Post by beccilouise on Feb 4, 2016 16:56:25 GMT -5
So, seeing as I'm embarking on an epic training schedule in order to try and prepare and discipline Byron for the future (as bonding with other members of the household is limited!) I thought I would document some of the stuff that I'm doing with him. This is where we've got so far:
My parrot training kit:
1) a clicker (from CLIX, sourced on amazon.co.uk)
2) a training pouch (CLIX treat bag complete with clicker pouch and zipper pocket, also amazon.co.uk)
3) treats (at the moment, I am using sunflower seeds, but keeping sessions to 5 mins. Once clicker training is solid, training sessions can be longer and use less treats).
4) Indoor training perch (at the top of Byron's play gym, bought from my local store. The toys are removed to change the environment for training).
5) The AVIATOR harness (xsmall, black, bought from Northernparrots.co.uk)
6) a 'target stick' (a chopstick, bought as one of five sets for £1.84 from amazon.co.uk)
Where we are so far:
Byron recognises that the click of the clicker means 'good work!' and that it gets him a treat. He will hear the click and look around for his treat, or sidle closer to the pocket from which the treat will come. I managed this in a couple of sessions for clicking the clicker and immediately presenting him with a treat. I then followed this up by clicking the clicker whenever he completed a good training behaviour and immediately presenting him with a treat.
Byron will put his beak through the head strap on the aviator harness to retrieve a treat. He will (with coaxing) allow me to hold the aviator harness up to his beak for three seconds. He will (with coaxing) allow me to put the aviator headstrap over his head. He will sit for six seconds with the headstrap on without chewing. He will allow me to pull his wings through the wing straps. We have not yet managed to tighten the harness. I achieved this by, for the first week, simply ensuring that the harness was in his sight at all times. I hung it on his play gym and placed it on a platform outside his cage. For the first few training sessions, I did not attempt to fit the harness, but I practised lifting his wings gently for a count of three seconds. If he pulled before this I let him drop them, but he got a treat when we got to three. I also practised gently holding his beak and moving my fingers over his head, encouraging him to close his eyes, to get him used to the sensation. About ten days after this initial training, I introduced the harness. I started by encouraging him to take treats from my fingers while the fingers were through the headstrap of the harness, then I encouraged him to retrieve a treat by putting him beak through the headstrap. Slowly, we moved on to approaching the beak with the harness, rewarding him every time he stayed still and allowed it to approach. When we could do that regularly, we moved on to bringing the harness right up to the beak and touching the beak for three seconds. When he could do this, we moved on to slipping the head strap over his eyes and around his head and leaving it there for five seconds. He still requires coaxing to have the head strap fitted and there are times when he struggles and I have to back track and start the whole movement again, but he is getting there. We have now been training for three and a half weeks. He has been outside in the whole harness ONCE, for five minutes, but he is definitely not yet harness trained.
Next Steps:
The next plan is to begin target training Byron, which means teaching him to touch his beak to the 'target' (or chopstick) for a treat. This will later mean I can safely direct him to certain areas, (shoulder, hand, tree branch, perch), teach him to fly to me on command and teach him a few tricks. I'm hoping this will help with his enrichment and maintain discipline. It's also a good way of spending time together. I work at a school for three days a week and am out two evenings a week (on different days to the work days). Byron gets a lot of attention but he's also on his own for fairly long periods. He does well and has the radio on to help him, but the training also helps to focus his intelligence and means we can get plenty of quality time together.
Notes:
For the last three and a half weeks I have been training Byron to respond to the clicker and accept his harness for between 5 and 15 minutes EVERY DAY. If we train for fifteen minutes, it is often broken down into two or three separate sessions. He does not go forwards in every training session. Sometimes we have to repeat steps that he appeared to have mastered and gone beyond in a previous training session. That's ok, because overall he has made progress. Sometimes, it's been a case of taking a deep breath, backtracking or coming back to the training later. I also ALWAYS TRY TO END ON A POSITIVE, if Byron won't complete a task that I want him to because he isn't ready, I go back to something basic that I know he can achieve, successfully complete that, give him a treat and come back later.
