Forcing parrots to do something they do not want to do, whether step up, or any other trick or command, definately is a trust busting thing. Try to figure out a food motivated way to get them, especially Chiquita, to step up for a treat. Step up is the first and most important trick to teach any parrot. Its the one that has to almost become second nature for them to do it when asked, because you can never tell when you might have to move them in a hurry. Like any trick training, you want to reward right as the action is done correctly, so the bird makes the connection with the treat/action. Settle on a trigger , either a verbal request or sound and all must use the same one. So it should go request/ action/ reward closely. Any positive action, as long as it is towards the requested action should be taken as a positive. So ask for Step Up, the bird may only place his foot on your hand at first, but that is a move in the right direction, and gets a reward. Search on here for the topic "Clicker training" for more ideas. The clicker can be used to immediately tell the bird he has done something good ( cuz a treat might not be right at hand),and then followed by a treat. What ever you decide on,make sure to do it 100% of the time, always consistently, or the parrot will become confused and not be sure of what your asking for. Patience is the key. SOme parrots get this concept easily, and some it can take weeks or even months to get the first trick or request down. But the good news is that once they nderstand that you are trying to teach them something, most parrots learn quicker each time you try to show them something new. Teach one action at a time. The other good side benfit is that if once your DYH gets it, the other 2 will see her getting rewards and will be that much quciker to learn themselves. Try to end a training session on an upbeat positive note, so he bird remembers it that way. Parrots in general, and Amazons specifically, are very smart and DYH and BFs more so.
SOme other things to try or keep in mind when training;
Set a specific time each and every day to train
- Keep training sessions short at first, 5 minutes or so at first. Increade very slowly as the bird learns new things.
- Do training away from thier cage or play stand and other parrots - allows the trainee to focus better'
- Use their very most favorite treat as the training treat, and for nothing else!
- Remove the food bowls an hour or two before training sessions. Not to starve them, just to let them focus better.
- BE CONSISTENT !!
- Break the trick or action iinto smaller actions for more complicated tricks or for more stubborn birds
- Be upbeat and cheerful when acknowledging the positive actions the bird takes. Tone is important!
- Some parrots respond better to verbal praise as the reward than to treat rewards. Work on that basis.
Good luck! Thanks for adopting the 2 Blue Fronts!
