find the other pair that feel like they cut holes in my eye sockets. A little dramatic I know, but you get the idea. So I finally get in the pool and she’s started and I wait for her at the wall. FLIP TURNS. Of course. Meanwhille, I start my doggy paddle, just don’t drown splashing about. My pace is misleading. Even at an all out sprint, I might get a sub 2. For me to do a mile at that pace is short of a miracle. But I knew I was off when I stopped at the wall and it had a 25 instead of a 50 or 100. Somewhere In the very beginning I either lost or gained a lap which through my overall time off.

Speaking of watches, if you look closely, my wrist band broke in the Sauna post swim. I know they make replacements- but I’m not gonna tell anyone that. I think that means I need a new watch. That is what I’m going with.

Tomorrow, I’m watching the Super Bowl from my bike during a 3.5 hour spin class given by the Bike Whisperer. He has a workout planned based on what happens during the game. Like standing in the hardest gear for 6 minutes after a score etc. I’ll happily say- no Russian Pyramids. I really dislike those. REALLY.

I’m hungry. I’ve been hungry. I wrote this because I was trying to keep myself from French fries and a Coke. I re-wrote it. Still want them.

Ugghh.

[azworkingdogs]

My Top 6 Favorite Dog Myths, Debunked

Urban legends and myths surround all aspects of life.

I suppose that most start out with good intentions, because something specifically good or bad happened to someone, and so they proliferated the story to make it more important for others.

And, some are just simply outrageous ideas that someone has tried to convince others about, like kids in debate trying to prove a point. I remember a lot of “gang initiation” urban legends being spread when I was a teenager.

I was lead to believe that if I flashed my high beams to a car without headlights on at night, the person would follow and murder me as some kind of gang initiation.

I snicker, as an adult; I was a little worried as a naïve kid.

Thankfully, most of the “Doggy Myths” probably started out with some kind of good intention.

Six Dog Myths That Deserved To Be Debunked:

1. Your Dog Shouldn’t Sleep on Your Bed

We have all been lead to believe that if your dog sleeps on your bed, or in your bed with you, that he will soon be dreaming up his evil plan to take over the world.

Most dogs don’t want to be “Doctor Doom”.

I wonder if someone’s spouse, who was tired of sharing the bed with the dog came up with this advice, ha ha!

And, can I be the first to say… “I LIKE MY DOG IN BED WITH ME”.

Ironically there have been health studies that say sleeping with your dog and snuggling is good for your health; both of you!

Caveat:

If your dog has aggression issues or is possessive of his space (for instance he doesn’t want you near “his chair” and threatens to bite you during the day), he has no business being in your bed!

If he is already crate trained and he listens to your obedience commands most of the time and he is affectionate, there is really no reason or myth that says he has to stay out of your bed.

I have 2 dogs; one has access to my bed, and the other will just never be appropriate enough to sleep with me and that is fine!

2. All Dogs Can Swim

This one brings tears to my eyes today!

Yesterday, I watched a totally devastated dog owner mourning the loss of his 2 year old dog who had drowned. They found him at the bottom of their pool. It was incredibly sad.

As a judge for Ultimate Air Dogs, a dog dock diving organization, I spend a lot of time teaching dogs to swim.

Many dogs first reaction is panic, like humans, and dog paddle with the front legs but not kick with the back, then exhaust themselves and begin to sink.

I have been bloodied and welted as I held dogs in the water and helped them to stop shark rolling and panicking and gain some confidence.

I have learned how to teach a dog, first to stop panicking and relax some, and then to use their back legs to kick instead of dog paddling vertically and reaching exhaustion.

Humans and canines often resort to panic when faced with water.

If you have a pool, I suggest you teach your dog to swim and mark an area that he can always find in case he falls out, and perhaps make him a ramp so that he can get out on his own!

3. The BEST Time to Train Your Dog is on a Walk

This seems like good information, right?

And, I would say that the majority of people expect to teach their dog while they are out strolling for their walk in the morning or in the evening.

The problem?

You then have to do battle with all of the distractions that this environment provides!

Squirrels

Kids

Cars

Bugs

Skateboarders

Dogs

Cats

You are going to probably have to deal with all or most of them!  Which means it will be difficult for your dog to “learn”.

To learn more on how to deal with the distractions, click here.

Learning takes place at home, where the distractions are few and can be controlled.

Once your dog has learned a skill, then you can begin to add distractions and begin to work your way outside, and finally, you can work on leash training on a walk!

Want To Learn More About “Leash Manners” Training Your Dog?

Check out our class, where we show you how you can teach your dog to have impeccable leash manners, even if right now, he’s out of control, always jumping on you during walks, or biting and tugging on the leash..

Click here to learn this “Leash Manners” training process

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4. Your Dog’s Mouth is Cleaner than Yours

I don’t know about you… but I don’t eat poop.

I also can’t lick my own butt, and I am FAIRLY sure, that if I could, I wouldn’t! HA!

Also, I don’t eat or scavenge things out of the trash or off of the floor. I mean, unless I was really hungry (it was a Cheeto), or it fell within the 5 second rule.

Ironically, as I lay asleep this morning in bed, my mouth agape, my dog pushed her tennis ball into my mouth.

I am pretty sure she was disturbed that I was trying to sleep in, and she wanted to wake me so that I would feed her.

Let me just tell you that there is not enough toothpaste, mouthwash, soap or alcohol to get rid of the “heebeegeebees” and panic that ran through my body.  Because I know where that ball has been!  Ha ha

Honestly, I am not sure how this myth came about.

I suppose at some point someone’s dog licked their wound and it seemed to heal better…

But, the truth is that your dog’s mouth is full of bacteria.

The older he is and the less he chews to take plaque off, the more plaque and bacteria he has growing in there.

I mean, I brush my teeth at least twice daily.

And, I do recommend brushing your dog’s teeth too! It is essential for his health!

5. Human Food Will Make Your Dog Beg

Let’s just clear this myth up, quickly.

Your dog doesn’t know the difference between “human food” and “dog food” or “dog treats”.

The problem is when you feed your dog off of your plate or with what you are eating!

For years, I trained Service Dogs and rewarded them for good behavior when they settled in under a table, but never fed them from my plate.

I used string cheese as their “training” rewards to reward good behavior.

If a dog can smell the odor of cooked food (which makes him hungry, by the way), and then you give it to him or share it with him, either while you are cooking, while you eat it, or after you have finished, then YES, you have essentially taught him to beg.

So often I go into the home of potential clients with my string cheese and they are adamant that they can’t use “human food” because they don’t want their dog to beg.  The truth is that your dog won’t understand this is “human food” unless you are eating it while you are feeding it to him.

With all the recent recalls on dog foods and dog treats, I often just trust human foods to be safer as a reward than dog treats made in other countries with less stringent regulations!

6. Physical Exercise is the Best Way to Tire Your Dog

This is a big theme of mine. I looooove physical exercise. I think physical exercise is very important.

Remember, your dog is an athlete and you need to keep his body healthy.

And, going for a walk around the block probably isn’t going to do it either.

But, if I have a limited amount of time to get a tired dog, the best way is through mental stimulation.

The mental stimulation of learning is exhausting.

Now, if you add some physical exercise to that learning, you have the recipe to get in and get that dog sleepy!

I ask my dogs to complete obedience training and tasks, and then I throw their ball for them to retrieve.

They get the mental simulation of playing the “puppy training” game with me and the physical exercise of chasing their favorite toy!

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