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Differentiating

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Differentiating

Postby Cage Cleaner » Tue Oct 18, 2011 12:39 am

So my GCC knows a medley of tricks, all of which he has been trained to do both on my finger, on a perch, and also on a stick I am holding.

However, he has learned that if I am asking him to do something, and he doesn't get it, he will eventually "get it" by just doing -all- his tricks.

Also, he does anticipate which trick I'll ask for next, which also contributes to his doing ALL his tricks one after another in a row without listening to my queue.

Obviously this defeats the purpose of having a queued trick. Does anyone have suggestions?

Thanks
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Re: Differentiating

Postby liz » Tue Oct 18, 2011 8:50 am

Confuse him. Change your arrangement. Start with the middle trick.
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Re: Differentiating

Postby Cage Cleaner » Tue Oct 18, 2011 2:52 pm

liz wrote:Confuse him. Change your arrangement. Start with the middle trick.


I change it up all the time. There isn't a "middle" trick.
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Re: Differentiating

Postby cml » Tue Oct 18, 2011 3:39 pm

Cage Cleaner wrote:
liz wrote:Confuse him. Change your arrangement. Start with the middle trick.


I change it up all the time. There isn't a "middle" trick.

Then how can he predict your next trick, or does he do all tricks with no cue as you say in your post?
I would just ignore him, maybe turn your back on him if he does all tricks without any cue. Dont show any interest in it, and hopefully he will learn that its only profitable to do the tricks on your cue?
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Re: Differentiating

Postby Cage Cleaner » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:33 am

I feel that I've tried everything I have heard of already. He's just so fast paced. I could just -begin- to say the word "flap" and he'd already have flapped, flipped AND just initiated a turn.
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Re: Differentiating

Postby liz » Wed Oct 19, 2011 7:48 am

Your GCC is very intelligent. He loves you very much and wants to please you to the point of giving you everything at once.

Give hm something new to learn without using what he already knows. I tell you this as if it is easy. I don't even trick train.
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Re: Differentiating

Postby Michael » Wed Oct 19, 2011 8:06 am

Training is good. It will slow him down and force him to think. You're going through one of the plateaus of parrot training. Just be patient, keep working on it, reward the 4 best out of 5. Ignore and don't reward the worst even if it is technically right.

Are you using a clicker?
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Re: Differentiating

Postby Cage Cleaner » Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:37 pm

No, I am not using a clicker. I do own a clicker, but never got into it because it was hard to handle with a bird and a treat in hand. Would a clicker help in this case?

When I got him, I just went off of how I knew to train pretty much from instinct and working with horses. He responds to "good bird" and a treat.

Also, just to test him, he now has three tricks that start with the letter F. So I would just sit there and say "FFFF" and he would be off flapping and doing his F tricks. It's cute and definitely endearing. And I know that he is trying to please me. I appreciate it, but he is still completely missing the point.

I tried to hold off on the "good bird" for when he doesn't do the tricks, but I think that could lead to confusion in the long run, as I always thought the reward sound was supposed to be reserved for immediately right after he does it right. Also, I tried to extend the treat to him right after he does the right trick the first time, but I doubt that would be a good long-term fix, either, as I am essentially then doing the thinking for him.

See, with a horse, it's a lot easier. Because you just release pressure in terms of guiding them into what you want them to do. And they can't move as fast as a GCC. :P
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Re: Differentiating

Postby Michael » Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:18 pm

Cage Cleaner wrote:No, I am not using a clicker. I do own a clicker, but never got into it because it was hard to handle with a bird and a treat in hand. Would a clicker help in this case?


YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!
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Re: Differentiating

Postby Cage Cleaner » Wed Oct 19, 2011 5:09 pm

Michael wrote:
Cage Cleaner wrote:No, I am not using a clicker. I do own a clicker, but never got into it because it was hard to handle with a bird and a treat in hand. Would a clicker help in this case?


YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!


So should I just start with base one, meaning handing him a treat as I click? Or just roll with it and replace "good bird" with the click as he does his usual tricks?
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