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View Full Version : What are you currently training/teaching your bird(s)?



Wayne361
01-08-2014, 12:42 AM
As the title indicates....it can be a trick training or behavioural modification. How is your progress going? Need any assistance? I am hoping we can open some dialogue to assist one another.
What I am currently working on for Oscar is flight retrieve from the floor.....currently he will flight retrieve from flight stands, tables, and basically anywhere that is NOT the floor. I know that parrots often feel vulnerable on the ground/floor as they are prey animals in the wild and its my belief that is what is holding him back. As a solution I am doing more activities with him on the floor and having him do simple retrieves on the floor, as opposed to flighted retrieves. Basically desentitizing him to the floor so he gets over the slight hurdle/fear.
What are you trying to accomplish currently?

Wayne

Mare
01-08-2014, 01:13 AM
I've never really been into training my birds, just getting along and respecting each other's territory had always been my main goal. Birds are super smart, I know, and I think it's great that you are into this! Mine will step up when I want but won't shut up, when I want! My U2 will come when I call, he is the most "trained" out of my flock, although he was never officially taught anything, he kinda really likes me and likes to hang out :)

Pinkbirdy
01-08-2014, 02:37 AM
Lots of things .Just little stuff though.Owen my free flighted bird [im trying to get to fly to me]. My new Eclectus Im trying to get him used to hanging out on me. My zon who only steps on a stick [to go back in his cage ] is starting to get on my arm [:) ] Of course I sing to see who is going to join me :)

Grey
01-08-2014, 04:13 AM
Training..ok here's the list

Zoe-play dead, play basketball
Lola- on hiatus as it is her first hormonal power surge
Lucifer-don't kill daddy
Crush - Look cute

spiritbird
01-08-2014, 01:15 PM
Do you have any videos of your birds performing what you have taught them? I do not do any trick training with my birds except for the basic safety and talking.

Wayne361
01-08-2014, 04:20 PM
Do you have any videos of your birds performing what you have taught them? I do not do any trick training with my birds except for the basic safety and talking.

No videos of performing. I guess it is because performing isnt the goal I have in training. Oscar is my pet and as such training affords us a stronger bond, eliminates fear issues with him i.e. improves his confidence, great exercise for him (flight/recall/fetch training), brain stimulation for both, improves his socialization etc etc. Just a win-win situation where I try and provide the best for him while convincing him to willingly do what I want him to do :)

Wayne

Blancaej
01-09-2014, 01:56 PM
I am hoping to train my birds to recognize color and count. I got a few of the Zoo Max toys for them for Christmas. I will share pics of them later here on the forum.

kendrafitz
01-09-2014, 02:21 PM
Oooooo, I can't wait to hear how you do with that Blanca!

kendrafitz
01-09-2014, 02:22 PM
Grey - I love the trick you are trying to teach Lucifer!!!!

Blancaej
01-09-2014, 05:35 PM
Oooooo, I can't wait to hear how you do with that Blanca!

I have let them check them out so far. But have yet to read the directions. LOL! One of the toys I got was the "bank" and Coqui loves to throw all the pieces out of that. LOL! I will definitely let you know how it goes.

Grey
01-09-2014, 05:54 PM
Thanks Kendra. This season has been particularly joyous in this house as both Lucifer and Lola have entered into their first hormonal cycles, Lucifer is by far worse than Lola though. But I still try to talk quietly to him, offer special treats through the bars (he is on lockdown because he is so aggressive to everyone else), sing to him, and do my best to keep body parts with nerve endings just out of reach (while being as reassuring and comforting as I can)

tonkatiel
01-09-2014, 10:57 PM
No 'tricks' as such at the moment... Punky is going through a very 'bitey' stage - as if I've made her angry and she's throwing a tantrum, except its been happening for over a month so maybe she doesn't like Mia since it started around the time Mia joined us? Anyway, trying to encourage her to get past whatever it was and stop biting me ;)
Skittles has started to be a major pain when it comes to staying off the others cages and biting their toes, so trying to teach him to love our new play stand more lol...
Mia trying to teach her to stop nipping my neck..
And Max at the moment just trying to teach him I'm not nasty and I won't hurt him :P he was handreared and he's not 'scared' of me as such (doesn't try to get away or bite or anything) but I think he was only ever fed as a baby and not actually handled much...

coltfire
01-10-2014, 04:24 AM
Atm im teaching Jerry flight retrieve , to get him ready for free flight, and as long as i have some form of nuts in my hand and just shake them he come very quick, his high 4, kisses and shacking hands has come a long way, and now only have to ask and he does them all.

Wayne361
01-10-2014, 08:21 PM
Atm im teaching Jerry flight retrieve , to get him ready for free flight, and as long as i have some form of nuts in my hand and just shake them he come very quick, his high 4, kisses and shacking hands has come a long way, and now only have to ask and he does them all.

