Afraid of targeting stick

[Galah]

My galah, Johnny, is afraid of the targeting stick. I've left it in view of his cage over the past 3 days and managed to hold it close to his head before he walks off and does his irritated dance.
Any advice as to what I can do?

[Pricey_boy]

walter also dances when he gets angry its kinda funny

with my baby hes only about 3-4 months old and i target trained him with my finger i also didnt use a clicker because it startles alot of birds especially mine and ive been target training him with my finger and he can fly tom me on cue from the other side of the room and when i say perch he flys to his perch from the other side of the room

[Galah]

I never thought of that... Wow thanks. That would make everything a lot easier.
Thanks a lot.

[Pricey_boy]

glad i could help

[Michael]

The main reason to use a stick rather than finger is because we like to use targeting as a means of getting parrots used to fingers. Usually targeting has to come before hands unless the bird is already tame. I still prefer the target stick even on a tame parrot because it is something you can hand off to anyone and the bird immediately knows what to do. Fingers can just as well be used to poke, prod, step up, and other things. By using a target stick, there is absolutely no mistake that touch = reward. It's also handy for teaching certain tricks. Keep that in mind.

As for ways to get the bird to stop being afraid of the stick, except for some special circumstances I'd just say too bad and that would be solved in 30 seconds. The slow and proper approach would be to use positive reinforcement. So show the stick at the distance that the bird will tolerate it and reward. With successive repetitions, bring it closer and for longer to earn the same reward. But like I said, this is just a stick, my opinion is that the bird should suck it up and get over it.

[Pricey_boy]

what would you say about using your finger if the birds not friendly but also isnt a biter.

if you can use your finger than reward they start learning that your hands are a good thing and not to be afraid.
you may disagree with it but ive had my he was attacked by other birds and injured and he was also a biter and ive had him for about a month and after targeting with my finger for 2 weeks i can fully handle him and moanouver his body and lift his wings i taught him to wave, spin, target and fly to me on cue.
who needs a clicker and a stick anyway they just get in the way i have to use nectar flowers or honey for a reward so i have to hold a contained rather than just a seed.

[Michael]

I understand. I think in some cases finger will work. However, as a general approach to recommend in general to anyone, target/clicker is most universal. Since virtually no bird has been abused or in sight of these items beforehand, everyone gets a fresh start. Whereas with fingers, who knows? It's not just the biters that can be a problem with fingers. It may also be scared birds. They run away from hands. A stick (for most birds) is less frightening. On the other hand, for a bird that is less scared of hands than target stick, you may not even need targeting all the much and proceed straight to taming or teaching tricks. It's not that the stick is that important, but the standardization and message it gives to the parrot are what I value.

[Pricey_boy]

It's harder with my lorikeets though because I can't use 1 hand for training and another hand for a container of honey clicker and target stick.i guess in some cases were both right but I would only use the target stick if the bird was aggressive but in other cases I prefer my finger because it helps them associate your hands with treats ang get yous to hands being around them

[Galah]

My Galah allows me to touch his back, beak and stomach. I can scratch his head and put both hands around his body and he wouldn't freak out. I even touched beneath his wings the other day.

I want to use the target training, not because he's afraid of hands, because he's a one person bird and he doesn't like anyone else in the household. Also he doesn't want to do step-up consistently. He would approach me himself and whenever he had a fright and flew off he would step-up without hesitation. He just doesn't like stepping-up off of his cage or from one hand to the other.

I'm hoping that target training would help with at least one of those things.
Would using my finger in this case be appropriate or not?

[Michael]

I want to use the target training, not because he's afraid of hands, because he's a one person bird and he doesn't like anyone else in the household...Would using my finger in this case be appropriate or not?

In this case it would not. Other people will be afraid to use their finger and the outcome may be regrettable. The whole point of using a target stick is that it's a separate, distinguishable, and very safe/good object from the start. If you want transference and you want other people to succeed, you should use a target stick. If it involves using a different stick or object that is suitable, so be it, but not finger. Just cause you might use your finger in ways the bird accepts doesn't mean other people will. They might be shaky, pushy, etc. When it comes to target stick, all it does is present an opportunity for the parrot to volunteer to do things itself. That's why I keep stressing the importance. A finger is not as suitable because one time it could be used to target (good) and other times it could be used to poke or do other things that the parrot doesn't like (bad) so the bird can't be sure what to think outright, especially if it's someone else. You don't want this kind of doubt as it is counter-productive to training and good lead to biting. Stick to the stick. I explained how to reduce fear above.