Loren & Ona's Trick Tutorials

[onamom]

Hi guys! This is the start of a thread where I will write up some tutorials for tricks I've taught Ona.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional bird trainer and these tutorials were written based on research and what worked for me. I am also not a perfect bird trainer and am always learning and improving my training technique myself. Bird training is a skill you have to learn! Always listen to your bird's body language and do what works for you. Please remember to always be patient with your bird when training. Tricks are not learned overnight and making mistakes is how your bird will learn. Ona does not do every trick perfectly every time either, and this should never be your expectation. Have fun with it, be patient, and take things slow. Remember, BEFORE you start training you need to find a good training treat your bird loves! Only give this treat during training sessions. Keep training sessions short, no more than 20 mins at a time!

I will post a table of contents linked to posts where I will write about each trick! The grayed out items are posts I have not written yet but tricks I could write about in the future. Please let me know if anyone has any requests from the list I'll add more to the list when Ona learns new tricks I can share!​

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Beginner Tricks - start here:

Target Training

Recall & Stationing

Spin
​

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Intermediate and Advanced Tricks:

Fetch

Basketball

Puzzle Toys!

Ring Toss

Wave

Colors
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[onamom]

Fetch or "Ball"

Lovely Ona's demonstration of this trick:

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I highly recommend teaching this trick because it can be used as a building block to teach many other things! It will help your bird understand the concept of you pointing at objects for them to focus on. This trick is a prerequisite to basketball.

Please note: This trick takes time to teach! I worked with Ona on the trick for about a solid month before she was very consistent with it. (She was about 4 months old at the time we learned this.) Above all else, have patience!!

I recommend using a mini Rattan bird ball for this trick. You can find them on Amazon and several bird retailers.

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This trick can be broken into three primary steps: 1. picking up the ball, 2. dropping the ball into your hand, 3. increase the distance.

1. Picking up the ball:
The first step is getting your bird to pick up the ball. To get started, put your bird onto a safe, flat surface like a table-top and have your training treats nearby and ready to give. Put the ball on the table near your bird and start picking up the ball yourself while your bird watches.

If your bird is scared of the ball, PLEASE back up here and do not move forward until your bird can be near the ball without running away. This may take time if your bird is fearful of new objects. If you are using a brightly colored ball and your bird seems fearful of it, try switching to a more neutral color instead. Do not move forward until your bird can comfortably stand next to the ball.

Repeatedly pick up and put down the ball in front of your bird. Pause between several times of you fiddling with it to see if your bird will pick it up themselves. Immediately, as soon as your bird picks up the ball, say "Good!" in a very excited tone and give your training treat. Keep repeating this until the bird is picking up the ball as soon as you put it down in front of them. This will take time! Do not expect to achieve this first step in just a couple sessions. You will need to keep working at this until your bird picks up the ball consistently.

Here is Ona demonstrating this step (she already knows the trick at the time of this demonstration):

2. Dropping the ball into your hand:
For this next step we need our bird to understand we want them to drop the ball into our hand. This is the most difficult part of the trick. This is the step I spent weeks on with Ona to really get her to understand what I wanted. Be prepared to take the time and be patient.


When your bird picks up the ball, place your hand - palm up and ready to catch - near your bird. As your bird drops the ball, chances are it will eventually land in your nearby hand. As soon as this happens, offer a treat and lots of praise. Even if the ball does not go perfectly into your hand at first, still reward them if they are dropping it near your hand. It may bounce of one of your fingers and roll away at first, but still reward to start. Over time as your bird gets better and better at this, you can refine when you offer the reward and only give a treat when the ball goes perfectly into your hand. It is very important that you always keep your hand very close to your bird and don't make them walk to place the ball in your hand.

At this step, I found it helpful to work with Ona at the very edge of the tabletop. I would place the ball on the edge of the table, hold my hand so my fingers are just overlapping the edge (see my hand position in the first video of this post), and she would drop the ball. A lot of times it would just go on the floor. Other times it would either land in or bounce off of my hand. This is when I would reward. For quite a while she would just throw the ball on the floor. But over time and with lots of practice, she began placing it in my hand. After she got really good at landing the ball in my hand, I would also make sure to practice holding my hand over the flat surface of the table instead of just at the edge.

