What is the purpose of Traget Training??

[Imran Ahmed]

Hi everyone,
Im really getting confuse in understanding target training. I thought; after reading michael's basic tamming guide, that target training is simply asking your parrot to touch the top of target practice stick which would help him earn reward and in a way it contributes to his good behaviour. However now im being told by other parrot keepers that its something more. They say target training is to have your parot pick object and hand em over to you or having them touch something and and coming back to you, etc etc....
So truely....... what is the objective of target training??? becuase my parrot doesn't bite or anything and i think he's very sweet to everyone at home. So should i just leave target practice???? Also why does my 4 month old Aftrican grey performs a trick only when he sees my clicker and the sunflower seed. He doesn't do anything till i show him that there's a treat waiting to be eaten if he performs a certain trick???

[DanielA]

Imran, target training is exactly what you say it is, what this other people are telling you that is target training is called Fetch
And target training serves the purpose of teaching your parrot other tricks like flight recall and going through tube. Hope this helps!

[Michael]

The physical manifestation of target training is just touching the tip of the stick. However, conceptually it is so much more. It is teaching the parrot to follow commands, not bite, go to specific places, flight recall, and useful for desensitization of objects and teaching new tricks. For example go through tube and turn around are taught by targeting the parrot through the sequence. When a parrot is terrified of a new object, targeting can be used to progressively come closer and closer to the object and eventually touch it. For example if a parrot is scared of a new prop or toy, you target them near it and eventually right up to it to put their mind to ease by slowly getting closer to it.

Targeting is unlike luring with a treat because it teaches the bird a concept while conditioning a secondary reinforcer. Whereas with luring, the bird just goes to take the food but learns little in the process. Targeting (and trick training in general) reduces biting because the parrot is spending time earning good stuff while it is not biting. So it becomes a replacement for biting. It also gives the parrot good things to look forward to around the owner.

Even if a parrot doesn't bite, targeting is a useful skill. It is one of the easiest tricks to teach and establishes a training mindset. It is a tool for teaching other tricks. And it's a way of communicating to your parrot where you want it to go.

Also why does my 4 month old Aftrican grey performs a trick only when he sees my clicker and the sunflower seed. He doesn't do anything till i show him that there's a treat waiting to be eaten if he performs a certain trick???

He's just smarter than you. Actually he just sounds too young to be training at all. You have to wait until he's food motivated to begin formal training. Until Truman was like 6 months old, we just used toys and play as reinforcement.

[liz]

It is a form of control for the ones who need taught.

When I call, Myrtle answers and flies to me. When I call Rambo he keeps answering so I can find him because it takes a while for him to walk to me.

Mine are taught not trained.

[ChewToy]

target training is used to sort of direct the bird to a location so it can be used for trick training or the beginnings of recall training.