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Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Discuss the methods and techniques of clicker training, target training and bonding. These are usually the first steps in training a young parrot.

Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Michael » Wed Oct 07, 2009 4:07 pm

For you and your parrots, what was the hardest trick to teach? What was the easiest trick?
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Michael
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Kathleen » Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:11 pm

Teaching my budgie to wave was really hard. It took a month to teach because even though he understood it had to do with moving his leg, he wasn't doing it properly for the longest time. I almost got frustrated with this trick enough to give up on it. I started thinking, "well, maybe budgies just can't wave afterall and this is the best it'll get." Not true.

He would pick up his foot many times instead of just one time. I think what happened was he would lift up his foot to step up and when he couldn't reach my finger (since I put it too high on purpose to train this) he would get tired, put it down and then quickly pick it up again and again. It was like he was tapping his foot. That's the only way I can describe it. You have to reward some kind of progress with a trick or the bird is going to give up and stop trying to do it.

I fixed this problem eventually by clicking immediately. As soon as he would start to lift his foot I had to click. Otherwise, he would put it down and lift it again and again. Eventually, he figured out that he only had to lift it up once but he barely lifted it. It took more and more time to get him to lift it higher, but it was a step in the right direction. Lots of parrots will grab a piece of food with one of their feet and hold themselves up on the other foot and then eat. Budgerigars are ground feeders and they don't use their feet in this way. Duke wasn't used to lifting his foot so high. It took a long time for him to lift it higher because the training became exercise for his foot muscles.

The easiest trick for him was going through a paper towel tube. It's just a very simple trick.
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby greatgriffin » Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:41 am

Easiest trick? well, I think these are the ones that include locomotion - when the bird has to actually go in one direction or the other. It was very simple to teach the bird to climb up a string and back. It was a bit harder to make it hang upside down and crawl like that along a stick but it was still not too hard.
When we get to more intellectual tricks like fetch something and drop in a bowl, or hang rings on a peg, this is when the real challenges arise.

Also I have not yet been able to teach vocalization on cue, but I haven't really pushed for it consistently either. Maybe my next set of tricks :violin:
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Mona » Fri Oct 09, 2009 4:55 pm

Hmmmmm....Good question.....

Easiest trick to train, I think, is the turnaround because you are just asking the bird to target your hand in a circle. A friend of mine taught Babylon to do this in one hour. I just consistently got it on cue by reinforcing.

Hardest trick.....might be talking on cue. That one is tough because you almost have to do it by getting the bird to play or capturing the behavior. Some birds won't talk when you are in the room. I tried to teach Phinney to say "hello" by leaving the room and waiting for her to say it....but eventually I gave up with that.....If the bird is motivated, it's easy to teach but I think you have to just be very prepared to capture it so you have to be a bit spontaneous.

THanks!
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Natacha » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:11 pm

I found teaching to kiss on cue for a treat reasonably easy to do...
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Piper ~ Lovebird
Shade ~ Senegal
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Petey & Zuri ~ Meyer's parrots
Léa ~ Cape parrot
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Michael » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:18 pm

I dunno. I think I'd be nervous about any parrot (except for maybe a budgie) doing a kiss trick because that is just too close to the face and if it just so happens to change its mind any bite it could be very serious. Makes it harder to tell if the bird is leaning in to give a kiss or a bite that way too. Human bacteria are toxic to birds so I dont think kisses are a very good idea. To me, this whole thing about owners kissing their birds is all for the owner and not the bird. Kissing is a human thing. Perhaps regurgitating for them might be a more suitable love sign :mrgreen:
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Michael
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Natacha » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:23 pm

Yeah saliva isn't good but I don't tend to give "wet" kisses.
Oh and you can tell if they are going to bite and can avoid it.

I wouldn't do it with Petey and nor do I trust Joey on that yet.

Zuri, I have to evaluate. Sometimes, it's better off not doing it.

With Piper and Shade there aren't any problems.
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Piper ~ Lovebird
Shade ~ Senegal
Joey & Pixel ~ Red-bellied parrots
Petey & Zuri ~ Meyer's parrots
Léa ~ Cape parrot
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Natacha
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Michael » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:25 pm

As much as I trust Kili, I wouldn't do that with her. She can be nippy or moody sometimes and if I bring my face in too close I see that she wants to beak my nose. It may not even be a bite but maybe it will be harder so who knows. I don't like taking that kinda risk. It's bad enough that she nips my ears and neck (just hurts more cause they're more sensitive).
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Michael
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Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby Natacha » Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:34 pm

Michael wrote:As much as I trust Kili, I wouldn't do that with her. She can be nippy or moody sometimes and if I bring my face in too close I see that she wants to beak my nose. It may not even be a bite but maybe it will be harder so who knows. I don't like taking that kinda risk. It's bad enough that she nips my ears and neck (just hurts more cause they're more sensitive).


See I don't have any nipping issues with Piper and Shade. Would I have had done the kissing at first? No.
I've had one for three years, the other four. There's a certain level of trust based on what I know to expect out of them (and them out of me).
My blog http://poiworld.blogspot.com/
Videos of my birds http://www.youtube.com/user/poicephaluslady
Piper ~ Lovebird
Shade ~ Senegal
Joey & Pixel ~ Red-bellied parrots
Petey & Zuri ~ Meyer's parrots
Léa ~ Cape parrot
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Natacha
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1277
Location: Ontario, Canada
Number of Birds Owned: 7
Types of Birds Owned: PF Lovebird, Senegal Parrot, Red-bellied Parrots, Meyer's Parrot, Cape Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Hardest Tricks, Easiest Trick?

Postby TheNzJessie » Thu May 13, 2010 5:03 am

easiest trick i taught my rainbow lorikeet was 'wave' and the hardest one was fetch i only taught him 5 tricks before he unfortunately passed away
Qwil-:budgie:
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:)
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