This morning Lightning and I worked solo. With temps already in the mid-70s, we worked with just eight bumpers.

For the double T, I’m now mixing white and orange 2” bumpers, and no-rope with rope for both colors. Lightning isn’t trying to carry them by the ropes during training any more, so soon I’ll replace the ropes I cut off. I’ve found it’s much easier to carry a bunch of bumpers if they have ropes, in addition to being able to throw them further.

Today I didn’t need to use gunfire to inhibit shopping, but I still played heel and catch intermittently to maintain good deliveries.

Mike Lardy doesn’t demonstrate  the mini T on the TRT video, so here’s what I did with Lightning:

1. Four bumpers at long pile.
2. Freebie 30y from long pile.
3. With Lightning in front position, tossed bumper to side, then sent him on Over.
4. Backed up 10y, ran freebie 40y from long pile.
5. With Lightning in front position, tossed bumper to other side, sent him on Over.
6. Freebie.
7. Leaving Lightning at 40y startline, walked forward 10y and threw one bumper to each side. 
8. Returned to Lightning, ran him from heel position toward pile. Stopped him on whistle sit after 10y, cast Over to one side.
9. Freebie.
10. Ran him from heel position, stopped him after 10y, cast Over to the last bumper.

Lightning had a good session this morning: no pops, no sit refusals, no cast refusals, and no shopping. So tomorrow we’ll go on to step 6 of the double T, namely, the full T.

I might mention that even though we have limited weather for training at this time, Lightning still practices the retrieve pattern hundreds of times most days. For example, yesterday evening after it cooled off, I sat outside in a chair and threw bumpers for Lightning as well as Laddie. We typically do this several times a day, when I take them outside to play. Out of curiosity, I thought I’d count how many retrieves Lightning ran before he got distracted or tired. He did get distracted eventually, when Renée brought Ryley outside, too. But up till then, Lightning brought me the bumper 57 times in a row to throw for him, bubbling with excitement the entire time.