At this stage I also started incorporating my phrase for this trick. I say the word "ball" when I hold out my hand. You could say "fetch" if you like that better.

Ona demonstrating this step:

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3. Increase the distance:
Here comes the fun part! Once your bird is very consistently dropping the ball into your hand, you can start increasing the distance between your hand and the ball! Start small at first and work in increments. Begin by placing the ball just a few inches from your hand. Once your bird drops the ball into your hand form this short distance, keep increasing the distance. Eventually your bird will be able to walk to retrieve the ball and will walk back to drop it your hand!

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Recommended resource:

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[Mango the Sun Conure]

Fetch or "Ball"

Lovely Ona's demonstration of this trick:

​

I highly recommend teaching this trick because it can be used as a building block to teach many other things! It will help your bird understand the concept of you pointing at objects for them to focus on. This trick is a prerequisite to basketball.

Please note: This trick takes time to teach! I worked with Ona on the trick for about a solid month before she was very consistent with it. (She was about 4 months old at the time we learned this.) Above all else, have patience!!

I recommend using a mini Rattan bird ball for this trick. You can find them on Amazon and several bird retailers.

---

This trick can be broken into three primary steps: 1. picking up the ball, 2. dropping the ball into your hand, 3. increase the distance.

1. Picking up the ball:
The first step is getting your bird to pick up the ball. To get started, put your bird onto a safe, flat surface like a table-top and have your training treats nearby and ready to give. Put the ball on the table near your bird and start picking up the ball yourself while your bird watches.

If your bird is scared of the ball, PLEASE back up here and do not move forward until your bird can be near the ball without running away. This may take time if your bird is fearful of new objects. If you are using a brightly colored ball and your bird seems fearful of it, try switching to a more neutral color instead. Do not move forward until your bird can comfortably stand next to the ball.

Repeatedly pick up and put down the ball in front of your bird. Pause between several times of you fiddling with it to see if your bird will pick it up themselves. Immediately, as soon as your bird picks up the ball, say "Good!" in a very excited tone and give your training treat. Keep repeating this until the bird is picking up the ball as soon as you put it down in front of them. This will take time! Do not expect to achieve this first step in just a couple sessions. You will need to keep working at this until your bird picks up the ball consistently.

Here is Ona demonstrating this step (she already knows the trick at the time of this demonstration):

2. Dropping the ball into your hand:
For this next step we need our bird to understand we want them to drop the ball into our hand. This is the most difficult part of the trick. This is the step I spent weeks on with Ona to really get her to understand what I wanted. Be prepared to take the time and be patient.


When your bird picks up the ball, place your hand - palm up and ready to catch - near your bird. As your bird drops the ball, chances are it will eventually land in your nearby hand. As soon as this happens, offer a treat and lots of praise. Even if the ball does not go perfectly into your hand at first, still reward them if they are dropping it near your hand. It may bounce of one of your fingers and roll away at first, but still reward to start. Over time as your bird gets better and better at this, you can refine when you offer the reward and only give a treat when the ball goes perfectly into your hand. It is very important that you always keep your hand very close to your bird and don't make them walk to place the ball in your hand.

At this step, I found it helpful to work with Ona at the very edge of the tabletop. I would place the ball on the edge of the table, hold my hand so my fingers are just overlapping the edge (see my hand position in the first video of this post), and she would drop the ball. A lot of times it would just go on the floor. Other times it would either land in or bounce off of my hand. This is when I would reward. For quite a while she would just throw the ball on the floor. But over time and with lots of practice, she began placing it in my hand. After she got really good at landing the ball in my hand, I would also make sure to practice holding my hand over the flat surface of the table instead of just at the edge.

At this stage I also started incorporating my phrase for this trick. I say the word "ball" when I hold out my hand. You could say "fetch" if you like that better.

