Bird Tricks.

This topic might stir up a bit of controversy. This my opinion and my opinion only and feel that I need to clarify my perception on Bird tricks as I have post some comments. I have researched various websites and watch videos. This what my opinions is based on.

I would like the replies to be civil. This would be greatly appreciated.

So here goes;
I have watched some of Bird tricks and other Professional bird trainers videos. but have not brought any of their products.
Barbara Heidenreich and Sid Price are just some of the bird trainers who are very good. I had never said that these bird trainers were bad. But I do believe that they, and others are jealous of the success of Bird tricks. Hence the bad reviews and allegations made against Bird tricks.

If Bird tricks were committing theft and animal cruelty, then surely they would have been charged and convicted. But I haven't found anything that shows they have been indicted for any of these allegations let alone charged or convicted.

The reality is in business you will always get people who will complain about your products. But companies do have refund polices. I noticed that one customer complained that he was overcharged by bird tricks. But when you look further into this complaint. The person didn't read the web page properly and ticked a box he shouldn't have. Not really Bird tricks fault and he did get refunded.

I have watch a lot of training videos and have noticed that most Professional bird trainer's training videos show a well behaved and compliant bird. These birds are trained in a quiet and well lit room, one to one. This environment is perfect to easily train your bird.

But I watch a video of Dave and Jamieleigh Womach with their birds on stage and thought "wow" these birds are performing in an environment that is loud, dark, with flashing lights, fireworks going off, with a audience of thousands of people. This environment would have been terrifying for a normal bird. But I believe that Dave, Jamieleigh and Chet's stage birds are far from normal.

This achievement is awesome and Dave, Jamieleigh and Chet Womach deserve to be recognise for this. That they are professional bird trainers. Because I don't believe a "backyard Trainer" could achieve this level of accomplishment. In fact I think there are many "professional Trainers" that couldn't achieve what Dave, Jamieleigh and Chet can did with their birds on stage.

I would most likely correct in saying that Barbara Heidenreich, Sid Price and all the other professional trainers have made mistakes when they were starting out and learning their profession. Yet by some, the Womach brothers aren't being given the same courtesy. This is a bit unfair.

There are some people who haven't watch or brought Bird tricks products, nor have they achieved what the Womach brothers have. But feel that they are more then qualified to criticise. These people should focus more on the positive than the negative.

I believe that you should celebrate peoples good achievements and educate them on their mistakes. After all we are all trying to train our bird to be well adjusted, happy and healthy both physically and mentally.

Motto You heard a bad story about me by people who don't like me, Gee that crap must be true.

I personally have nothing against bird tricks. From my observation, the Womach's have well trained, happy, mentally sound and healthy birds. They are very 'new' to the avian community as you point out, but the issue (I think) is more their age (young), appearance ('alternative') and lack of any kind of 'degree' pertaining to what they're doing. People just don't trust young, and in their eyes, 'unqualified' people. It doesn't matter that they got results and are good parrot owners- they aren't old, stodgy with 57 university degrees and/or research funding, therefore the must not be trusted. Just MY PERSONAL OBSERVATION reading between the lines on the 'negativity' surrounding them.

Also a PERSONAL OPINION, but *ANY* training program requires COMMON SENSE on the part of the OWNER. You should NEVER trust the health, well being or desired behavior of your bird to anyone else. Use these programs as a guide for sure, but only YOU know what is right for your bird and your circumstances. If you don't find something appropriate for your bird or feel it could be detrimental, DON'T DO IT or consult with your AV first. Another member brought up the "Parrot Wizard" suggests "starving" your bird. I have been kinda-sorta following some of his videos, and I assure you, starving Kiwi is NOT going to happen. I haven't seen it in his youtube videos, but apparently it's in his book. Either way, I'm not starving my bird because someone tells me to. Common sense tells me, try training before meals. Kind of the age old "if everyone else jumped off a cliff" thing.....

