Building the triple with the singles went fine. However, when the we did the triple, the third bird down was nearly invisible when it came down and the gun didn't go off. It was a black pigeon against the dark trees and without a gun, I knew Devon didn't see the mark, since I only glimpsed it hitting the ground because I knew were it was supposed to land. I sent Devon anyway, and in spite of help, she couldn't find it and switched to the middle mark. Steve couldn't find it either, and he really had to hunt! I accepted the switch, and sent her to the outside mark, which she got after all that hunting on the first mark. We re-threw the first mark and she did get it as a single.
I put her away successful, and we made sure we didn't use that dark pigeon on that mark again! After Zoe had another very successful turn, Devon came out again. This time, I tried the triple cold since she'd already been to the marks twice. The last bird down, the go bird, was a white pigeon! Oh yeah, she saw this one! Out she went and nailed the mark. I called her back in, lined up for the outside bird, the first mark down. She was just off the line, but a quick hunt and she nailed it. Now for the 85-90 yard long mark. I lined her up, asked her "Where?" and sent her. She lined it and put her two front feet on it! I danced around at the start line and waved my hands in the air, completely forgetting I had the second pigeon still in my hand!
After that great success, we went across the street and did a water double. We built Devon's with two singles using dokens, then did the double with ducks. She struggled on the memory bird, which was on land, wanting to go right to the gunner then past him to near the first fall. However, she went back and found her duck. She did the same thing when this mark was a single, so I think she was just struggling to mark it and both times she got out of the water to the right of the fall and kept going right. Her line swimming out was pretty good, though, so it was odd that she struggled.
We ended there. I'm not really worried about the double on water, and I can have Dad come to the water and help me with that next week. I was thrilled with the triple! Before we even started running the marks, I set up bumpers in Devon's two permanent blinds and ran them. The older one she ran cold and got two bumpers. Then new one I taught last week I re-taught to her, then ran it two more times. After that, I returned to the first permanent blind and ran it one more time on a new line. She was perfect.
Now Devon can barely keep her eyes open. She was curled up in her drying off towel in the van dozing as we talked. She came home and crashed and even curled up on my lap completely sacked out for a while. I had to pull myself out from under her to move. She's now sound asleep on the daybed. She can have the rest of the evening to sleep -- she deserves it!
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