Parker makes a huge training leap today

HA! Training leap? Get it? You will:

After a month or two of off and on work, we coincidentally captured Parker's biggest accomplishment to date on camera. Based on how things were going in this session We suspected this breakthrough was going to happen so my partner snuck this video in (didn't realize he was recording until he pushes me aside).

[ame="https://youtu.be/FuOsTxrpLlE"]Parkers first flight training succes - YouTube[/ame]

Firs time he's ever done that! I'm so wildly proud!!

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!
You and your smart bird!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I'm not a hater... congrats!! Gorgeous, clever bird! Yayyyyyyyyyyy for vigilant videoing partners!

Way to go, Parker! I wish I could start flight training with Chicken, but we are having issues with getting her flights to grow in. I'm so happy to see Parker doing so well!

Thank you Gail!

OutlawedSpirit said:

Way to go, Parker! I wish I could start flight training with Chicken, but we are having issues with getting her flights to grow in. I'm so happy to see Parker doing so well!

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Are you target training chicken?? That's 1/3 of the battle right there you can even start targeting her between perches she can simply walk across. Once the flight feathers are back you can start pulling the perches far enough apart where stepping is inadequate.

She knows her target training, whether she wants to do it or not is a different story. She is very much like a cat in that regard, she does what she knows on her terms, when she feels like doing it.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!? Nice, Chris! And well done, Parker! That is a huge milestone, my friend! I still remember how excited we all got over here the first time that Bixby made that leap. After that first leap, things start moving along a lot more swiftly.

I'm really happy for you guys!

Stephen thank you . Any recommendations how to start differentiating between coming to you and going away from you (to a stand?), and how you get from targeting between perches to "parker, come here" without the target stick?

Chris, thats real good! Parker clearly knows what you want of him. I would stabilize that and then slowly bring the perches further apart a tiny bit at a time ( and I mean tiny, like a 1/6" - birds have really good distance estimation abilities). Will he go from perch to your arm or hand? If yes, and you want him to land there when free flight takes place, I would let him land there during this baby training. I know Salty , once he learns a trick or action, does not like to change it up. Good work Parker!

This weekend I learned that Salty has our evening training sessions so ingrained that doing one earlier, like around 3:00PM results in frustration and bad feelings ( and a bite) all round. The idea was to do a few lite tricks and concentrate on harness training. He was NOT having it. And the evening session, regularly scheduled, resulted in him F---ing with me, that's the only way I can put it. I am going to give this harness training another month or 2 but I figure if after a year he simply will not allow the harness over his wings, we are going to have to think up a different solution. LOL I may have a Aviator harness for sale !

Salty! Creature of habit, eh? Makes sense. I guess birds don't sit around agonizing over to-do lists or ruminating on life goals. Find eats! Make nest! Stack cups! They just get to work and get things done. Maybe I need bird lessons.

Chris, that is fantastic! Go, Parker, Go! It shows what patience and perseverance can accomplish
I'm so happy your partner was ready with the camera, it would have been sad to not have a record of that.

Fantastic progress, Parker and Chris!! Glad you have video, sort of like a child's first step!!

Totally right Scott and Terry. I got insanely lucky.

More progress today! We got a couple more flighted jumps, and to round out the session I targeted him onto my arm rather than to another perch. He flew immediately!

Admiittedly I think he may not have been into it. He did show more hesitancy and disengagement than typical. But progress is progress.

chris-md said:

Stephen thank you . Any recommendations how to start differentiating between coming to you and going away from you (to a stand?), and how you get from targeting between perches to "parker, come here" without the target stick?

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Oh, yes! This was tough at first, because my birds love being on me. So while targeting them from one perch to another worked out easily enough, and having Jolly (and Bixby before him) fly to me on command was the easiest part, having them fly away from me on command was a problem. They'd look at me like, "Why? We're already here."

So first I focused on getting their target training game tight. (As well as the successful completion to treat association) Then I worked on having them fly away from my arm by positioning my arm before my chest so that my head and body were behind them. Then I would bring my other hand from behind, point at their beaks, and then point at the designated perch. I take this odd positioning because they became more willing in both cases to fly away from me once I was behind them rather than next to or in front of them. And pointing at the beak and then at the perch showed them what I expected.

It made a definite difference for them. And all that was only necessary until they got it. Nowadays, Jolly responds to a hand gesture, nod, or even a voice command.

I know I am late to the thread but how long are your training sessions?

Congratulations on your progress!

I'm trying to work on my guys flying away to different places. The way I'm building to that, is to get them to associate different locations with words whilest getting them to step up onto them.

For example, I have them on my arm, go over to what I want them to go to (tree / perch / cage) use the target indicator (I use my finger) tap it and say the word for the location, whilest physically encouraging them to step up.
Then it's lots of praise and a treat reward when they do. Once they get the jist, I then start increasing the distance between me and the location over time, so eventually I should be able to say the word for a location and have them fly to it!

jiannotto9492 said:

I know I am late to the thread but how long are your training sessions?

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We go until he signals that he's done - often it's ignoring the commands. Typically 10 minutes or so?

VD, we need some videos of your progress! Sounds like you're doing pretty durn well

My training sessions tend to run between 20 and 30 minutes, but that's with turn-based training since I work with Maya and Jolly at the same time. So roughly 15 minutes each? Trick is to understand their body language enough to anticipate when they'll be "done" and end the session on a high note before then. You never want them to get used to the idea of not going along with what you ask. Strategic timing puts the idea in their minds that doing as you ask is just what they do. Lol!

Chris, any updates on your progress with Parker?

And I second Chris' request for some videos of your progress, Violet_Diva! (I know you already have one video out there with Bella, but what can I say? I'm greedy!)