I also firmly believe there is no one program that will work for any individual bird. Parrots are such complex creatures and each individual learns in a different way. I think people are so in awe of such highly intelligent creatures, they actually underestimate their birds cognitive abilities, "wild" nature and communication potential therefore stick with something more on par for training a dog to obey commands. I like to think parrots are above just "obeying" and move into the territory of understanding right from wrong, learning "rules" they can apply situationally, being able to communicate their needs (you just have to be observant) and should be allowed to express themselves within the parameters of behavior your set for them based off safety and coexisting in a domestic home. I think if you look closely, some of the more 'controversial' trainers think outside the box of training animals and boarder on how one would teach a child and I think it frightens and/or turns off people because it wouldn't necessarily work on animals of lower intelligence. If you compare the more 'trusted' parrot trainers methods to obedience school for dogs, theres a whole lot of parallels in methodology. A lot of people seem happy to have highly regimented parrots who wait for a command, and theres nothing wrong with that. Again, personal opinion, but I prefer Kiwi not tear stuff up or poop on the floor (you know, just generally be a courteous household member), and otherwise, he may do as he pleases. I think getting a bird to that point takes a little more outside the box thinking and some of the methods to get there may not be 100% positive-reinforcement based.

ALL of those trainers have one common goal, "Money"!!!! I understand it's all about business and that's how they make a profession at it to make a profit. BUT doing training for years on my own, I know the training doesn't apply to all birds as some are quite difficult to deal with, matter of fact dangerous! But I will not associate myself with any of those trainers or buy products from them to help with their cause as there are others who are like me that enjoy helping others to learn how to train their own beloved parrots without having to pay a penny.

So basically what is pointed out might be true but that's each individual's opinion on the matter. This topic would be discussed in a polite manner by all who participate but let's not go who is better then who on here as to me they're all the same.

Be civil folks!!!! Take what everyone says with a grain of salt, if you don't like it then just leave it be. It's not a bad thing to just turn away without argument.

From what I've read a lot of sentiment against Birdtricks comes from their old material, which advised doing things like flooding. I haven't bought any of their videos so I don't know if that is still being used. I do enjoy their online community most of the time, and I find their blogs helpful, though I haven't read an article from a contributing writer in awhile (they used to have a lot of input from many people).

The things I hate about them include their horrible marketing tactics and some of their hypocritical stances on things. They send spam emails like it's the early 90s still with scare tactic messages.

_________

"There are some people who haven't watch or brought Bird tricks products, nor have they achieved what the Womach brothers have. But feel that they are more then qualified to criticise."

Anyone can be a critic. You don't have to be a professionally trained chef to know if you like the food in front of you or not.

_______

As for the Parrot Wizard, I don't have his book, I have only seen his YouTube videos which advocate weight management and not free feeding. His training method is too regimented for me, as I enjoy having a bird be, well, a bird, and not a perfectly trained animal. I do enjoy his blog, especially reading his about his trips to see birds in their natural environments.

"Case Study: The Ring Launch - how to a pay for an engagement ring with a product launch...

Last fall Chet Womach had a major purchase to make - a wedding ring... so why not use a product launch to pay for it? And that was just the start...

After his "Wedding Ring Launch" last fall, he followed up with another launch this past spring that did more than $74,000.00 in one week. And both of these launches were in a "hobby niche" that had nothing to do with making money or the "Internet marketing" niche...

Watch this video to learn how Chet pulled this off, how he tripled his results from his first launch to his second launch, how he achieved "pricing power" and was able to raise his prices... and you will even get a glimpse of that wedding ring!




- Both of these launches were in a "hobby" niche - they were NOT in the "Internet Marketing" niche."




If I want real animal training advice, I'll go to a behaviorist, not a salesman. You can easily search for the rest of that article, if you'd like to see how a salesman marketed his products to make thousands of dollars.

I will respectfully add one more point people seem to fail to keep in mind-

When one makes their career out of training animals, they kinda sorta have to make money off it or else neither they nor the animals will have food, a place to live ect... People seem to forget this fact. Not everyone is going to get government research grants to live off. Doesn't make their program any less valid when appropriately applied, nor does it make them bad people or mean their birds are neglected/mistreated. There are plenty of great things in society we wouldn't have if someone wasn't out to make a buck.

khaiqha said:

From what I've read a lot of sentiment against Birdtricks comes from their old material, which advised doing things like flooding.

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I have read of people using flooding to deal with difficult birds. It used has a last resort.

I don't really understand why there is so much animosity towards the idea of making money out of this? If they were people who didn't care about their birds and just exploited them for profit that would clearly be terrible, but I don't see any evidence of that - rather that they're enthusiasts who have worked out a way to take something they love as a hobby and build a thriving business out of it.

