What would you want your breeder to train?

SilverSage · Jan 12, 2015

If your breeder had/would train your bird to do something beyond step up, be friendly, etc, what skills would you value highest in a new bird? Please pick your top choice in the poll, but I would love to hear your top few choices and why, as well as things I have not thought of.

Sunset_Chaser · Jan 12, 2015

Good thread idea Dani! I'll have to watch this one

SilverSage · Jan 12, 2015

I usually focus on the harness so I thought I would ask

my pairs are all set up now and I figured it couldn't hurt to test the waters on my policies

Birdman666 · Jan 12, 2015

1. BITE PRESSURE TRAINING...

There isn't a close second, but second would probably be harness training.

SilverSage · Jan 12, 2015

Birdman, I agree! I guess it isn't on my list because I consider that to be a part of a polite bird, and also because none of my babies so far have had an issue with it, though I raise smaller birds. At what age have you noticed the need form his with macaws?

veimar · Jan 12, 2015

I never had (and probably won't have) a bird from a breeder, but socializing, controlling the bite pressure and allowing to be handled are the 3 most important things IMHO. I love to train birds myself, but training for these things should start very early.
My budgie is trying to type something up here as well, but I'm not sure what it is.

Birdman666 · Jan 12, 2015

SilverSage said:
Birdman, I agree! I guess it isn't on my list because I consider that to be a part of a polite bird, and also because none of my babies so far have had an issue with it, though I raise smaller birds. At what age have you noticed the need form his with macaws?

Well if you start this stuff when they are fledglings it usually never really becomes an issue... it's part of their primary parent/child patterning.

There are an amazing number of breeders out there that just don't do it.

Ann333 · Jan 12, 2015

I am new to birds, so what I would like now might be different that people with more experience with birds. I got my GCC from a wonderful breeder who did a great job raising him and has been very helpful. BUT if I could choose the one other thing I would have liked him to already be familiar with it would be some sort of potty training. He's gentle and sweet and loves to cuddle, but I'm constantly being pooped on. I am trying to learn his body language and researching ways to work with him on this.

Birdman666 · Jan 12, 2015

Ann333 said:
I am new to birds, so what I would like now might be different that people with more experience with birds. I got my GCC from a wonderful breeder who did a great job raising him and has been very helpful. BUT if I could choose the one other thing I would have liked him to already be familiar with it would be some sort of potty training. He's gentle and sweet and loves to cuddle, but I'm constantly being pooped on. I am trying to learn his body language and researching ways to work with him on this.

Conures poop every ten minutes!

How to Potty Train Your Bird

Potty training doesn't help when you also have an african grey who thinks it's funny to tell the conures to go poop on you.... :11: (Seriously! He does that! I am not making this one up!)

SilverSage · Jan 12, 2015

veimar said:
I never had (and probably won't have) a bird from a breeder, but socializing, controlling the bite pressure and allowing to be handled are the 3 most important things IMHO. I love to train birds myself, but training for these things should start very early.
My budgie is trying to type something up here as well, but I'm not sure what it is.

To me those are the things no breeder has any business selling birds without. I asked Birdman about it specifically because my babies don't have specific "bite pressure training" but are not permitted to bite, and they gently nibble for preening, etc. I do my level best to socialize my babies with as many different birds and people (colors, ages genders, hats, glasses, etc) as possible, as well as with the outside world, and think that every breeder ought to do the same. I think it is unethical to sell pets who will be handled (not fish?) untame. That is why I asked about these "extra" things that I don't find many breeders doing. Mine come harness trained, for example, because I find it stresses the bird so much less if done from a very early age.

SilverSage · Jan 12, 2015

Ann333 said:
I am new to birds, so what I would like now might be different that people with more experience with birds. I got my GCC from a wonderful breeder who did a great job raising him and has been very helpful. BUT if I could choose the one other thing I would have liked him to already be familiar with it would be some sort of potty training. He's gentle and sweet and loves to cuddle, but I'm constantly being pooped on. I am trying to learn his body language and researching ways to work with him on this.

Birds are not that difficult to potty train, but it takes some time before they are physically able to control it, as well as the need to very consistently be with them when they potty, similar to children, that's why this isn't on the list

even with my relatively small breeding flock I doubt I could manage it on any level with the babies by the time they are ready to go home

Ann333 · Jan 12, 2015

Lol well that makes sense! Thanks for the link, and yes he does poop every 10 minutes (or less) haha. We are working on it.

Mango121913 · Jan 12, 2015

Birdman666 said:
1. BITE PRESSURE TRAINING...

There isn't a close second, but second would probably be harness training.

Highly agree!

SilverSage · Jan 13, 2015

I find it interesting that the only one no one has said so far is the recall training...

Birdman666 · Jan 13, 2015

Well, recall training is involved... it's great if you can do it.

SilverSage · Jan 13, 2015

It is pretty involved but not nearly as difficult when you lay the foundation during fledging.

Birdman666 · Jan 13, 2015

SilverSage said:
It is pretty involved but not nearly as difficult when you lay the foundation during fledging.

Yeah, laying the foundation for that would be great... BUT only if the owner then follows up with the rest of the training, and keeps it up.

Most don't.

Then the bird flies off, and they blame the breeder. You said he was recalled!

Which is a pandora's box you don't want to open!

SilverSage · Jan 13, 2015

Which is why I never say the bird is recalled. I lay the foundation and explain how to train the bird, encourage them to start right away, stress the importance of starting young (though any age of bird can be taught of course) and rarely mention anything about the work I have done early on. I am just surprised more people didn't see that as a key skill. I focus on it strongly with my babies because I leave them fledged unless the new family requests that I clip them, and then I use progressive trimming. It is a lot easier to live with a clutch of fledging babies if you can call them back to their cages (not that they all obey!).

Birdman666 · Jan 13, 2015

Recall is a very inexact science. It works most of the time. Just like most of the time they don't bite or poop on you...

It is the mark of a great breeder though.

SilverSage · Jan 13, 2015

It is inexact, but it is in my mind the most neglected crucial skill. Yeah, it is cute and convenient inside, but when the unthinkable happens and your bird, flighted or clipped, gets out the door, it is the number one way to prevent disaster. Yeah, it fails, but so do parachutes. Recalling also fails in dogs, but I still train my dog to come when called.

Most things with birds are a bit muddy on the exact details. I didnt mean to start any kind of argument, I was simply surprised no one picked that option, since it would have been my number one choice. In fact, the breeder from whom I got my IRNs had laid the foundation for this. Even when Blue was "bluffing" she would still fly to me for a peanut, and Scout usually beat her to it. I had never heard of a breeder working on it before that.

What would you want your breeder to train?

What would you like a breeder to work on before your bird comes home

Wear an Aviator harness or Flight Suit diaper/ harness

Begin learning to return to cage or to owner on command

Take liquid from a syringe

Accept towling and/or enter carrier without resisting

give foot for nail trim or wing for wing trim

Other

None, I feel training is important to bonding and wish to do all training on my own

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