Ona demonstrating this step:

​

3. Increase the distance:
Here comes the fun part! Once your bird is very consistently dropping the ball into your hand, you can start increasing the distance between your hand and the ball! Start small at first and work in increments. Begin by placing the ball just a few inches from your hand. Once your bird drops the ball into your hand form this short distance, keep increasing the distance. Eventually your bird will be able to walk to retrieve the ball and will walk back to drop it your hand!

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Recommended resource:

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Yay! Thank you so much. Can’t wait to teach Mango some new tricks. Thanks for the step by step instructions.

 

[Terry57]

Loren, this is incredible! Thank you for doing this, I think it will help so many people with their birds. Please give the talented Ona a treat from her Auntie Terry

 

[onamom]

Basketball

Lovely Ona's demonstration of her FAVORITE trick:

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Before you can begin teaching this trick, your bird must be good at fetch. All you will need for this trick is a basketball hoop, training treats, and a ball.

Here is the set I use with the basketball hoop. However, I recommend using a standalone basketball hoop instead that does not have the other trick toys attached to the same block. Having the ring toss and puzzle holes in the same set does cause some confusion for your bird when teaching them other tricks with this set. You can overcome this obstacle as Ona and I did, but overall a separate piece for each training toy would be easier to work with.

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The three primary steps for this trick are: 1. getting used to the hoop, 2. dropping the ball in your hand while over/under the hoop, and 3. scoring the basket! This trick will not be learned in one session - don't try to rush it and spend a few days on each step.

1. Getting used to the hoop
To get started we will leverage the fetch trick your bird already knows to get them familiar with dropping the ball in your hand while your hand is near the basketball hoop. Start by holding your hand near the hoop, like this, but not under or over the hoop yet:

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Use the same verbal cue you use for fetch and reward as soon as they drop the ball in your hand, just like you would for the fetch trick. Keep at this step until your bird in consistently dropping the ball in your hand every time.

2. Dropping the ball in your hand while over/under the hoop
Next, you can place your hand over top of the basketball hoop, like this:

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And keep asking for the fetch trick again. Just like before, repeat until your bird is consistently placing the ball in your hand.

Now, you can place your hand under the hoop, like this:

You may need to experiment with your hand position some here. I got stuck at this step because Ona would try to put the ball on my wrist instead of in my hand. Eventually I found that if I wrapped my pointer finger around the back stick of the hoop to get my hand as directly underneath as possible, it helped. I also deeply cup my hand to help ensure the ball goes through the hoop when she brings it to me.

Here is a video I took at the time Ona was learning this trick, when we were on this step:

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The key here is patience, and only reward when the ball goes through the hoop and into your hand. In the video you will hear me still using the "ball" verbal cue that I use for fetch.

3. Scoring the basket!
Now for the most fun part! Phasing out your hand and making the basket! Again, experiment with your hand position here to phase it out. I began using less fingers when I cupped my hand, like this:

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Notice how I only have two fingers under the basket. Keep going like this for a while to build your bird's confidence, and then eventually take your hand away altogether. When you take away your hand, it helps if you point to indicate what you are asking, as I do here:

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Point to and tap the ball, and then the hoop. As soon as your bird gets the ball in the hoop, praise and treat to make it clear this is what you want. In this step I also started introducing my new verbal cue after she started making some baskets.

She shoots, she scores!​

 

[onamom]

Introducing to a new toy

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I got this new puzzle toy for Miss Ona and thought I’d record me introducing it to her! She was a little intimidated by this new puzzle at first, as she often is with anything colorful and new. However, this one she did get comfortable with fairly quickly. For larger objects, it generally takes her a lot longer. Keep in mind that every bird is different with how quickly they will adjust to something new. A big factor is the bird’s background and if they were introduced to new things when young or not. Just be patient and take the time your bird needs, never push them past their comfort level.
Here is a breakdown of what I did here:

