Laying on Back

[hooligan]

Okay, this is going to sound like a really strange question. My GCC will lay on her back, if I put her down in my hand and tell her "lay back." She'll even stay there (for the most part) until I tell her it's okay to get up. I praise her and reward her when she gets up, but I sense a little bit of birdy resentment from her afterward.

It's hard to explain, but she's just a little less excited than she was before doing this trick, and I get a "I wish you hadn't made me do that" vibe from her. She also makes a low squawking noise if she's unhappy with something, and she'll do this if she's on her back for a little while. The breeder told me she liked to lay on her back and play with her feet, but I've never seen her actually do this in person.

So, I guess the question is, do I continue training her to preform this trick in the hopes of her becoming more comfortable? I know she doesn't like it, and she knows I know. If I always reward her, is it harmful to our relationship to make her do it?

[Michael]

It all depends on reward to displeasure ratio.

[hooligan]

Okie dokie. So, as long as she sees it as being worth her while, will she eventually become more comfortable with it?

Also, if she really hated it, would she do it at all? She doesn't struggle or anything, but when she's laying there I think she's unsure of what I'm going to do with her.

[Michael]

I bet she just gets bored more than anything.

[hooligan]

Haha, okay, that makes sense.