My nuts would be shaking if I ever attempted free flight with Oscar :) He recalls amazingly but just too many extrainious variables that might make things go disasterous in a hurry. Will soon be flying outside with harness but dont think I have the nuts to attempt free flight.
I do appreciate those that do....

Mare
01-10-2014, 10:00 PM
Heehee! You're funny Wayne! :th_biggrin: There is a saying, "It's amazing what one can accomplish, when one doesn't know what one can't do". We had it in our son's room, while growing up and he actually took it off the wall, when he left for college, and it is hanging in his room, still, while going to UCDAVIS. He will be applying to med schools in June. This saying also struck a chord in me when thinking about free flight with Amigo. I don't advise free flight, to anyone, but if I thought I couldn't do it there would have been no way that I would have even entertained the thought! :)

Maddy
01-16-2014, 06:44 AM
I'm working on clicker training Jester, and I'd like to teach Peatree how to wave. :)

Turquoise
04-08-2014, 01:51 PM
So how has the training been going Wayne? We need updates on Oscar and did you get the harness on him for the flights outside? Any photos to share?

I don't really train mine to do anything more than stay on their own play perch and to respect anothers' property~~namely stay off each others cages!! LOL I do use the positive reinforcement training of using favorite treats to get them to do what I want from them as in step up from their play perch when I need them to go back into their enclosures. My two Catalina boys were taught by me this way in the very beginning and I have never had a problem with them falling for...I mean, deciding to step up & go in if a pistachio is in sight! :) I think Roscoe would kill for a pistachio and he now picks up not one, not two, but three nuts in his beak before he is satisfied to step down on his limb in his home.

Ruby Jewel is not inspired to step up for treats offered while she is free on her play perch. So I trained her to gladly step up when I tell her what I have put in her food bowls in her enclosure. She will get so excited sometimes that she jumps off my arm as we approach her home in anticipation of getting to her grapes sooner! Leyla Belle has to see the food in her bowl and then she will put herself in her cage. She doesn't like to be held and she will not take food from fingers. She will grab whatever is offered and quickly drop it, then try to bite the offending finger inside or out of her cage.

Wiki
04-23-2014, 09:10 AM
I've been clicker training with my budgie since the first week he came home, and we're always doing something new to keep his super tricky brain happy and engaged. At the moment, Wiki and I are doing "ring on a post" and a combination trick where he puts a little disc in the back of a toy pickup truck, then drags it along. These tricks are getting harder, as they require more precision - budgies are so full of enthusiasm, they often want to skip steps along the way :). Without props we've started working on boomerang (launch flight to immediate recall).

Debra
04-23-2014, 02:24 PM
That's great!

froggij
08-04-2014, 05:14 PM
Ooh, just found this old thread... What sorts of tricks is everyone teaching right now?

My birds aren't that great at learning new ones, but once they get them, they stick with them. When I first got Rose and Dori, I was a dog groomer, so I sort of trained them a little like dogs because those were easy ones for me... so Rose knows how to "kennel" (she always says night-night while she's going), and Dori "goes" (to her room) on command. Dori also plays dead and gives kisses. Occasionally Rose will "kiss kiss". All three of my birds know "leave it!" but Dori usually just runs back for it and tries again anyways, darn lovebird. I'm working on reinforcing Dori's tricks because when we first got her, her hormones weren't in yet and she was very handling-friendly, and then once she started getting nesty we had to re-teach her not to bite us all the time, so her other tricks kind of went by the wayside. I was teaching her to "come here" on command, up and down directions, but she never learned them well enough for those to stick before she got nesty. I want to reinforce her play dead (it's gotten very sloppy) and maybe get her to retrieve small items one day...but with her hormones it's sometimes touch-and-go with her handling skills.

PlaxMacaws
08-05-2014, 03:04 AM
I've been working to teach Salsa to say "Hi" while simultaneously holding his foot straight out flat and waving with his toes (just as some people wave). He does it pretty well, but only when he feels like it. I'll try and capture it on video sometime.

Lady
08-15-2014, 03:08 AM
I am really liking the "leave it" command Jen. That was one of the most important things I taught when I was an accredited dog trainer for Pet-Smart. It was a great thing for them to learn for safety reasons. Not to chew on something bad for them, or eat something they shouldn't.
I am working on trust with Lady and right now I am looking forward to her feeling comfortable enough around me to fly or walk on over just to be close by and not on or in her cage.

PlaxMacaws
08-22-2014, 06:58 PM
I mentioned a couple of weeks back that I've been teaching Salsa to say "hi" and simultaneously wave hello with his foot. Well, here's a short clip of him doing it:


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Lady
08-23-2014, 01:18 AM
Awesome Tony,
I think teaching them some friendly human ways of interacting is a great way to show that there is much more to them then their obvious beauty.