Move on or wait?

[dohcsvt]

I have a (Stanley) and a (Ollie). They both are very proficient at "target", "wave", and "turnaround". I train them everyday for about 10 minutes. I have been working on fetch for about 3 weeks now. Stan is fetching like a champ, all different target objects and dropping them into cups as small as a shot glass. Ollie however, still does not quite get it. In the past Stan would take a day or 2 longer to learn a trick and I would wait on hime before trying anything new with Ollie. But this time Stan is the one waiting and Ollie is a full 2 weeks behind. Should I try something new with Stan while waiting on Ollie or just stay the course. I am just afraid that Stan is going to get bored and become uninterested if I do not begin challenging him soon. What do you guys think?

[liz]

Continue on. The slower one will learn from the other.

[Shelby]

Try having the slower one watch the more proficient one learn and perform the trick. Some birds learn really well by watching another bird.

[Naurthon]

I doubt Stan will get bored. As much as anything, he is getting the reward of interaction from you. I think it really just depends on what is interesting or convenient for you.

I often train all my boys at the same time, teaching them different behaviors on different stands. Maxwell is stuck on "turn around"...he just doesn't get it unless I lead him with the target stick. Nikko learned to say "Dante" in response to "what's your name" without any training at all, just watching me work with Dante, so they can pick things up from watching you work with other birds. Now I just have to get him to say HIS OWN name!

[quietroit]

Go on. The ssecond parrot will pick up from the first one.