Monica's comment about going to a behaviourist not a salesman is a point of view that i think sums up how a lot of people feel about the sales industry, but I'm not sure if the two things have to be mutually exclusive? As it happens I make my living out of something that has been a passion for me since early childhood, and the fact I make a living out of it doesn't make me any less of an enthusiast or expert in my field - it just means I get to do what I love for a living instead of a hobby.

Unfortunately, the resourses available to novice owners are generally commercial products such as books and dvds, and the sort of product Bird Tricks produce are useful for many beginners. There is inevitably room for conflict when it comes to training methods, and if someone practices things you disagree with and charges money to promote that practice, I can see where people on here are going to have strong feelings about it - but it's hard to see any commercial product winning universal support from the community.

At the end of the day, Bird Tricks may be very in tune with modern marketing techniques and use them agressively, and I can see how that might be annoying to some, but if their birds are happy and healthy and their product good quality, then I don't object to them in the slightest.

khaiqha said:

The things I hate about them include their horrible marketing tactics and some of their hypocritical stances on things. They send spam emails like it's the early 90s still with scare tactic messages.

"There are some people who haven't watch or brought Bird tricks products, nor have they achieved what the Womach brothers have. But feel that they are more then qualified to criticise."

Anyone can be a critic. You don't have to be a professionally trained chef to know if you like the food in front of you or not.

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Yes their marketing techniques are over the top but they aren't the only business in the world that uses these techniques. I hate the late night phone calls from telemarketers.

Yes anyone can be a critic, but everyone has had food so they know what they like. I'm referring to not knowing and criticising

khaiqha said:

As for the Parrot Wizard, I don't have his book, I have only seen his YouTube videos which advocate weight management and not free feeding. His training method is too regimented for me, as I enjoy having a bird be, well, a bird, and not a perfectly trained animal. I do enjoy his blog, especially reading his about his trips to see birds in their natural environments.

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I can't comment on the Parrot wizard has I haven't watch any of his videos and it would be hypocritical for me to do so.

I don't have a problem with people doing what they love, otherwise I wouldn't be suggesting trainers such as Barbara Heidenreich, Lara Joseph, Susan Friedman, Jim McKendry and others! However, none of these trainers are sales people! They are behaviorists who have a genuine service to provide to others that they themselves have worked hard towards achieving with degrees and training.

Bird Tricks started out reading books on the subject with old training techniques. Didn't get any degrees, didn't get any training from professionals. They simply turned around, made videos of them training their birds in horrible fashion and sold those DVD's. I'll admit, they've gotten better over the years! But that doesn't change the fact that they are sales people.



And that's only one reason I don't like Bird Tricks. Chris Biro used to teach a free-flight training course for $1,000. Bird Tricks got to take it. For free. They then turned around and made their own free-flight course for $6,000 and used scare tactics to then try and get people to buy their new product.


They also take scientific training terms (as unscientific as they may sound) and come out with new terms to make it sound "new" and "improved" - when really, it's not! Or how they claim that the "experts" (the *real* trainers) are hiding secrets, when they aren't! That's a blatant lie to sell their products.


Or that Bird Tricks used starvation to train their birds. It was once mentioned in a blog of theirs (since deleted) and the real trainers can tell the difference between birds just flock calling and birds begging for food.



The real trainers wouldn't have a problem with Bird Tricks, and may even recommend Bird Tricks, if they were actual trainers that understood and knew what they were doing.... rather than some amateur entrepreneurs looking to make a quick buck.



Real trainers will recommend each other and will even reference each other in various things. They don't mind talking about other good trainers. Bird Tricks doesn't. Bird Tricks makes it out as if they learned everything on their own, and through their own learning, they have something to sell you. Bird Tricks is like a thorn in the side of the actual trainers.




Kind of like mechanics. Who would you trust more with your car? A certified mechanic that knows what he's doing and wont sell you what you don't need? Or a mechanic that learned on his own how to fix cars but doesn't fully understand what he's doing? However, he's quick to sell you a part that you don't need!

I should probably elaborate on my comment on the behaviourist vs salesman thing. I work in musical instrument sales. I'm classically trained as a violinist to just below degree standard, studied instrument design and repair at college, and worked as a pro musician, so I have a lot of training as a musician but for reasons relating to lifestyle and economics ended up selling rather than playing for a living. There's a strong argument, particularly where repeat custom is desirous, that the strongest salesmen are those who know their subject inside out and know how to help a client / customer make the right purchase for them, and if you believe you have what it takes to help beginners learn how to train their bird and you're sales savvy enough to market that skill and make an income from it, that's not inherently a bad thing. Also you could argue that trainers such as Barbara Heidenreich may not be sales focused themselves but they represent a brand that can be marketed by people who are skilled in sales - hense their own book and dvd products.