I am definitely not an expert. This is my first bird, I love him dearly, I am so excited to take him to new places as my poet's companion and spend more time with him when I turn to full time roving poet next year. I am extremely scared about him being lonely, unhappy, unhealthy or bored and so am doing everything I can to avoid these things within reason. I just hope I'm not causing the poor little boy more stress! Any further tips, books, training tools or ideas people can think of would be very much appreciated. Otherwise, I will keep documenting my journey here
My parrot training kit:
1) a clicker (from CLIX, sourced on amazon.co.uk)
2) a training pouch (CLIX treat bag complete with clicker pouch and zipper pocket, also amazon.co.uk)
3) treats (at the moment, I am using sunflower seeds, but keeping sessions to 5 mins. Once clicker training is solid, training sessions can be longer and use less treats).
4) Indoor training perch (at the top of Byron's play gym, bought from my local store. The toys are removed to change the environment for training).
5) The AVIATOR harness (xsmall, black, bought from Northernparrots.co.uk)
6) a 'target stick' (a chopstick, bought as one of five sets for £1.84 from amazon.co.uk)
Where we are so far:
Byron recognises that the click of the clicker means 'good work!' and that it gets him a treat. He will hear the click and look around for his treat, or sidle closer to the pocket from which the treat will come. I managed this in a couple of sessions for clicking the clicker and immediately presenting him with a treat. I then followed this up by clicking the clicker whenever he completed a good training behaviour and immediately presenting him with a treat.
Byron will put his beak through the head strap on the aviator harness to retrieve a treat. He will (with coaxing) allow me to hold the aviator harness up to his beak for three seconds. He will (with coaxing) allow me to put the aviator headstrap over his head. He will sit for six seconds with the headstrap on without chewing. He will allow me to pull his wings through the wing straps. We have not yet managed to tighten the harness. I achieved this by, for the first week, simply ensuring that the harness was in his sight at all times. I hung it on his play gym and placed it on a platform outside his cage. For the first few training sessions, I did not attempt to fit the harness, but I practised lifting his wings gently for a count of three seconds. If he pulled before this I let him drop them, but he got a treat when we got to three. I also practised gently holding his beak and moving my fingers over his head, encouraging him to close his eyes, to get him used to the sensation. About ten days after this initial training, I introduced the harness. I started by encouraging him to take treats from my fingers while the fingers were through the headstrap of the harness, then I encouraged him to retrieve a treat by putting him beak through the headstrap. Slowly, we moved on to approaching the beak with the harness, rewarding him every time he stayed still and allowed it to approach. When we could do that regularly, we moved on to bringing the harness right up to the beak and touching the beak for three seconds. When he could do this, we moved on to slipping the head strap over his eyes and around his head and leaving it there for five seconds. He still requires coaxing to have the head strap fitted and there are times when he struggles and I have to back track and start the whole movement again, but he is getting there. We have now been training for three and a half weeks. He has been outside in the whole harness ONCE, for five minutes, but he is definitely not yet harness trained.
Next Steps:
The next plan is to begin target training Byron, which means teaching him to touch his beak to the 'target' (or chopstick) for a treat. This will later mean I can safely direct him to certain areas, (shoulder, hand, tree branch, perch), teach him to fly to me on command and teach him a few tricks. I'm hoping this will help with his enrichment and maintain discipline. It's also a good way of spending time together. I work at a school for three days a week and am out two evenings a week (on different days to the work days). Byron gets a lot of attention but he's also on his own for fairly long periods. He does well and has the radio on to help him, but the training also helps to focus his intelligence and means we can get plenty of quality time together.
Notes:
For the last three and a half weeks I have been training Byron to respond to the clicker and accept his harness for between 5 and 15 minutes EVERY DAY. If we train for fifteen minutes, it is often broken down into two or three separate sessions. He does not go forwards in every training session. Sometimes we have to repeat steps that he appeared to have mastered and gone beyond in a previous training session. That's ok, because overall he has made progress. Sometimes, it's been a case of taking a deep breath, backtracking or coming back to the training later. I also ALWAYS TRY TO END ON A POSITIVE, if Byron won't complete a task that I want him to because he isn't ready, I go back to something basic that I know he can achieve, successfully complete that, give him a treat and come back later.
I am definitely not an expert. This is my first bird, I love him dearly, I am so excited to take him to new places as my poet's companion and spend more time with him when I turn to full time roving poet next year. I am extremely scared about him being lonely, unhappy, unhealthy or bored and so am doing everything I can to avoid these things within reason. I just hope I'm not causing the poor little boy more stress! Any further tips, books, training tools or ideas people can think of would be very much appreciated. Otherwise, I will keep documenting my journey here
