Trying to teach "fetch" but he's scared of everything.

[Kokihi]

Hello!
My little Green Cheek Conure is 2 years old, he has already learned "step up" "Touch" and quite a few words/phrases and I wanted to teach him a few tricks.

Currently, I'm trying to teach him to fetch. I know he can figure it out, he's a smart bird, but he's scared of everything I've tried to teach him with. I've been using a small key which he doesn't seem scared of. After a little target training with his favorite game "touch the stick" he'll touch the key, he just won't pick it up.

Any ideas how I can get him to pick it up so I can continue training?

 

[lene1949]

Maybe you can drop it into a small bowl - maybe one you use for feeding... He might get so frustrated, that he'll throw it out... There's your chance to c/t for picking it up...

Have you tried a small plastic spoon? or something else that's not metal?

 

[luvmytooo]

I agree with lene1949 . Something also to keep in mind , you may have to wait it out a little. Do the trick a few times and the last time dont treat immediately , see if he keeps touching it , he might get frustrated and pick it up , just like using the bowl.
If you can find anything else he is afraid of , try using a piece of ffod he cannot break and eat , but will pick up and drop it because he cant do anything with it.
Maybe like a nut that is too big ? It will attract him , he'll pick it up , then you can click and if he drops it , you can second click !
Then you will have the two behaviours you want
Hope this helps , good luck

 

[Kokihi]

I just did a second training session with him, since he seemed a little hyper. I did what luvmytooo had suggested by not treating him right away when he touched it. He started to pick it up but dropped it right away. I treated him anyway, because he's catching on, and he gets frustrated easily.

He doesn't have any problems with the key itself, he likes the shiny metal and I know it's not too heavy for him, because he's picked up bigger/ heavier objects before. At this point I just think he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do with it, so he ignored it. XD

 

[luvmytooo]

Awesome ! You were right to treat him even if he picks it up the tiniest bit.
That is exactly what you want. But dont let him lose interest , you have to watch him to see how long you can hold out giving him a treat. Birds lose interest extremely fast ,so be careful with that. Once he is good at picking it up just a little bit consistantly , hold out a little with the treat and see if he tries it again and this time he may even toss it your way , lolol. Remember always to treat the behaviours you want , that is very important. Are you using a marker word , like yes or good boy ?
This will also tell him he is right , but you have to be timely with your marker as well as your treats

 

[Kokihi]

lol yeah, he got bored for a little bit so we started playing "touch the stick" again (Which he doesn't ever seem to get tired of) then went back to it after a little while.

I have a clicker that I use to let him know he did good, so I'll click, tell him "good bird" and give him his treat.

 

[roxynoodle]

My amazon plays fetch with me, but he invented it himself. I gave him a little block of wood to use for a foot toy when he was on me and showing signs of getting bored (which means he will get mischievous). Well, he took it with his foot and then threw it. I picked it back up and he just kept doing the same, taking it and tossing it. So he tosses and I fetch I guess I'm his pet.

Yes, I think you just need to reward each small step. That's how people train their birds to put balls in baskets and raise small flags.

 

[luvmytooo]

Dont forget not to train up until your bird gets bored of it . Train just enough that you can end a training session with him doing whatever you have been working on the correct way , and treat , treat and play or treat again , lol. But end it on a good positive note If you train until your bird gets bored , he may get bored with the trick all together and you dont want that , lol.
Good luck

 

[Kokihi]

My amazon plays fetch with me, but he invented it himself. I gave him a little block of wood to use for a foot toy when he was on me and showing signs of getting bored (which means he will get mischievous). Well, he took it with his foot and then threw it. I picked it back up and he just kept doing the same, taking it and tossing it. So he tosses and I fetch I guess I'm his pet.

Yes, I think you just need to reward each small step. That's how people train their birds to put balls in baskets and raise small flags.

HAHAHA!! Tori does that with the fresh veggies I give him! He likes them, but he knows I want him to eat them, so he'll toss them around to get me to bring them to him.

We're both being trained by our birds. lol