I have a feeling though that the issue here is more one of the way that anyone can present themselves as an expert and market a training product and the average consumer has no way of knowing whether that person has a degree and 20 years first hand experience or got their first bird a couple of years back and is simply regurgitating information they've picked up elsewhere. Even then though there's an argument that if you start out as a consumer and begin to feel frustrated at the material out there already isn't as well packaged or presented as it could be and that there's a gap in the market for a product that presents things in a different manner I can understand someone wanting to take a stab at producing something themselves - it would be nice if they could do this more creatively than simply claiming other people's work as their own, but I only know snippets of the stories about Bird Tricks and Parrot Wizard, so I don't want to be pointing fingers myself. Ironically my only first hand experience of Bird Tricks has been Jamie Leigh's free stuff on galahs which was really helpful to me last year, so I have a certain amount of goodwill towards them for that reason.

I guess I don't put as much emphasis on university degrees and 'prestige' as others. I care more about your real world skills and find most 'self taught' people are actually a more valuable source of information than those who studied a subject for 8 years. Why? Because I'm not going to college for 8 years to find out the tiniest technicalities of why my bird ticks (nor are most people), but I might be able to follow along with someone who learned the same way I am- trial and error. Also, anyone can go study something and learn if they apply themselves, but to do something on your own and have a genuine talent for it is rare. I earn money off a handful of skills I have learned on my own. I can't present a piece of paper with my name on it, but my portfolio speaks for itself. All I need to do is carry the purses I make in public, and I have people wanting to buy them off me. I've been doing freelance photography since I was in high school. I *could* have gone to school for those things, but I already have the skill set, a degree to prove it was an unnecessary expense.

I think the whole ' hiding secrets' thing may be more along the lines that highly educated people are unable to present important information in a way the masses understand. Valuable information isn't useful anymore if you are unable to put it in a way that the least intelligent member of your audience understands it. There are several topics I'm quite well versed in, and when debating with people, it's like I cannot dumb it down far enough for them to get my point. It's like talking to a brick wall, so I end up leaving an important point of my argument out. It's a skill in and of itself to be able to present information in a relatable way. I think people like the Womach's are able to do that. What I *REALLY* think would be great for inexperienced bird owners looking into program is if companies like bird tricks, who do still have some learning to do, could pair with some of the 'greater minds' of avian behavior to get a collaborative program together. Wouldn't it be great to have a conglomeration of strategies the average bird owner could easily relate to, that comes across as fun and exciting, but covers those topics that needed to be dumbed down for the typical person to understand?

MonicaMc said:

I don't have a problem with people doing what they love, otherwise I wouldn't be suggesting trainers such as Barbara Heidenreich, Lara Joseph, Susan Friedman, Jim McKendry and others! However, none of these trainers are sales people! They are behaviorists who have a genuine service to provide to others that they themselves have worked hard towards achieving with degrees and training.

Bird Tricks started out reading books on the subject with old training techniques. Didn't get any degrees, didn't get any training from professionals. They simply turned around, made videos of them training their birds in horrible fashion and sold those DVD's. I'll admit, they've gotten better over the years! But that doesn't change the fact that they are sales people.



And that's only one reason I don't like Bird Tricks. Chris Biro used to teach a free-flight training course for $1,000. Bird Tricks got to take it. For free. They then turned around and made their own free-flight course for $6,000 and used scare tactics to then try and get people to buy their new product.


They also take scientific training terms (as unscientific as they may sound) and come out with new terms to make it sound "new" and "improved" - when really, it's not! Or how they claim that the "experts" (the *real* trainers) are hiding secrets, when they aren't! That's a blatant lie to sell their products.


Or that Bird Tricks used starvation to train their birds. It was once mentioned in a blog of theirs (since deleted) and the real trainers can tell the difference between birds just flock calling and birds begging for food.



The real trainers wouldn't have a problem with Bird Tricks, and may even recommend Bird Tricks, if they were actual trainers that understood and knew what they were doing.... rather than some amateur entrepreneurs looking to make a quick buck.



