Target training a flighted bird?

Scout and I have begun target training. And by that I mean we have begun a useless ritual where I try to teach him to touch the end of a stick for treats, and he doesn't want the treat, no matter what it is because why would he take a treat when he could be flying or chewing on something new?

Has anyone ever target trained a bird with a mind like a kid who just can't focus? He is very smart, but EVERYTHING has his attention, no matter where we are.

Izzy was the same way, she always wanted to do something else so I only worked when I was finally able to get her attention. When we brought her home she got out of her cage and went wondering, and I didn't want to touch or grab her yet so I put peanut butter on the end of a perch and she went running to it!

I might try that. He is really tame, he is just very active, and I have not figured out yet how to make training interesting enough for him to pay attention.

I have a related problem of a bird that gets stressed incredibly quickly if she doesn't understand what is happening - so she's ok running through her repartoire but when I start introducing a new action she either begs to be picked up or fluffs up and stares balefully into the distance. In either case she won't take treats once she's stressed. On top of that, if she's distracted by a noise she doesn't like, or someone outside the window, then the session is over. There isn't really a simple answer - every evening I just give her a quick blast through what she already knows, have a couple of attempts to capture the first step of something new, and let her go when she's had enough. Every now and then we make a breakthrough and add an extra little bit. It's hard work and if it were just tricks I'd probably write it off as just not her thing, but ultimately I want her to learn things such as recall that will be beneficial to her safety so we're persevering.

I did try the peanut butter thing, but to no avail. He doesn't want treats, he doesn't want snuggles... I am at a loss as how to motivate him to stay still and focus.

Hi, I came across your question when I was looking to see if anyone posted something to help with an issue I'm having.

So, to maybe help your situation, could you perhaps begin the target training while Scout is still inside the cage? We have a very nervous, flighted bird, and I'm using this technique with him, in the hope that after a while, it will sink in, become fun, and lead to more training.

Hope that was maybe helpful

You know, I should have thought of that. I would have thought of it if her was not tame, but because he is it never occurred to me! Thanks!

Luna was like that until I discovered THE treat that she would do anything for. You just have to experiment with different foods until you find the *one.*

It also helps if you have another bird demonstrate. He'll be wondering why this other bird is getting all the treats and fly over to investigate. Suddenly touching the end of the stick becomes the new fun thing to do.

Well first off, have you started marker training yet? Without marker training, everything else, including target training, will be completely useless.

Marker training is conditioning the bird to associate a sound with a correct behavior. It's also a promise of a reward. You can watch videos of people clicker training their dogs to understand how it works. It's a noise that marks the EXACT moment a behavior is done correctly. A marker may be a clicker, a whistle, a cluck, or a word such as "yes" or "good". It's my tried and true method of training that I use when training service dogs, training cats, training performance free flighted birds, and I even got to use it to train dolphins during an apprenticeship in college.

Now, marker training only works with a reward. Before anything else happens, you need to figure out what motivates your bird. So your bird isn't motivated by treats? So what? I've used affection as a motivator, I've used toys, and some birds love crunchy crumbly paper or foil. Use whatever motivates your bird.

Now, your first several lessons will start with you building drive for the motivator. Play with it with your bird. Tug usually builds drive with a toy motivated bird. Whatever the motivator is, it must be something that the bird only gets during training sessions (special nut or seed? special toy? scritches in a favorite spot?) and not when the bird is in the cage or casually interacting with you.

After motivation is built, now is when you introduce your marker. Remember, a bird doesn't hear a certain noise and suddenly think "Oh, I like that noise! I think I'll work for it!" Start with just making the marker noise randomly and immediately give the reward. This will take many sessions for the bird to understand that that noise is what makes the reward come.

So now you begin to notice that when you use your marker, your bird is beginning to anticipate the reward. Now is when you start your target training. Introduce your target to the bird once again. I'd actually start while your bird is in the cage, with the door open. Your bird may automatically touch the target, or it may not. If it doesn't (which is quite normal), I would reward any interaction with the target what so ever. Your bird looks at the target. Mark and reward. Your bird leans in. Mark and reward. Your bird takes a step towards it (even accidentally), mark and reward. Eventually the bird will figure out that the interaction with the target is what is making the reward come.

Here's a recent picture of me building drive for a toy motivated bird.


And here's target training in action with that same bird.

Thanks, I should have been clearer. I have never heard the term "marker training" but always just called it "the first step of target training." I use this with all of my birds and have had quite a lot of success. the dificulty I am having with Scout is that he seems to be motivated only by flight, or rather his love of flying. He does not seem motivated by any special treat (believe me I have tried MANY things!), by verbal excitement, or by toys. Scritches are out - he does not want to be touched.

Maybe try restricted his food some before target training, so he's a little hungry. Often when I was training Rosie it was after I had her sit on a play stand for a while with no food. Maybe on hour or two, not long at all. But it does provide some time for food to look a little more appetizing.

Rosie trains at anything, she's so good. But at the beginning I felt this focused her some

Then use flight as a motivator. Move towards the target, get released to fly.

I could use that. I have started using seeds at breakfast time instead of breakfast right away, and then he can have breakfast after. I feel like it is easiest to work with a behavior when you can repeat it rather than having to wait until he is done flying.