clicker training problem,help..

[naomi]

hi everybody,
i recently adopt CAG and he settle down very well now.he takes treat from my hand,and what i know he get crazy for pistachio.i try to clicker training him,everything is going very well until i need to hold stick-clicker-and the treat.pistachio is very big and i only able to hold 1 only when i train him,which this makes the training progress very slow.i need to stop n look back for pistachio after he takes the treat.
i tried to make it a small pieces and belive it or not he really awfuly scared of it.he wont realize thats his fav treat.i tried to cut it in front of him to make him understand thats his normal pistachio,just without the skin.
and the other problem is when i hold that small pistachio,is very difficult for me to take is fast from my hand when i need to reward him.the pieces always fall down everywhere.any idea what i have to do??
with millet is more easier but unfortunetly he dsnt like it.what i have to do??
thanks a lot!!

[Andromeda]

hi everybody,
i recently adopt CAG and he settle down very well now.he takes treat from my hand,and what i know he get crazy for pistachio.i try to clicker training him,everything is going very well until i need to hold stick-clicker-and the treat.pistachio is very big and i only able to hold 1 only when i train him,which this makes the training progress very slow.i need to stop n look back for pistachio after he takes the treat.
i tried to make it a small pieces and belive it or not he really awfuly scared of it.he wont realize thats his fav treat.i tried to cut it in front of him to make him understand thats his normal pistachio,just without the skin.
and the other problem is when i hold that small pistachio,is very difficult for me to take is fast from my hand when i need to reward him.the pieces always fall down everywhere.any idea what i have to do??
with millet is more easier but unfortunetly he dsnt like it.what i have to do??
thanks a lot!!

What I do for targeting is I hold the clicker and target stick in one hand and the treat in the other hand which I keep behind my back. Make sure to keep the treat out of the bird's sight until it's time to deliver it.

It's funny that he's scared of small pieces of pistachio. Poor guy. Maybe if you break it up really small and put some in his food dish for a few days he'll learn it's not scary?

I use walnuts as a treat for my brown-headed parrot but, like you, it's too hard to hold in my hand when I break it into tiny pieces, so I have a measuring cup with a handle and I put the walnut pieces in the cup. That way it's easy to hold the cup by its handle and I can keep it behind my back and still deliver the treat really quickly after I click.

[naomi]

hi,thanks for the fast reply

i will try to cut the pistachio to more smaller pieces and see how he react,hope he will understand its the same pistachio that he loves.lol

actually i have problem when i need to hold my clicker n stick in my right hand and i need to hold perch or use my left hand as a perch.both of my hands are full and small pieces nut its very difficult to hold and they fall down everywhere.if i hold the nut inside my left hand while he perching on it,he will really scared when i try to take the treat for him from my left hand.

im kind of stuck here,i really think hard if there is any easier way to hold small pieces nut when both of hand are full.thanks againnn

[Shelby]

I suggest training him on a perch or t-stand. Then you would have your hands free.
Michael sells some training perches here: http://parrotwizard.com/Training_Perches/
I also found a table-top t stand.

[Andromeda]

A training stand is a great suggestion.

I was re-reading a part of a book I have on clicker training and I saw this and thought of this thread:

"Help! I don't have enough hands---what can I do?

Glue your clicker to an old belt buckle and wear that belt when you're training

String your clicker onto a cord and wear it around your neck

Make a circle of wide elastic and glue your clicker to it and wear it as a ring with the clicker facing the inside of your hand

String your clicker onto a cord and wear it as a bracelet

Glue a clicker to a long measuring-cup handle and keep your treats in the cup"

Hopefully one of these suggestions works for you!

[naomi]

hello,
thanks for the reply,i will try it soon!!
wish me luck!!