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Does anyone chain tricks together?
- Thread starter Wayne361
- Start date
Oh hey there, yes! I did promise you a video didn't I....I'll definitely do that. I got back to school from break and just kind of forgot.
Here's how to get started.
~Put a large black dot on the back of a card and teach the bird to touch the card like a target stick. Touch, click, reward, repeat. The bird will catch on very quickly.
~You can then add a second card but no black dot. Start out with the right card closest to the bird so they are set up for success. Again, they'll quickly learn that touching the card with the large black dot gets a reward and touching the plain card does not. Tempt your bird by placing the right card further away. Once they actually move to get it a time or two, you can be pretty sure that they understand the concept of big black dot equals treat, plain card does not.
~Now you just get new cards and make the black dot smaller....and smaller....and smaller.....you will obviously need more than one card so you can make new smaller dots. Try to use cards from the same deck so the color and pattern on the back of the card are consistent. This isn't vital but it'll be helpful for phasing out the dot without potential confusion.
~As you make the dot smaller, you can also add more plain cards. You can also try holding them in your hand, fanning them, moving them around on the table, use your imagination, so you are reassured that your bird understands that the black dotted card is the right one to chose no matter where it is and how many other plain cards are there.
~Soon, the black dot will be so small that it is visible for your bird but a person who is watching the trick won't really notice it unless you point it out for them to see.
From there, use your bird's skill of picking a desired card to put into a magic trick of your choice. There are many tricks that feature this.
Have fun and I'll make that video for you tomorrow morning. As I said, my GW hasn't learned this trick but that will be great because it's an easy trick to learn so it won't take long and you'll also be able to see the learning process and not just a bird doing a trick he already knows without seeing the little learning hurdles one may encounter along the way.
Here's how to get started.
~Put a large black dot on the back of a card and teach the bird to touch the card like a target stick. Touch, click, reward, repeat. The bird will catch on very quickly.
~You can then add a second card but no black dot. Start out with the right card closest to the bird so they are set up for success. Again, they'll quickly learn that touching the card with the large black dot gets a reward and touching the plain card does not. Tempt your bird by placing the right card further away. Once they actually move to get it a time or two, you can be pretty sure that they understand the concept of big black dot equals treat, plain card does not.
~Now you just get new cards and make the black dot smaller....and smaller....and smaller.....you will obviously need more than one card so you can make new smaller dots. Try to use cards from the same deck so the color and pattern on the back of the card are consistent. This isn't vital but it'll be helpful for phasing out the dot without potential confusion.
~As you make the dot smaller, you can also add more plain cards. You can also try holding them in your hand, fanning them, moving them around on the table, use your imagination, so you are reassured that your bird understands that the black dotted card is the right one to chose no matter where it is and how many other plain cards are there.
~Soon, the black dot will be so small that it is visible for your bird but a person who is watching the trick won't really notice it unless you point it out for them to see.
From there, use your bird's skill of picking a desired card to put into a magic trick of your choice. There are many tricks that feature this.
Have fun and I'll make that video for you tomorrow morning. As I said, my GW hasn't learned this trick but that will be great because it's an easy trick to learn so it won't take long and you'll also be able to see the learning process and not just a bird doing a trick he already knows without seeing the little learning hurdles one may encounter along the way.
I actually happen to be cardless hence me not making a vid yet! I apologize. I thought I had a deck or two here in my apartment.Thank you so much for getting this together for me! I totally understand how things get busy, seems like the time flies.
Hope you are having a wonderful day!
I will go shopping this week and can pick some up. 
Aphios
Meeting neighbors
- Joined
- 10/7/14
- Messages
- 40
That is fine, it seems like whenever we are looking for something we just don't have it/can't find it. As recently as yesterday I was looking for two books to read for history. The books had sat on our shelves for years and yesterday I could not find them! I will have to get copies from the library. ;-)
Anyway, I will be looking forward to your video! Thanks again for the effort you are putting into this for me!
Anyway, I will be looking forward to your video! Thanks again for the effort you are putting into this for me!
No biggie, my pleasure.
Hey there @Aphios ! Here's a couple videos I promised! I didn't forget you!!!
(Phone shuts the video off every few minutes. Sorry
)
Notice I took the cards away after she wasn't selecting the marked card fairly quickly in the last video.....sometimes when a your bird is starting to understand the concept but begins to take awhile to perform the behavior, this can often mean a lack of motivation. One tactic you can try before ending the session is to take away the opportunity as I did there. The bird realizes, aw man, I missed out on scratches/treats and will often be more motivated to perform the behavior the next time you ask as seen above. Always end on a good note though so after she did a good job, I ended the session so she could have a break. This keeps the trick fun and stimulating. I will upload another video after a bit and will not practice with her in between so you can see the full unaltered progression after she has played/relaxed for awhile.