Real trainers will recommend each other and will even reference each other in various things. They don't mind talking about other good trainers. Bird Tricks doesn't. Bird Tricks makes it out as if they learned everything on their own, and through their own learning, they have something to sell you. Bird Tricks is like a thorn in the side of the actual trainers.




Kind of like mechanics. Who would you trust more with your car? A certified mechanic that knows what he's doing and wont sell you what you don't need? Or a mechanic that learned on his own how to fix cars but doesn't fully understand what he's doing? However, he's quick to sell you a part that you don't need!

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I'm pretty sure that "books" are used at schools, colleges and universities too. That's how knowledge is passed on to the students.
The reason Womach brothers Starting reading books was to solve the behaviour issues of their parent's birds. Yes Dave and Chet grew up with birds. At the time, the information available from the "Professionals" didn't address the behaviour problems of these birds. So Dave and Chet started to go through the "hard work" of trial and error to achieve a outcome that solved the behaviour problems. Because their outcomes worked they realise that this could help other parrot owners. Seems Genuine to me

Chris Biro offered the course to Dave and Chet for free. They added to their course list. Chris Biro gave them that knowledge for free. That means it's now also their's. If you wish to buy a product then you should "shop around for the best deal". No-one forces people to buy a free-flight course for $6,000 or a $1,000 for that matter.

I couldn't find any video or audio that backs up the starvation claims. I like to see the link to the video / audio.
How many people have seen the deleted Blog?


Maybe Dave and Chet are removing the "scientific training terms" so the Average Parrot owner can understand the terminology. Therefore train their parrots more efficiently and effectively.

It seem that the "real trainers" have the problem. Which to me looks like "degree snobbery" you know I have a degree, you don't, therefore you can't possibly know what your talking about. I wonder how many people have 10, 15, 20 or more years of experience in dealing with birds or any other interest and don't have a degree. But have a vast wealth of knowledge. It's a bit insulting.

Dave and Chet Womach actually do recommend other trainers, like Barbara Heidenreich.
Dave and Chet Womach are self taught because they couldn't find the solutions to their parents birds behavioral problems through normal channels. So they used trial and error to address the problems. Looks self-taught to me.

Bill Gates never finish college, and he is a Billionaire and created a huge company.
Richard Branson was a high school drop out and he is also a billionaire and created a series of huge companies.
He has received honorary degrees and awards
Steven Jobs, Larry Ellison, Mark Zuckerberg and Michael Dell are also college drop-out billionaires. All these people are highly intelligent and self taught. Do not confuse intelligence with education, they are not the same.

?kjjii'???--- (this is what Chico says...he was standing on my keyboard)

Seriously, though, I only have my opinion on the issue. I have only been looking into the different trainers for a short time as I've only had my birds for a short time. In my opinion, different trainers appeal and work for different people/birds. I've seen some videos on youtube that I can't imagine buying their product, simply because they are a bit "annoying" to me. But I know that they are other peoples favorites. I have seen the intro videos of Bird Tricks and have to say that some of their videos could work for me and my birds (Sassy in particular). I have seen alot of Barbara Heidenrich also, and I really like her. She seems to be all about positive reinforcements and that is how I want to train my fids. I have not purchased any training system and I may or may not end up doing so. I don't think they are wrong in "selling" their product...that is their prerogative. If anyone else wants to make a training system and sell it, then go for it.

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here and I don't know the whole story so, like I said, just my opinion with what I've seen so far. For me and my birds, whatever works best(that said, I would never "starve" my babies for any training method, but I have not come across that session yet)

Just saying...

I wouldn't go to a doctor or a lawyer that didn't have a degree or for that matter an avian vet, no matter how smart they are.

I'm not opposed to paying for training or consultations etc, everyone has to eat, but if I do I'm going to pay the person who has the educational background, not Joe Blow off the street.

Having said that, I have no problem with other people paying them and using them, meaning I don't think any better or worse of them for doing so.

I would also argue that creating large companies also doesn't mean you're highly intelligent (though I would agree some of the people you listed are) it means you had a great idea and excellent business sense. I've known several brilliant businessmen who aren't very bright. I see it every day in my job.

I don't have an issue with their "free" stuff. What I hate is that it's like some great big secret to train your bird perfectly that you have to pay for to discover. If you watch anything with Hiedenreich, she very willingly, very openly discusses her techniques, and then will suggest her books or DVDs for more information on that topic alone. If you watch or read BirdTricks (not just Jamie-Leigh), it's very vague, generally unhelpful, and instantly jumps to a product you need to buy.

