The Quickest Way To Train
Parrots
Parrots are intelligent animals.
Some studies have proven that certain species of parrots have
intelligence levels comparable to that of a four year old child!
Yet it's glaringly obvious that people have no idea how to harness a parrot's
ability to learn. So I thought Id shed a little light on how I've adopted some
dog training techniques to get parrots to respond to training much quicker than
traditional methods.
This technique is called
shaping. Shaping is a training method that trains parrots to think. It
doesn't lure them with food, or punish parrots for doing a behavior
incorrectly. Instead it works on this principal?
Parrots will continue to
do behaviors that bring them pleasure, with greater and greater
frequency and continue to do so until the behavior no longer brings them
pleasure?
When I'm training one of my parrots
to learn to step up onto my hand, I don't just shove my hand in front of them
and force them off their perch. After all, the parrot might not want to step
up. The parrot might be sleepy, upset, not want to be taken away from his food
bowl, or a whole host of other reasons.
So instead, I like to
reward parrots for coming to me on their own free will. I like to let
the parrot train himself that coming to me brings him pleasure. Here's what I
mean.
Let's say that our parrot is
happily playing on the top of his cage, and you want him to train him to step up
onto your hand. To do this place your hand about 12-24 inches from your parrot,
and observe what he does. Does he back away even further? If so you should
back up also, until you're far enough away that your parrot is showing relaxed
body language.
Then start watching for tiny
movements your parrot starts to make towards your hand. At first, parrots will
usually do nothing. But be patient and start small. Look for your
parrot to look at your hand. When he does say good?, and reward with
a favorite treat of his.
Parrots will catch on pretty quick
and realize that all they have to do to get a treat is look at your hand. When
your parrot gets to this stage, demand more from your parrot for a treat. Make
your parrot take a step towards your hand? even a small step, tell him ?good?
and reward him again.
Continue to slowly demand
your parrot get closer and closer to your hand before giving him his
treats, until he's actually stepping onto your hand. But be careful,
parrots can tend to not trust you. So the first time your parrot steps on your
hand, don't think the training is done. Parrots will feel betrayed if you coax
them onto your hand and them pick them up fast.
Instead let your parrot step on
your hand without picking him up, and gradually work on rewarding your parrot
for letting you pick him an inch of the ground, then two, three, four etc.
Until every time you walk over to his cage, he'll run over to you expecting that
he can step up onto your hand to get his treat.
Training parrots in this way
teaches parrots to problem solve. It teaches them to figure out what you want
them to do, and makes training other behaviors in the future much
easier.
Copyright 2006 Womach
Brother Productions - African Grey Parrots
This article was written by Chet
Womach a parrot trainer who's helped thousands of people owners overcome
behavior problems in their parrots, by using positive reinforcement training
techniques.
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