How do I train my gcc

I bought this harness for my almost 1 year on gcc Ari but he hates it. Is there any way that I could train him to hold still and slip his head through?


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This is a video from wrench13 here on the forum put on youtube.com [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA1zCLeGiKE"]Salty parrot tricks 9-10-18 - YouTube[/ame] In it he puts a harness on and off his bird. lol jh

Well in one of his vid's, in the youtube search window captniceguy finds his vid's. jh

Postive association, positive association, positive association.

Never force it.

Follow his lead/comfort level. Break it down (move non-aggressively towards the harness, accept a treat near the harness, put head near the harness, etc, before you even think about putting it on). Have cue words for each little step. Constantly reward and reassure. Take all precautions to avoid negative associations.


Here's a master thread: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/59374-harness-training-videos.html

But you can also view other threads in the "Training" forum.

Our method for our touch-phobic parrot is here: http://www.parrotforums.com/training/80199-how-we-did-harness-training-touch-phobic-bird.html
[ame="https://youtu.be/arYFRBjdDeQ"]Aviator Harness Training - How We Did It - YouTube[/ame]

It's a slow process---the trick is not getting discouraged yourself. Yours is so young that you definitely should work on exposure/positive association now. Older birds can learn it but it is even harder. Again though---I would go so far as to say that ANY bird can learn this as long as the owner puts in the consistent work and is patient.
I have struggled to teach my U2 (adult) but that is my fault because she hates it and I tend to no be as consistent as I should in training

Hi there. I think there are a few things needed first off.

1) Right size harness. Too small makes it harder to convince your parrot to put his head thru the neck loop. Better to error on the size being too large, but way too large means they can slip out of it.

2) Establish a favorite treat that your conure has, that now becomes your training treat.

3) You must have established trust in your conure first. He should step up when requested, and be totally comfortable around hands.

4) Leave the harness in sight of his cage for a few weeks, so he does not think it is going to eat him.

5) Establish a set time of day to do harness training, and do it EVERY day. 10 minutes at the most. Every day. Harness training can take time. How much? It took me a year , 365 days, to get Salty to willingly accept the harness.

6) At first offer the treat holding the harness head loop open with your left hand, and giving the treat with the other hand, positioning it BEFORE the hard loop. THis gets him ready for the next step.

7) Next is to gradually move the treat closer to the OTHER side of the head loop, towards you. THis is a biggie, so be patient. I used tiny pieces of pine nuts, 1/2's to 1/3's of a nut, in a small bowl for this part. For a conure maybe 2 or 3 grams of them, all in the bowl. If he sees a whole bunch of his fav treat in the bowl, he will linger with his head thru the loop for a while. At first let him chow down on them. Gradually remove the bowl after he has his head thru.

8) Next is to then drape the rest of the harness over his body and wings, loosely at first , gradually making the harness tighter and closer to the final size. Adjust it when its off the parrot, not while its on him. Thats for later on.

9) Next train him to step up with the loose harness on him. Once there, I jiggle the harness a bit, and treat Salty immediately after, so he understands that having the harness on his body leads to more treats.

10) Once all the above are totally fine with your conure, its time to try for putting his wings thru the harness wing loops. Adjust before, making the wing loops very large, which makes putting the wings thru easier and lest stress ful for your conure. THis is where step 3 is SO important ! He has to not freak out when you manipulate his wings thru the wing loops.

11) once both wings are thru, adjust the size of the wing loops so they are close to his body. DO NOT over tighten them. Make sure the straps are flat against his body ( not twisted). Allow for a pinky to fit between his body and the strap, maybe a bit more.

As you can see there are many things that have to be in place before your conure is totally cool with putting on and being in the harness. Its takes TIME for that, but well worth it. Watch the online videos, they give a good idea of the process. Some parrots will get it in a few dyas, some a few weeks, some a few months. Like I said, it took me a year ( or more) to get Salty to the point where he just puts it on with no fussing or fighting, and he loves being out side!

Some additional comment. Once he os fully in the harness, take him outside right away, like immediately, so he starts to associate the harness with a new , fun experience. And always have a good supply of his fav treat on hand, to periodically reward him. On a darker note - if there are hawks or other birds of prey in your area, be especially vigilant of what is flying over head. Hawk, falcons etc may try to snatch your now helpless GCC off your shoulder, and yes it HAS happened. Theres a vid on youtube of an eagle trying to snatch a umbrella cockatoo right off the shoulder of a guy doing a parrot show.

Good luck and be patient.