The iPad and How Dog Works Training Center will Utilize It

The iPad and How Dog Works Training Center will Utilize It
By Robert Forto, PhD

It has been close to 12 hours since it’s arrival and I am writing my first blog article on the much anticipated Apple iPad. I am an Apple junkie: I use an iPhone, a MacBook Pro, an iPod Classic, an iPod touch, a Mac Mini and now an iPad. I am always looking for new technology and I guess you could call me a technology geek. I was the first on my block to have Internet access on my Commodore 64, plugged up to my Black and White T.V., and the $700.00 phone bill on my parents account when I was a kid. I had a cell phone, in a bag that you had to carry around, when I was 14, when the service was extremely expensive. I had a Beta 4-head VCR in my bedroom that I bought with my own money cutting lawns and delivering newspapers. And we were the first in the neighborhood to have cable T.V. when you still had to get up and change the channel on the set top box.

I wrote an article about two months ago about how Denver Dog Works/Dog Works Training Center (http://www.dogworkstrainingcenter.com) would utilize the new technology and it was all speculation until today.

The buzz on the Internet is whether this tablet computer will replace the laptop or even the iPhone. In my opinion it depends what type of industry you are in. In our business we embrace new technology to make our daily work easier and streamlined. The iPad will help us do that. No, it will not replace my laptop and of course it will not replace my iphone it will be a nice supplement.

We have just one iPad now and that was intentional. I plan to put it through the test before ordering one for every trainer and every student. In the coming weeks they will release the iPad with 3G access. That is next. Thank goodness for Apple Credit!

Here are just a few of the ways that we plan to use the iPad at Denver Dog Works:

Credit Card Processing

As soon as the iPad was released the much anticipated Square processing system was released. This application and small piece of hardware will allow business owners and individuals process credit cards without the burdens of a merchant account and/or wired terminal. At Denver Dog Works about 85% of our business is credit cards, with the Square app we can effectively accept payments while conducting an interview in the field or at an event without the need for a terminal. Not to mention a huge savings on the processing fees from 2-5% per transaction.

Evaluations

Our most important service that we offer at Denver Dog Works is our initial evaluation. This process involves taking a detailed history by phone, email or phone. With this information we design a training plan for our clients and their dogs. By utilizing the iPad to streamline this process we will be able to conduct our evaluations and share contracts and forms quickly and easily with our clients.

Teaching Tools

We teach a lot of different types of classes at Denver Dog Works. With the iPad we will be able to share training plans, videos, how-to articles, and more with our clients as they learn new exercises and training tasks

Social Media

A key part of our marketing plan is the utilization of social media (ie. Facebook, Twitter, Loopt, etc.) Now we update our status on our fan pages and personal profiles almost exclusively by iPhone. With the larger touch keyboard of iPad it will allow us to update information quicker. We will be able to write quick blog posts using the Wordpress App and publish them on the fly.

Skype

One of the most exciting features of the iPad is the ability to use Skype. Last night Michele and I spoke for an hour and a half over Skype. Me in my hotel room in Minnesota and her at our home in Colorado.

Travel

I travel a lot for my behavioral work and with the iPad I can keep up to date on the latest training articles and journals and maybe even catch a movie or two on the plane or read a book while sitting in the airport. I will be able to book a rental car, check a flight’s status or check into a hotel all by walking through the terminal. You cant do that on an laptop and the screen on my iPhone is just too small.

Canine Career Courses

The most important and exciting use of the iPad in our business will be in our canine career course.

As many of you know we offer a course at Dog Works Training Centers to teach people how to become the best dog trainers in the world. In our course we provide an interactive learning environment that is partnered with cutting edge technology and over nineteen years of living with dogs.

Denver Dog Works and Dog Works Training Centers plans to include an iPad with every course and include it in the student’s enrollment package.

Our next canine trainer career course starts at the end of April and is a 24-week course that consists of three days of training every two weeks on Friday-Sundays. You can find out more information on our canine career courses by visiting our website at http://www.denverdogworks.com and http://www.dogworkstrainingcenter.com

Over the next couple months I will be re-writing our companion course book to include video links, .pdf exams and projects, interactive lessons and more. A perfect partnership of class lectures, our video library, and the iPad technology.

You may think I am crazy to jump on the iPad bandwagon. To the contrary. We have always offered a low-end net-book computer to our canine trainer students but with the release of the iPad it will take our training school to new heights.

Over the next few weeks we will figure out other ways to use this technology and all at Denver Dog Works are eager to embrace it. Sure there will be quirks to work out as an early adopter of this exciting new technology but they said that about the PC and the cell-phone and even the microwave oven.

If you would like to have a career that you love and want to become one of the best canine obedience instructors in the world, give us a call at 303-578-9881 and speak to Robert Forto or Michele Forto anytime.

Tags : iPad | Skype | Robert Forto | Michele Forto | Iditarod | Team Ineka | Dog Training Denver | Dog Doctor Radio | Denver Dog Works | Mushing Radio | Duluth Dog Works | Minnesota Dog Works | Camp Works |

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Dr. Robert Forto, PhD is the training director of Denver Dog Works and the host of a weekly radio program The Dog Doctor Radio Show. Dr. Forto can be reached through his website at http://www.denverdogworks.com