Target Training

[william.k.o]

I tried that, just twice he stayed but the other time he just jumps from my hand to the upper perch, i tried to put him on the bottom perch but he just jumps off.

[Wolf]

Move hand far enough that he can't jump to perch and don't give treat until you have moved your hand with him on it.

[william.k.o]

well thing is i'm still training him inside the cage and he can reach, and when i tried to take him out of the cage, he started to fly everywhere and he hit some walls and got really scared.

[Wolf]

Ok! Not to worry, you can show the treat, ask to step up, bird steps up, make bird wait on hand for treat. If he jumps off ask for step up again. You will not be able to wait very long at first, but you can wait longer as he learns to wait for it.

[william.k.o]

Great, thanks for the advice. One more thing, how can i take him out without him flying everywhere??

[Wolf]

Well that is a difficult one, even when he likes you and trusts you enough to remain on your hand, at some point he is going to fly. The thing is that he is young and will probably not hurt himself too much. He will learn to fly indoors pretty quickly, without crashing into things. Just go to him and offer your hand to step up, which he will probably do. If he does, then you have rescued him and strengthened your bond with him because of it. Have patience with him, the more he learns that he can trust you, the better the bond, the better the bond the more time he will want to spend with and on you. In time you will be asking about how to get him to stay on his perch instead of on you.

[william.k.o]

Ok then, thanks but he just steps up when he sees the food, how can i stop that?

[Wolf]

You may have to work with that for a while as it is obvious that you are spending more time on training than on bonding with him and winning his trust. the result is that he will do what you ask for food but he really doesn't do it because he likes or trusts you.
If he will only step up when he sees food, then you can't substitute affection or head scratches. You mat just have to deal with this until you can gain his trust, You can try targeting him onto your hand, but I doubt that you will have much success with him staying there until he trusts you. This is probably the main drawback of training with treats alone.
This is the reason that I ask so many questions right at first, it is also why I told you to be patient and spend your time on bonding and gaining his trust. I know that it does not appear to be accomplishing anything, but the fact is that it is by far the most important thing that you can do as it impacts everything that comes after.
You can still continue to work with him at the present level, but I heartily recommend that you also go back to sitting down in front of his cage with an open door and just talk to him softly. place your hand where he can climb on it if he chooses. Wait for him to come to you. It may take some time, but don't ask him to. Let him do this on his own then give a treat or better yet, gently scratch his head while telling what a good bird he is. If you want him to willingly spend time with you, then you must complete this step. You will not get much further than you are if you don't do this properly.

[william.k.o]

Ok, i think i'll work on that since what i wanted was a lovely pet and not a pet who's just attracted by food. Thanks, i think you just saved me from having a bird that just wants food rather than love.

[Wolf]

I hear that ! I know it is more exciting to see results right away, but in close to 50 yrs. of training I have found nothing to take the place of gaining the trust of the animal that I am working with. Although I use treats in the beginning, it is only for a short time as I rely on affection, trust and praise for what I want and for rewards for doing what I want. The main benefits of this way is that they want to do things for me because they want to please me and I can always trust them.