I taught 'gentle' touch

[Bird Mann]

My male learned touch/kisses, easily, but I wanted to teach him what gentle means. So while getting him to touch my finger tips, I softened my voice and said gentle, he picked it up almost immediately. If I don't think he touched gentle enough and he gets no reward he will immediately try again but gentler! he'll keep going gentler until he gets his reward.
He knows what gentle means, for me it's a big deal. I am hoping that knowing gentle
he will be easier on me when I try and teach step up - I don't have high hopes for that though
since he is a parent raised bird and grew up without handling. But we'll try!

Laurie , Opie and Bunbun

 

[Free as a bird]

My male learned touch/kisses, easily, but I wanted to teach him what gentle means. So while getting him to touch my finger tips, I softened my voice and said gentle, he picked it up almost immediately. If I don't think he touched gentle enough and he gets no reward he will immediately try again but gentler! he'll keep going gentler until he gets his reward.
He knows what gentle means, for me it's a big deal. I am hoping that knowing gentle
he will be easier on me when I try and teach step up - I don't have high hopes for that though
since he is a parent raised bird and grew up without handling. But we'll try!

Laurie , Opie and Bunbun

If you can teach him that then surely you can teach him to step up. That's one of the first things we teach them

 

[Inger]

Try some target training. He'll pick it up quickly, based on the "gentle" progress. Once he's target trained, you can use the target to help with a lot of other behaviors (and tricks!)

 

[Bird Mann]

Thanks for the encouragement, I hope to teach touch with a chopstick., and from there I think we will be able to move fast to all kinds of fun things. My guys were not fond of hands when I got them and not really even now, they do like my head though lol, if I can use the touch chop stick to get on to my hands it would be great. I saw a video on touch training with a chopstick I think it would work very well with Opie.

 

[Inger]

Chopstick should work perfectly, although I might not use a wooden one since he might chew it up 🤣. I used a knitting needle, since it was what I had handy.

 

[Bird Mann]

Chopstick should work perfectly, although I might not use a wooden one since he might chew it up 🤣. I used a knitting needle, since it was what I had handy.

Or I was thinking, would there be a reason not to continue
using a finger tip? (I'd never have to look for it) haha. Since he's already using it as a target, I would not have to introduce something foreign and delay.........