I follow both quite closely, and personally I don't plan on buying either. I use what's free to me and what I can access that I know will help my birds. Both Heidenreich and BirdTricks have blogs that I enjoy, but I couldn't say BirdTricks has many helpful Youtube videos like she does. Jamie-Leigh, however, has lots of helpful information when she's solo.

There are many people who are highly educated and useless, and many with little credentials that are essential to us. Being good at what you do is key, regardless. However, there are certain aspects that are critical to different scenarios. You'd never ask Dave Womach to go to a zoo and rehab animals, just like you'd never ask Barbara to go put on a pirate costume and do a show. Barbara specializes in ALL animal behaviour, but she is especially excellent with parrots. The Womach brothers are entertainers who have found ways to train their birds for shows that have worked for them and are using those techniques to gain extra income from parrot owners.

I really think that's all there is to it. If I had to ask someone to teach me how to properly work with animals - and in particular, my parrots - I would choose someone qualified. Anyone with a PhD is a considered a doctor, but would you choose a PhD over an MD? I think common sense tells you no. And even then, I would choose the BEST specialist that worked well with my birds, not just some Joe-Schmoe that was qualified regardless.

If anything, I just feel people will choose what they think is best for their birds. It's like parenting - there's no one right way, and you can't expect everyone to do the same as you just because it worked for you.

The one thing i don't like are the scare tactics... The amount of posts/emails and blogs i have received from bird tricks, i think Fargo could be dead 100 times 'Don't use these toys, only buy OUR toys '

Everyone has good points, but in the end it is just personal opinion!

We each have our own ways of learning, some of us may LOVE one teacher, and other students just can't learn from them!! Similar story with my 2 chemistry lecturers.. Some people love the female, others love the male.. I can not learn a single thing that the male lecturer says, his teaching methods just go over my head!



I have to say, i haven't found a bird trainer i liked... I have watched many, and haven't found one that i have thought, wow, i am learning to much, i can train Fargo like this!

I taught everything for Fargo from my own training methods, i never once got help from a 'professional' and he is a very well behaved boy!

But in saying that.. I think a degree is a good thing when it comes to working with animals and behavioural issues..

Sure if it is trick training then a degree doesn't matter, but when you start looking at the health side of things, a degree is always a plus!



And yes i completely agree that in the end, if you are doing something you love as a job, then you need to make money, however there is a difference between asking money, and overpricing.... Bird tricks is a bit 'overpriced' in my opinion..

Isn't it like 50 dollars for a cookbook which they just send to you in a pdf format?

Plus everything bird tricks posts to help your bird, you have to pay for it.. There are basically no free help videos, where as many other trainers post ALOT with free training advice!


I watch alot, i am fans of them on facebook, they have shared a pic of Fargo before But i will never buy their products No need to buy something when the information is online if you do a bit of searching!

Five times now, I've begun to respond to this post and five times I've got tied up in knots writing reams of nonsense.

Tab has the right of it. It's your choice whether to buy or not buy stuff from a trainer. Why anyone would throw good money at videos and books astounds me, though, because I found all my information right here! LOL!

I enjoy watching all the bird trainers do their stuff. My personal preference is for Barbara Heidenreich's methods because she's not using her animals for entertainment or profit and she has certainly given huge assistance to zoos and other animal keepers in handling their charges humanely.

HOWEVER...

I defy anyone not to enjoy watching Dave Womach free-flying his birds. Jamie-leigh's videos featuring Bondi and Bandit are great fun and very informative. Even Chet (clumsy though he is) has some insight and affection for his birds. Can I say that Parrot Wizard, similarly, has good points as well as not-so-good?

They all have something to offer and so why not watch them? My advice would be DO NOT PAY for anything unnecessarily and watch your own bird carefully. Only you know what his triggers are and what his favourite food treat is. Use your own common sense and bond with your bird. That way, you won't need to purchase a single thing and you won't need to rant and rave about some book or video that didn't 'work' for you.

I do wish, though, that people would avoid arguing about all these trainers and their methods. At the very best, you can state your opinion and post it for others to think about. At the worst, you will reply to every disagreement and pound and pound at others to try and bend them to your way of thinking. That's just rude and quite painful to wade through.

All it takes is a simple 'Oh well, let's just agree to disagree' and a whole ream of nonsense can be avoided.

Just saying...