Yes, ziplining at Hocking Hills can teach us about dog training.
So this happened on the last of my 4-day outdoor adventure get-away. And it was amazing! I wanted to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone. The first couple times I was terrified to take my feet off the step but taking that leap of faith gave me courage. They started us with lower, shorter, slower lines to help us be more comfortable. I also think they must hire tour guides with a fun sense of humor as that really helped calm our nerves – or at least mine. With each practice came more confidence. It also helped to see our tour guide go first, having the time of his life hooping and hollering on his journey to the next treetop. At our last stop we saw the advance tour whizzing by us and I thought…I can do that!It got me thinking about how that relates to our pets and training them. To build our confidence and comfort, our tour guides…
First had everyone practice the zip techniques (where to put our hands, how to sit back into the safety harness, how to use our left hand as a brake, and how to use our hands to walk us back ‘if necessary’ – which our tour guide assured was just a precaution)
We saw how much safety is a priority. Always they had us secured to wires above our heads.
The tour guides used humor and encouragement to make us more comfortable. Our lead guide, Justin, was constantly making fun remarks and when we get to the end of a zip he cheered us on. The other lead, Cameron, would ask us questions as she was getting us ready to take the leap from a treetop.
The tour began with lower, shorter, slower lines to help us become more comfortable. Because…with positive practice comes confidence to do the behavior again.
Our tour guide used modeling as he got out there ahead of us and showed us how much fun zipping was when you just relax and enjoy the ride.
These are all lessons to think about when it comes to helping our animals succeed. Here are some questions to be asking yourself:
How can I make the lesson as easy as possible in the beginning for my learner to get the lesson?
How can I take the pressure off my learner and give lots of positive reinforcement and information to make learning easier?
How can I be a good model for my student to encourage the behavior?
How can I build in more positive practice of doing the behavior?
How can I make the lesson fun for my learner?
