Hello!

[arlowry]

Hi everyone!

I'm very excited to have found this place. After being around birds all of my life, I finally decided to once again add a parrot to the household. Rather than having "look but please don't touch" birds like my mother's amazons, I think it's imperative to have a well socialized companion. I decided on a Senegal and am currently waiting for the little one (Olive) to be weaned so that he can come home with me. As a Dog Trainer who uses purely positive techniques and clicker training, finding out how seamlessly this translates into training a well behaved parrot opened up a whole new area of work on developing my skills as a trainer, as well as knowing what it feels like for my clients to be the student.

The tips and step by step instruction have already been helpful. During my daily visits to see Olive at the store we have already worked on targeting and "step up." He's really getting the hang of both. I'm looking forward to continuing to work with him and learn from people here as well.

- Allie

[Michael]

Awww, what a cutie. Baby Senegals are the best.

Just don't get too training fixated in the early months. They are so moldable they'll do practically anything just to follow the leader and get used to things. This is the best time to introduce him to objects, people, and places (although more caution for places). For a flighted parrot working on good flight recall is of course the primary step rather than tricks.

Also I think you'll find that parrot training is far more challenging and quite different from dog training. First of all, unlike domesticated dogs, parrots don't come with an automatic desire to please the owner. Heck, unless the relationship is developed, they couldn't care less. There is no dominance/alpha structure. With a Senegal Parrot you are likely to run into one-person-birdedness unless you make great strides in socialization. A parrot is probably a lot more likely to bite than a dog, even when properly trained. They're still quite wild. And finally, there's flight which is a whole other thing in itself.

But it sounds like you've given it some though and you're in the right place to learn. Good luck.

[cham87]

Welcome! I am in the same boat as you. Mike is the guru. He is only reason I bought a bird, I wouldn't have felt comfortable buying one without having his guides.

Your bird is very pretty!