Clean Run Magazine - July 2009 - 45

• Social networking: Social networking sites are another great way to use the Internet to find training resources and to create your own network of agility services. Facebook and Twitter are two networks that I use to communicate with clients and other agility contacts. I’ve found them to be a great way to keep up with the daily news of agility. (Editor’s Note: Clean Run now has a Facebook site and also “tweets.”) Hand-held Devices • IPods and MP3 players: Personal music players can also be used in many different areas of agility. You can use these devices during your walk-through to increase motivation or focus and to reduce distractions. I will leave it up to you to decide what music you listen to. Some handlers prefer calming music while others prefer faster, louder music to elevate the heart rate and energy level. • Two-way radios: Handlers can use radios to communicate with their instructors while walking the course during training or showing. One big note of caution: before you do this at a trial, make sure it is legal to use radios in the ring because not all venues allow them. You should use them with an earbud to avoid distracting fellow handlers. I use two-way radios and earbuds extensively in private lesson training. It allows me to communicate with handlers at the exact moment they should give a verbal or body cue to the dog, and I don’t have to scream at them across the field. • Video cameras: This is probably the most important tech device we have in agility. Bottom line: Video does not lie. The newer hard-drive (HD) cameras are becoming affordable and can hold hours of video. Having the videos already digitized so they can be uploaded to your computer and the Internet without much work is a big advantage. HD is becoming the norm in video cameras. The smaller units, such as the Flip and Aiptek, are seen more often at agility trials now. They are simple to use and make it easy to upload to video services online. • Dictaphones: These hand-held devices are cheap and can keep you organized by giving you a way to store electronic notes about training. I like them because I can always keep one on me ready to punch the button and start talking. I replay it later and transcribe it to my notes for my training session. • CDs and MP3s: These can be used for continuing education or remote learning. I use them to help my students to improve their mental game, to manage their stress, and to enhance their personal training. • Video games: For refining our physical reflexes and timing, video games are a good choice. The Nintendo DS has some great games, such as “Flash Focus,” to train for memory (helpful for course memorization), and peripheral vision and handeye coordination (helpful for improving handling abilities). The Wii Fit is a great tool for physical training in strength, agility, balance, and eye-hand/ eye-body coordination. My Answer As you can probably tell, I enjoy finding new ways to make technological tools work for me as an agility instructor, coach, and competitor. I’m not saying that every handler should rush out and buy everything I’ve told you about. In fact, some could prove to be more frustrating than helpful if you buy them without doing your research. Some tools, such as the video analysis software, are most effective when used by an intuitive instructor, while other tools have the potential to work for even the most technologyresistant handler who is playing agility. People often ask me to name the one tool that I find most essential in the sport of agility. At the end of each day, when I’ve analyzed dog agility videos until I’m cross-eyed and babbling, I look at my dog and know one thing above all else. Agility is still about one handler and one dog. Other “Stuff” • Electronic touch plates and timers: Touch plates are not yet common, but they can be used for target training, contact training, and building distance skills. Electronic timers are useful in establishing performance baselines of your dog’s specific obstacle times or sequence times. For example, I use electronic timers to get an average baseline performance time for the dogwalk. I go back and time the obstacle at least once every three months. If my dog’s performance time on the dogwalk begins to degrade, I will know it before it becomes visible to the human eye. A cheaper, albeit slightly less accurate alternative, is to have a friend use a stopwatch to capture the times. July 09 | Clean Run D Webb Anderson began competing in agility in 1991. His Miniature Schnauzer, Nigel, ranks in AKC’s top 20 All Breed Agility dogs, and he currently competes with his Sheltie Shine. His training facilities in Atlanta, Georgia, and Birmingham, Alabama, (www. agilek9path.com) offer a holistic approach to agility training where there are no absolutes. Webb helps his clients reach their potential through training, handling, course analysis, and mental performance. Contact him via webb@agilek9path.com. 45

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Clean Run Magazine - July 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - July 2009