Bite/Pressure training

[coopedup]

Seeing a lot of references to this in many threads on here. Any links/vids/books that discuss this in detail and how to do this? Also, at what age should this be started?

 

[wrench13]

Early as possible, but can be done at any age. Just be consistent.. everyone who handles the bird must be doing the exact same thing when nibbles turn hard.

 

[Mariar]

I started pressure training with sissy almost right away.it works. We snap our fingers and say NO BITE! I have a bunch of bruises,,,but no puncture wounds..lol.

 

[coopedup]

I started pressure training with sissy almost right away.it works. We snap our fingers and say NO BITE! I have a bunch of bruises,,,but no puncture wounds..lol.

Ok, so sounds silly but I cant snap my fingers (managed to break fingers on both hands, not at the same time, last year and still dont have good strength) Would wagging a finger work? Is it the sound that distracts/redirects, the verbal cue, or both?

 

[LeaKP]

I will gently take Nigel's beak in my hands and say, "be nice" firmly and move around a bit to distract him. Works every time and he definitely understands when to pull back.

 

[antman747]

I use the same strategy only using the word "gentle". Also I have learned to make all my touches gentle as well and he matches my energy. Touch training goes a long way to stop biting and keep it at bay. My guy won't even bite anymore. He'll push your hand away and bluff but no pressure whatsoever.

 

[katie_fleming]

I'm still having issues with Jasper and pinching. It hurts quite a bit and often it seems like he's doing it for no reason.

He'll want on me and as soon as he's on my hand he'll reach down and pinch me. I do the earthquake with my hand and say "no pinch". I KNOW he knows I'm not happy but he continues to do it. Sometimes it's 4 or 5 times in a row and I get frustrated and put him back on his cage.

Not sure what else to try now.

Sometimes he'll pinch, I use a firm voice saying no pinch/earthquake and he BEAK SCRAPES. What?!?!?!

 

[Anansi]

I started pressure training with sissy almost right away.it works. We snap our fingers and say NO BITE! I have a bunch of bruises,,,but no puncture wounds..lol.

Ok, so sounds silly but I cant snap my fingers (managed to break fingers on both hands, not at the same time, last year and still dont have good strength) Would wagging a finger work? Is it the sound that distracts/redirects, the verbal cue, or both?

Different people will have different cues that their birds will come to associate with the idea that they're applying too much pressure. So the ability to snap, or lack thereof, doesn't come into play. Beak pressure training is customized, personalized to each parrot/parront relationship.

What these techniques will have in common, however, is consistency. Always use the same cue. For me, it's the phrase "be nice". Same tone of voice every time, as the offending beak is gently disengaged from the flesh. Also, same consequence every time. For me, it was one warning followed by a timeout for repeated offenses. (I'd also used the wobble method with Bixby to good effect as well, but that tactic failed utterly with Maya due to her freakishly exceptional balance. It was more likely to trigger a more determined attack in her case. So I find timeouts to be a more consistently successful method.) At this point, I rarely need to give the "Nice" command, anymore. They understand the acceptable level of beak pressure.

Oh! Another helpful tactic, if your bird is being particularly aggressive rather than just overly exuberant with bite pressure, is diversion. A small, bird safe piece of wood that can be carried in your hand and interposed between the beak and your flesh at need. The distraction usually works, diverting the aggressive attention from you to the wood.

 

[coopedup]

I'm still having issues with Jasper and pinching. It hurts quite a bit and often it seems like he's doing it for no reason.

He'll want on me and as soon as he's on my hand he'll reach down and pinch me. I do the earthquake with my hand and say "no pinch". I KNOW he knows I'm not happy but he continues to do it. Sometimes it's 4 or 5 times in a row and I get frustrated and put him back on his cage.

Not sure what else to try now.

Sometimes he'll pinch, I use a firm voice saying no pinch/earthquake and he BEAK SCRAPES. What?!?!?!

can you please explain "earthquake" and what is beak scraping--what does it signify? (and yes, I live in CA, i KNOW earthquakes, i just need to understand it in your context)

 

[katie_fleming]

I'm still having issues with Jasper and pinching. It hurts quite a bit and often it seems like he's doing it for no reason.

He'll want on me and as soon as he's on my hand he'll reach down and pinch me. I do the earthquake with my hand and say "no pinch". I KNOW he knows I'm not happy but he continues to do it. Sometimes it's 4 or 5 times in a row and I get frustrated and put him back on his cage.

Not sure what else to try now.

Sometimes he'll pinch, I use a firm voice saying no pinch/earthquake and he BEAK SCRAPES. What?!?!?!

can you please explain "earthquake" and what is beak scraping--what does it signify? (and yes, I live in CA, i KNOW earthquakes, i just need to understand it in your context)

Earthquake or I should say wobble technique, like Anansi mentioned. Just wobble him enough that he lets go because he's more focused on hanging on.

He beak scrapes when he's happy, so for some reason he's finding this whole process amusing I guess