harness training - now what

Owlet

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Oct 27, 2016
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So I've been working with Apollo on harness training and I've hit kind of a snag. I'm not sure how to progress. She will stick her head through all the loops and is very good but I'm afraid to take the step of actually securing her in it / rest the harness on her. How would I go about doing that without freaking her out and having to reset?

(this is the harness from leather4feathers since I prefer being able to unclip the leash and stuff)
[ame="https://youtu.be/Og9cqKLNOe4"]March 23, 2019 - YouTube[/ame]
 

mrs.pants

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Oct 23, 2018
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Just me personally, Ive been going slow with this. I will hold the treat, not give it right away, briefly, and let the harness rest on my bois neck for a short period. then i take it away and give the treat entirely. its really very bfief but i plan on increasing the length of time over time and depending on how he reacts. right now my boi is ok with this briefly but i can tell hes still not ready to have it on any longer than that. its all about positive reinforcement and desensitization. theres really no timetable, the bird ultimately sets the pace.

this is just how im doing it, and since i have a background in dog training much of what i do stems from that. others may have more experience with their birds and offer better techniques :3

i think theres also videos on youtube, altho all the ones ive seen are for the aviator harness, dunno if that makes a difference. good luck!
 

wrench13

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So the nqxt step, if you were using the Aviator would be to put his headin the head loop and then drap the rest ( the wing loops) OVER his wings, and let him walk around too some small bits of treat, maybe giv him the UP! command, let him hand on your hand for awhile. THis gets him used to the weight of the harness, walking around and stepping up. Next step is to put the harnss on with the 2 wing loops opened up alot, as much needed to get his wings through. A few times like that, and you will be ready to open a wing slightly , put the harness under each wing, and tighten them up. All the while giving him treats.

But since yoou are using a different style of harness, I am not sure how yu coul progress as I out lined above. You should get him used to the weight of the harness and how it feels. Tip: a whole nutriberry is too much treat at one time. Little pieces of it can be offered , with gradual increase in the time between treats. We use 1/2 or 1/3 of a pine nut as Salty's training treat.

You are very very close to the end goal. Smart in not rushing things and letting your parrot determine the rate.
 
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Owlet

Owlet

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2016
2,754
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Colorado
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Lincoln (Eclectus), Apollo (Cockatiel), Aster (GCC)
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when i use the nutriberries I just let her pick off a little then move it away. I typically only use half a nutriberry per training session

thank you all for the advice
 

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