1. Start by putting her favorite treat in front of the toy. I did this a few more times before I started recording as well. ​
2. Once she takes those treats consistently, put treats directly in the toy. Repeat a couple times. ​
3. Ask for a “touch”. She knows this word from prior training. Repeat multiple times until she shows more confidence. ​
4. Start asking her to interact with the puzzle pieces themselves. I pick up the piece myself and show her how it works to encourage her to try it. I start refining criteria here and stop offering a treat for just a touch, I’m looking for a pick up. She did several touches without a pick up and that tells me she isn’t quite ready for this step so I backtrack my criteria and again treat for a touch. (Training should always be a flexible and adaptable process! You can backtrack as needed at any time depending on what your animal shows you!) Meanwhile I keep picking up the piece to encourage her. ​
5. Give a “jackpot” reward (two seeds) the first couple times she actually picks up the piece. This shows her this action gets a higher reward! After a couple repetitions start treating only for pick up again!​

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And part 2! Putting the piece on the puzzle!

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Ona already knows the concept “puzzle” from a previous trick, so I’m using that cue very early here. She caught on quick!

If you bird doesn’t have puzzle experience yet, keep rewarding for them picking the piece up, even more repetitions. As they pick it up, point to where you want them to put it down. In between repetitions pick the piece up yourself and put it on the puzzle to show them. Start with the piece very close to the puzzle so they don’t have to carry it far to place it.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Either Ona is either really smart, or you're starving her so she's so hungry she'll do anything for something to eat! Just kidding! You're an amazing bird trainer and Ona is very smart, because she quickly learns exactly what to do to get the treat. She obviously trusts you completely and is pretty fearless.

I know budgies are capable of learning tricks- Norman Barrett's Budgie Circus from the UK is a great example- but my budgies are not motivated by treats. Maybe they're just not very smart. I've never been able to teach them anything, but they are really sweet and trust us completely. In fact they literally walk all over us and my house is an aviary!

 

[onamom]

Either Ona is either really smart, or you're starving her so she's so hungry she'll do anything for something to eat! Just kidding! You're an amazing bird trainer and Ona is very smart, because she quickly learns exactly what to do to get the treat. She obviously trusts you completely and is pretty fearless.

I know budgies are capable of learning tricks- Norman Barrett's Budgie Circus from the UK is a great example- but my budgies are not motivated by treats. Maybe they're just not very smart. I've never been able to teach them anything, but they are really sweet and trust us completely. In fact they literally walk all over us and my house is an aviary!

It’s hard if you’re training any animal who isn’t food motivated! I wonder if there’s anything special they like, maybe millet? The key is to primarily give whatever their favorite is in training only. Ona has safflower seed here and she doesn’t usually get that elsewhere.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

My budgies don't care about millet. They just aren't motivated by any food.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Their favorite food is anything we are eating and it must be off our plates. They don't want it in their own bowl.

 

[wrench13]

I tried to make a video one time on how I train Salty for a new trick. Problem is he usually gets the trick in 1 or 2 tries, so there's really no context for the effort. OR, like in the case of his latest one, raising up a flag up a flagpole, it takes weeks and weeks for him to get it right. Sometimes the big effort is in just getting him to not be afraid of the new trick or prop. I have a collection now of some 20 or so small hard rubber animal figures, like these :

I'll line up 6-8 of them, along with other small props, wood ring, small spoon, a ball, etc. And he can give me each one on demand, "Salty, give me the chicken!". BUT - some nights he just like to mess with me, and will on purpose choose the wrong one, or consistently go to the same one no matter what I ask for. And some nights, when he is in his eager and attentive mood, he will get every single one correct!

Its important to remember that. Parrots have minds of their own and even well trained bird show parrots will have days when they just dont feel like working! Dogs are far more reliable when it comes to that. A dog will almost always SIT when told to. A parrot is more likely to either sit or tell you to sit on it!

Some nights, like last night, Salty will just go off to a corner of the training table and stare off into space, and no amount of cajoling or treats will get him to cooperate. Those nights, its better to just break the session off and hope for better next time, rather then reenforce this aloof behavior. Thats important - the parrot should always have the option of refusing a trick, or all of them!