Wow! Clicker training!

[Hermit57]

I'm excited to find that clicker training is really helping with my hormonal BFA! I've never tried it before because I had no interest in 'trick' training, but when he started getting aggressive last week I did some research. He's definately not back to being sweet and lovable, but he's calmed down significantly. I spend about 5 to 10 minutes with him twice a day. He's VERY food motivated and I think that's the key. Now when he sees me coming with the clicker he makes his happy sounds and makes no attempts to lunge or fly at me. I don't talk to him during the sessions and any eye contact is brief. I start out with him in the cage, then let him out for the end of the training. He's still flying at me, but not as often. I've started carrying a dish towel over my should and when I see him coming I just toss it up between him and me to avoid contact. Right now he's on the back of my chair calmly taking a nap. For the time being, we have called a truce

I found a good book about clicker training. If anyone would like the title, I'll post it. I just didn't want my excited rantings to sound like an advertisement.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

That's AWESOME! I'm often recommending trick training with a clicker, as you have experienced it is highly affective

What book did you buy?

 

[torrap]

What if my bird is not food motivated at all? How do I click train her?
She takes only few things out of my hands.....and when she takes it she makes sure it looks like she is doing me a BIG favor..........

 

[Hermit57]

The book is The Bird School Clicker Training For Parrots And Other Birds by Ann M. Castro. She has another book on dealing with aggressive behavior, but getting the basics down is a first step.

"What if my bird is not food motivated at all? How do I click train her?
She takes only few things out of my hands.....and when she takes it she makes sure it looks like she is doing me a BIG favor"

I don't know about that yet. I have two other birds who aren't food motivated either. But they have been watching me work with Rocko VERY intently, so I'm curious if they pick up anything.

 

[strudel]

Find something else she likes, scratches? Just praise? My galah has just demonstrated to me that she'll respond to applause. If I clap when she does her "wings" schtick, she'll do it again.

 

[MonicaMc]

What's their diet like? What's the first items they eat out of their dish? The first 2-3 items, once you have identified what they are, will be your birds rewards now. Before feeding your bird, remove the items from your birds dish that he or she likes.

Easy food motivation!


If that doesn't work... but the birds are on a seed diet, switch them to a pelleted diet! Now all of a sudden seeds are very valuable!



Clicker/positive reinforcement training isn't about "stupid pet tricks" - it's about learning to communicate and to have fun. It helps to stimulate birds brains and gives them something to do. It's bridging the communication barrier between human and bird. The more you learn to understand your bird and how to work with them, the easier things will get because your bird will now understand what you want.

 

[Hermit57]

What I'm learning is that my bird is smarter than me . The clicker is such a simple thing and doesn't require much time, but it really does bridge the communication barrier as you say. This morning he was doing a lot of yelling. Now after his clicker session, he's in his cage saying 'come here,, come here' and 'I'm gonna touch your belly'. Ha!

 

[danilo]

thank you for sharing, but can you tell more details about clicker training? my bird is not willing to come to me but just eat seeds from my hand, and then go away...so how can i train him to come to me with clicker?

 

[Maria_Metropolis]

Danilo,
There are lots of videos on youtube about clicker training.

Hermit,
That's awesome. Keep up the good work!

 

[Hermit57]

thank you for sharing, but can you tell more details about clicker training? my bird is not willing to come to me but just eat seeds from my hand, and then go away...so how can i train him to come to me with clicker?

I started with my bird in the cage so he couldn't go far. I got a treat I knew he couldn't resist and offered him a small piece. When he took it, I clicked. I kept the clicker behind my back, but of course the noise startled him a little at first. I didn't look him in the eye and looked away from him after he took the treat. I didn't speak at all. I repeated about ten times giving him a treat and clicking. Then I left the room for about ten minutes and came back and repeated. After two or three days, he started getting excited when I walked up with the clicker, so I knew he had made the connection! I let him out of the cage for the last few treats and he's always cooperated.

The next step is 'stick' training where he has to touch the tip of a small dowel with his beak before I click and treat. The object is to make him perform a task before he gets a treat. Believe me, I have no experience training birds. But it's been less than two weeks and my hormonal bird has already learned to touch the dowel, click and treat. Even if it's not a training session, I don't feed him anything from my hand unless I also use the stick and clicker. Patience is really important. If he acted apprehensive at all, I backed up or walked away to give him a moment to relax.

 

[Hermit57]

Also, the object of the training is not really to train him to come to me when I click. My immediate goal is to work with him to help calm his aggression a little.

 

[danilo]

thank you Maria. I just stared to clicker train my bird when feeding