Good Boy: who is training who?

Auggie's Dad

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Dec 28, 2007
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South Hadley MA
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Auggie: Dusky Conure
I suppose it could be a testament to my use of positive reinforcement that Auggie's first words were "good boy". However it was a bit embarrassing when he used them so appropriately this morning.

Every trainer knows that training is two ways, its not just the owner training the pet, but with a parrot it can become quite clear.

This morning I let Auggie out to fly around and play as usual as I got ready and had breakfast. When I leave I get him to come back to his cage, close him up and give him a peanut. This morning however he just sat at the desk across the room and looked at me chirping a bit. I kept calling him over but he just sat there. I was running short on time, so I walked over and picked him up. As I had him on my hand and took the first step toward his cage he looked up at me and ever so smugly said "Good Boy." I dropped my head and cussed under my breath a bit as I realized just how effectively my bird has completely trained me to be at his beck and call.

Life reaches a new laughable low when one is patronized by their own pet.
 

TexDot33

Bird poop and baby poop
Dec 26, 2006
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15 year-old Sun Conure: Hamlet &
14 year-old Green-Cheeked Conure: Mac
:18::18:

They do tend to do that don't they, and it is always SOOO upsetting at the time and then you look back on it and have a great laugh about it.

Yeah, Mac has done this to me numerous times and I hate the thought of being outwitted but a 67 gram, 10 inch long little monster, but it happens. There was this time that I was holding him right up to my face like an ice cream cone (he loves to be held like that) and he had just chewed on something that I was really upset about and I was yelling at him, "You chew on everything, you make ungodly messes and you are loud, why do I even keep you around?!" I asked him ... he leaned his little beak over to my lips and made *smooch, smooch, smmmmmmoch* sounds!

They just seem to know! And no one will every be able to convince me that they don't. I hate it everytime it happens, but in the same breath it's amazing everytime ...

Oh, I wonder what kind of stories Dr. Pepperberg could tell us like this about Alex ... :eek: ... now THOSE would be stories!
 

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