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How to Train Instantaneous and Reliable Recall?

Discuss topics associated with teaching birds to fly. Training parrots recall flight, target flying, and other flying exercises.

How to Train Instantaneous and Reliable Recall?

Postby Michael » Mon Nov 09, 2009 10:23 pm

Some days Kili is great and does all her tricks, recalls, etc without any problem. So I know with absolute certainty that she knows what she is doing. However, some days she is just plain annoying.

Sometimes I find myself getting caught in a trap where she won't recall and I have to persistently keep calling her till she just so happens to feel like getting off her feathered butt and coming or I come closer to make the distance shorter until it's a very easy flight. Other times I will recall her for the purpose of doing something else like working on a trick but she'll take her treat and fly off right away which either forces me to recall her again for another treat or have other problems. I know all of this is not good.

I see 3 options:

1) Reward recall, punish refusal
2) Starve the bird to escalate importance of treats
3) Terminate training session

These are all problematic in their own way. Punishment leads to avoidance and of course a parrot will never willingly fly to the punisher to receive punishment. We try not to starve the birds cause that could lead to physical or psychological harm as well as increase aggression. Terminating the training session may sound like a plausible solution, however, refusal to recall would then become the parrot's cue for "I don't feel like doing any more, screw you."

I propose that these may be some of the problems that lead to Kili's refusal to recall sometimes:

A) Not hungry enough, doesn't care about treats much
B) Tired, bored, wants to go back to cage
C) Knows that refusing might get back to cage quicker and cage = food

What methods can we use to encourage immediate and reliable recall and to discourage retarded or unreliable recall?

One major problem I see with tardy recall is that we face a dilemma. Reward or not? If you don't reward tardy recalls, you might make the recall behavior altogether extinct. We don't want to discourage efforts to recall. However, how can we discourage tardy recalls then? Also, if we use a variable frequency of reinforcement, not rewarding tardy recalls may not even serve any purpose at all.
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Michael
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Re: How to Train Instantaneous and Reliable Recall?

Postby Mona » Wed Nov 11, 2009 3:59 pm

Hi Michael:

There is another answer to your question. Allow for variable recalls.

Some times, it is okay if the bird does not recall immediately. Only set up the requirement for an instantaneous recall when in a formal training session under the right circumstances. The bird can learn the difference. It has to do with how you set up the environment. Don't recall the bird if the bird is not ready for a recall.

This is an interesting topic but I don't have much time right now. I also think that it never hurts to practice patience and tolerance as a trainer. Life is much more interesting and honestly, more fun.

Gotta go...

Thanks

Mona
Mona in Seattle
Phinneous Fowl (aka Phinney) TAG
Babylon Sengal
Doug (spousal unit)
Jack and Bailey (Gremlins)
Kiri (CAG)
http://www.flyingparrotsinside.com

youtube: Avian Flyers
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Mona
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Re: How to Train Instantaneous and Reliable Recall?

Postby Mona » Thu Nov 12, 2009 5:36 pm

Okay...A bit more explanation:

The art of training is learning how to read the bird.

If the bird is not recalling and you've done the training, then the training challenge comes down to reading the bird so that you can set the recalls up for success. If the bird is not going to recall, the trainer should not cue a recall. It's that simple. If the bird is not going to fly to you, don't ask the bird to fly to you.

This is an advanced skill for any trainer and takes time but the expert of "your bird" will always be "you". You have history with that specific animal and you are going to be the person who will best understand when that animal is prepared to do the recall.

Some of the things a trainer needs to be aware of (and this is by no means a complete list):

A reliably consistent recall can be a function of the energy level of the bird. A younger bird is a lot easier to fly and work with because they are not as settled into their expectations and they usually have a lot more energy to burn off. As the bird matures, training history becomes much more important because the animal will react better to how they have been conditioned.

Another factor to a reliable recall can be distractions. A bird like an African grey is usually highly tuned into what is going on in the environment. They may stop and stare almost as if they are studying the horizon. I think greys tend to focus on ambient sights and sounds. A distracted bird is not going to give you an immediate and reliable recall.

Motivation: This does not have to be food. Birds are highly social and very tuned in to flock dynamics. Play can be a motivator. Jealousy can be a motivator. Insecurity within the flock can be a motivator. Motivators are highly varable depending on the individual animal, trainer, environment, even the season of the year and time of day.

So, if you aren't getting a consistently, reliable recall you need to stop and look at your training and what you are doing. This is not the bird's problem. This is always the trainer's problem. It is a function of the level of communication that is happening between the trainer and the bird. That communication is always a two way street. It doesn't all come from the trainer. Most often, the communication comes from the bird and the trainer's challenge is learning how to "read what the bird gives you" and how to work with that information.

Finally, if you aren't flying the bird outside and in hazardous environments, what's wrong with not having a 100% consistent recall? I don't have a problem with a variable recall. A slow recall is communication. You are constantly learning something about the bird.

THANKS!
Mona in Seattle
Phinneous Fowl (aka Phinney) TAG
Babylon Sengal
Doug (spousal unit)
Jack and Bailey (Gremlins)
Kiri (CAG)
http://www.flyingparrotsinside.com

youtube: Avian Flyers
User avatar
Mona
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Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 271
Number of Birds Owned: 5
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal Parrots, Congo African Grey, Timneh African Grey
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