(Phone shuts the video off every few minutes. Sorry
)Notice I took the cards away after she wasn't selecting the marked card fairly quickly in the last video.....sometimes when a your bird is starting to understand the concept but begins to take awhile to perform the behavior, this can often mean a lack of motivation. One tactic you can try before ending the session is to take away the opportunity as I did there. The bird realizes, aw man, I missed out on scratches/treats and will often be more motivated to perform the behavior the next time you ask as seen above. Always end on a good note though so after she did a good job, I ended the session so she could have a break. This keeps the trick fun and stimulating. I will upload another video after a bit and will not practice with her in between so you can see the full unaltered progression after she has played/relaxed for awhile.
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I always bridge and for a reward I didn't use treats there....just physical attention but I do use treats sometimes. 
Now at times, I do use random interval rewarding in which I don't reward every time so they think "when will I get it?? This time??? no this time??? Try again, now???" It's like gambling with humans and continually trying to get the reward and sometimes nailing it can be a bit addicting to the bird. It can be a great motivation tactic that works well for a lot of birds especially once they have the learning process down.
It also is good for practical life situations when you need the bird to do a behavior and you happen to be without treats. They are more likely to do what you asked. I try to make sure I give them something though like scratches or dancing, etc to show I'm happy and appreciate their participation even when not on a training stand/mode.
In the beginning always reward though.
Good luck with your babies! Conures are so adorkable!
Now at times, I do use random interval rewarding in which I don't reward every time so they think "when will I get it?? This time??? no this time??? Try again, now???" It's like gambling with humans and continually trying to get the reward and sometimes nailing it can be a bit addicting to the bird. It can be a great motivation tactic that works well for a lot of birds especially once they have the learning process down.
It also is good for practical life situations when you need the bird to do a behavior and you happen to be without treats. They are more likely to do what you asked. I try to make sure I give them something though like scratches or dancing, etc to show I'm happy and appreciate their participation even when not on a training stand/mode.
In the beginning always reward though.
Good luck with your babies! Conures are so adorkable!
Also, her randomly flapping and putting her foot up are all signs of her thinking through things, not that she's frustrated or upset. She could bite or fly away if she was (she's fully flighted).
Animals, when asked to do something, especially something new, will often try answers that have worked in the past before figuring out what you are wanting.
I find it very interesting to watch them try other solutions and think through the situation. After all, in the past being an "eagle" and waving/stepping up got her a reward. I love teaching and then watching animals learn...being a student myself I find it so fascinating!
Animals, when asked to do something, especially something new, will often try answers that have worked in the past before figuring out what you are wanting.
I find it very interesting to watch them try other solutions and think through the situation. After all, in the past being an "eagle" and waving/stepping up got her a reward. I love teaching and then watching animals learn...being a student myself I find it so fascinating!
Aphios
Meeting neighbors
- Joined
- 10/7/14
- Messages
- 40
Ok, that makes sense. Thanks! One more quick question, for you or anyone who has an answer. Recently my birds have not been interested in training, don't care about the treats, don't want to sit on the stand, etc... I am having a hard time even getting them to touch the target stick, something they were doing without hesitation. Do you know why or have a remedy for this?
Yeah, the more people to answer that the better because there are so many fids on here who all act completely different once the building blocks of training are established! The more varied solutions you find, the bigger your tool box will get!
One thing I have noticed when a bird I am working with starts to get disinterested particularly once it has learned the trick/behavior, is that they are not motivated and actually get bored. They start to get a little ADHD at that point!
I only do targeting as a warm up and sort of as an "easy A" for my bird so that way they can get the reward easily, build their confidence if needed, gets them in "thinking" mode, and kind of shows their level of motivation to train. I accidentally did too much targeting and it seemed like "oops, this bird doesn't know how to target anymore!" Only targeting a little made it more exciting....like that super easy math problem in a giant assignment full of algebra and trig! Sometimes learning a new trick can get them back in gear....typically they enjoy training as it is mentally stimulating, yummies or scratches are involved, and it's time/attention with you.Potentially something negative, in the bird's mind not that you really did anything, happened so they associate the stand, clicker, treat bag etc with something they don't want.....boredom, something scary, always training when not motivated, who knows. Just check what your bird's body language is telling you when you go to try to ask for targeting, trick etc and often you will see what they are wanting/not wanting. Training should be fun for both, not a boring or scary task. Try having the training on a different stand or move to a new location....mix it up. In addition to the behaviors I ask for, I also rotate where and on what surface I work with a bird. It seems to keep the sessions more interesting instead of mundane and causing a fly off or a bored birdie. (some birds get scared in a new place so don't move too much if that stresses them although training around something that makes them a little nervous can actually help them get over the fear. Again, just evaluate what your bird tells you)
Look at other rewards....same treat can get boring. Try using a lesser valued treat mixed with highly value treats, train before meal time or bed time, or try offering a toy or something else your bird wants instead of food. One bird who had a fear aggression problem loved to sit without people too close so when he would target, I would just step back and let him preen and relax and that worked very well and soon after he saw that I was understanding his body language/desires, he wanted me to stay around to target train more and started to take treats or get scratches.
Feel free to tag some people and see what they like to do.
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No biggie. Keep asking, trying, and plugging away!
Thank you. I adopted her last year. I am her 3rd home and she is 8 years old.
Thank you. I adopted her last year. I am her 3rd home and she is 8 years old.
