In this narrated excerpt from Chapter 8 of How to Train Your Dragon, Lois Letchford recounts Hiccup’s experimental attempts to train his dragon, Toothless. Hiccup first tries the conventional method of yelling, delivering loud, firm commands, but Toothless remains unresponsive and even mocks Hiccup’s fury. Switching tactics, Hiccup adopts an overly indulgent approach—providing a plush bed, endless food, games, jokes, and treats—only to see Toothless become gluttonous and sick. As winter thaws, Hiccup constructs a mud wallow for Toothless, claiming it as a subtle psychological technique, while Fishlegs (misnamed Fishfakes) skeptically observes and critiques Hiccup’s methods, comparing them to the crude yelling used on another dragon, Horrikow. The mud wallow finally elicits joyful play from Toothless, but Fishlegs warns that dragons are inherently selfish and unlikely to act out of gratitude. The passage blends narrative description, character dialogue, and humorous commentary to illustrate the trial‑and‑error nature of dragon training.
Chapters
Chapter 8, Training Your Dragon the Hard Way. Hiccup was still pretty certain, knowing dragons as he did, that yelling was the easiest method of training them. So over the next couple of weeks, he tried yelling at Toothless to see if he could make it work. He tried yelling loudly, Firmly. Strictly. He looked as cross as he could, but Toothless wouldn't take him seriously. Hiccup finally gave up on yelling when Toothless stole a kipper off his plate one morning at breakfast. Hiccup let out his most fierce and frightening yell, and Toothless just gave him a wicked look and knocked everything else onto the floor with one swipe of his tail. That was it with the yelling, so far as Hiccup was concerned. Okay then, said Hiccup. I'll try going to the other extreme. So he was nice to Toothless, as he possibly could be. He gave Toothless the comfiest bit of bed and lay dangerously balanced on the edge of it himself. He fed him as much kipper and lobster as he wanted, but only did this once though, as the little dragon just went on eating until he had made mischief. He only did this once though, as the little dragon just went on eating until Until he had made himself thoroughly sick. He played games with him for hours and hours. He told him jokes. He brought him mints to eat. He played games with him for hours and hours. He told him jokes. He brought him mice to eat. He scratched the bit that Toothless couldn't quite reach in between the spokes on his back. And he made the dragon's life As close to dragon heaven as he possibly could. By mid-February, the winter was coming to an end on Berk, and the snowy season had turned into the rainy season. It was the kind of weather where your clothes never got dry, no matter what. Hiccup would hang up his sodden tunic on the chair in front of the fire before going to bed at night. And in the morning, it would still be wet. Warm and wet, rather than cold and wet. But wet nonetheless. The ground all around the village had turned into knee-deep mud. What in Woden's name are you doing? asked Fishfakes when he came across Hiccup digging a large hole Just outside the house. Building a mud wallow for Toothless, panted Hiccup. You spoil that dragon, you really do, said Fishlegs, shaking his head. It's psychology, you see, said Hiccup. It's clever and it's subtle. Not like the caveman yelling you're doing with Horrikow. Fishlegs had named his dragon Horrikow. The horror bit was to make the poor creature at least Sound a bit frightening? The cow bit was because for a dragon, she was really remarkably like a cow. She was large, peaceful, brown, with an easygoing nature. Fishlegs suspected she might even be vegetarian. I'm always catching her nibbling at the woodwork, he complained. Blood, Horacow! Blood! That's what you should want. Nonetheless, maybe Fishlegs was a better yellow than— nonetheless, nonetheless, maybe Fishlegs was a better yeller than Hiccup, or maybe Horacow was a lazier and more obliging character than Toothless. But Horacow Toothless was proving very easy to train by the yelling method. Okay, Toothless, it's ready! said Hiccup. Get yourself a good wallow! Toothless stopped trying to catch foals and leapt into the mud. He rolled over and over in the oozy muck, spreading out his wings and squirming happily. I'm bonding with him! So he'll want to do what I say. Hiccup, said Fishlegs, as Toothless sucked up a good mouthful of the mud and spat it out straight into Hiccup's face. I may not know much about dragons, but I do know that they are the most selfish creatures on earth. No dragon is ever going to do What you want out of gratitude. Dragons do not work. Dragons do not know what gratitude is. Give up. This will never work. The thing about dragons, said Toothless helpfully, is we are survivors. We not like seppikats or dumb dogs falling in love with their masters and yucky things like that.
