Harness Training and Winter

[Pilaf]

I have been doing harness training with Echo, my 4.5 month old pineapple/cinnamon green cheek for quite some time now. I notice that Echo needs quite some time to get used to the harness so I'm going at his pace which is quite slow. Until he's completely harness trained I take him outside in his travel cage or in his Pak-O-Bird.

Now winter is coming and I'm pretty sure that Echo will not be completely harness trained before it's too cold to take him outside. I have heard that it is good that as soon he's comfortable wearing the harness inside, to take him outside so that he knows what it's for, and that he realizes he gets to be outside without being in a cage or Pak-O-Bird when he wears his harness. But if I continue the harness training at this pace, he will be ready right in the winter when it's too cold to take him outside (Very cold here in Montreal in the winters). So I'm thinking about taking a break with harness training and to start over in the early spring next year, so he's ready as soon as its warm enough to take him outside.

Do you think this is a good idea?
Or should I continue at this pace in the winter? Even though he can't go outside when he's ready and completely harness trained?

 

[SailBoat]

I have been doing harness training with Echo, my 4.5 month old pineapple/cinnamon green cheek for quite some time now. I notice that Echo needs quite some time to get used to the harness so I'm going at his pace which is quite slow. Until he's completely harness trained I take him outside in his travel cage or in his Pak-O-Bird.

Now winter is coming and I'm pretty sure that Echo will not be completely harness trained before it's too cold to take him outside. I have heard that it is good that as soon he's comfortable wearing the harness inside, to take him outside so that he knows what it's for, and that he realizes he gets to be outside without being in a cage or Pak-O-Bird when he wears his harness. But if I continue the harness training at this pace, he will be ready right in the winter when it's too cold to take him outside (Very cold here in Montreal in the winters). So I'm thinking about taking a break with harness training and to start over in the early spring next year, so he's ready as soon as its warm enough to take him outside.

Do you think this is a good idea?
Or should I continue at this pace in the winter? Even though he can't go outside when he's ready and completely harness trained?

I have come to believe that harness training is a combination of first working with your Parrot to a level that your Parrot is fully comfortable with being extensively handled. And second, introduce the harness slowly, as if it is a toy to play with or a new perch, etc... Point being, if your Parrot does not like being handled and the first time your Parrot sees the harness is when you are trying to put it on him - its failure time!

The goal is comfortable with being around and having the harness on, not the going outside. Some Parrots freak-out going outside!

So, work on your Parrot being comfortable with being around, putting on the harness and wearing it for awhile. When Spring comes in late June in Montreal , you will be ready.

 

[Pilaf]

Thank you very much. I have done all those steps already. Echo is very comfortable with being handled a lot. He loves to cuddle and I can touch him all over. He's always grinding his beak and being very relaxed. He's not afraid around the harness at all. I can touch him with it and he's very comfortable with it. He's at the point now that he reaches his beak through the head loop for a treat. He's afraid to put the loop really around his head so I work on the bigger loops first.

But my question was: At this rate he will be ready in the middle of the winter, and then he won't be able to go outside once he's ready and comfortable to wear it. So then he won't have the joy of it. So I was wondering if it's smarter to take a break and continue in the early spring so that he's ready in the summer.

 

[T00tsyd]

I have the same considerations. It is already getting cold here and Syd won't be ready to catch the last remaining days and if he was he might get only a couple of trips out. I have decided to ease back a bit. It will remain part of his day so he doesn't forget it altogether, but I am not going to push on with getting him to wear it until next year.

If you think about it we are going to have this problem each Winter and I am not sure if the harness is put away during the cold season that he won't have forgotten all about it each Spring. It's something that we might have to develop as we go along.

 

[SailBoat]

I fully understand both of your positions in this regard. That all said, where is it written that the "Joy of Being Outside" is a known reward for the Parrot wearing the harness? Its a benefit for sure, but until it happens, there exists no connection.

If you apply this thinking to playing with toys, in the manner that Salty does, does it matter to Salty that the training was a prep for learning to wear a harness and then to go outside?

This week and into this coming Weekend the Weather will be at or above normal with Sunshine most days. Finish training and head for the door - Thursday /Friday should good outside weather.

If this all become limiting because of the Weather, go to the Mall and walk around there with your parrot. Yes, one lucky person gets to run the carrier back to the car, but so what, the Parrot is justly rewarded!

 

[LordTriggs]

adding to Sailboat's point here, a drive in the car is a pretty secure warm place where they can see some new things

Also would the 5 minutes max walk from car to mall really be the apocalypse? Unless it's freezing I don't think it would be that bad they have you for a bit of body warmth and shelter from the wind

I'd keep going with the training. Get them used to wearing it indoors for longer and longer periods. Don't want a sensory overload of harness and all of planet earth!

 

[Pilaf]

Thank you all. I guess I'll just continue very slowly at Echo's pace. I realize that for Echo it can take a lot of weeks if not months until he's fully harness trained and comfortable with it. But who knows, maybe the late fall will bring some acceptable weather as well