The Typical Treat and Clicker System
Many dragons respond well to rewards of food or goods, as many would naturally try to horde important belongings. As a result, they actually respond quite well to the same clicker training that many dogs do, but you need to modify it to satisfy their want to horde things. Dragons are most commonly known to horde food and gold, but many others enjoy jewels, bones, tomes, and various other items.
The Offering System
If you have a dragon companion that you can speak with, chances are the above method will seem demeaning. These types of dragons are often regarded as bossy or prideful, but they have the right to be as apex predators that live for many lifetimes. In this case, you may want to talk to your dragon to see if they would like to bargain, as they may have an unfulfilled want or need that is causing them to lash out. If this is the case, try the scenarios below that we have handled. (All names have been changed for privacy reasons.)
Hunting
Our client Mercedes and her mini Mercury Pukei-Pukei companion Sterling live in an apartment in a large, urban city. Sterling is notorious for pouncing on and destroying different objects in the home and it’s causing Mercedes a lot of stress to replace the furniture. Sterling says they do this because they’re “so bored that anything looks fun”. We sat the two down to discuss what Sterling saw as fun and he described chasing prey and flying over land that wasn’t full of so many cars. An easy solution we set them up with was an agreement that once or twice a month, Mercedes would take Sterling out of town for a hunting trip. We contacted a falconer who helped the two with a system that would ensure they didn’t lose each other, and they have had few problems since.
Library Trips
Many of the more intelligent dragon species are often neglected in the academic department. Our client Ryland and his Elder Vinecrawler by the name of Euvitis would often have verbal altercations that harmed the bond a mortal and dragon should have. When we stepped in, Euvitis described how the most interesting thing he got to do all day was “watch mortals debate meaningless politics and have just as poor opinions as Ryland.” Ryland, being someone who hikes a lot and very rarely has a moment to himself, didn’t have enough books to satisfy his dragon’s thirst for knowledge. We took a trip to the local library and got Euvitis a library card. It’s easily within flying distance and we got the pair a bracelet for Euvitis so he could be in contact. Unfortunately, most smartphones are touch screens now. They’re programmed for human fingers, thereby making it difficult for scaled creatures to use.
Rocks
Dragons have varied diets depending on the environment they come from and the role they play in the ecosystem. Dorothy and her dragon Igneous are from a coal mining town in the Appalachia region. While coal was enough to satisfy Igneous’ appetite, it was one of few rock types that he was provided. Igneous helped with transporting goods in town, but he had started to lose steam and would abandon his post from time to time. Luckily, Dorothy was able to come to an agreement with Igneous and get him crystals to snack on. By supplementing his diet with effectively “rock candy”, it made him more eager to continue helping out.