Best Training Treat?

[Shinobi]

Maybe you could whistle or make click sound instead.

We had a Alexandrine parrot that would turn around when told. He would shake your hand when asked to shake.

He was in the process of being taught to hold his wings out when asked. We would say "wings out" . Great for vet examinations.

 

[JBosley]

Maybe you could whistle or make click sound instead.

We had a Alexandrine parrot that would turn around when told. He would shake your hand when asked to shake.

He was in the process of being taught to hold his wings out when asked. We would say "wings out" . Great for vet examinations.

Great idea! So far I’m just happy he steps up haha. Now I’m trying to get him wearing a flight suit..... tricks will be next! He’s sort of tough to train because he doesn’t want to be on his stand, just on my shoulder.

 

[ConureTiel]

Clicker training is wonderful!

By the way, if you click at the same time as you are delivering the reward, you can end up masking/blocking the click and it won't mean as much to the bird. Click first, then treat. And, if you really want to make your training clear, consider using a cue (for example, just your hand position in front of him and the words "step up") without the lure of the seed. It's not absolutely crucial, of course, but if you always have to use a treat to lure a bird around, you may find you need him to step up fast some time when you don't have a treat on you.

Some people use a ball point pen click for a reward marker -- a LOT softer than a clicker. But you can modify the sound of a clicker a little -- take several small pieces of masking tape and put them in layers on top of the clicker lever, down inside the box opposite of the part you press. It muffles the sound a bit. But as several on here have said, a word can work -- pick a quick one syllable word like "yes" or "good."

 

[JBosley]

Clicker training is wonderful!

By the way, if you click at the same time as you are delivering the reward, you can end up masking/blocking the click and it won't mean as much to the bird. Click first, then treat. And, if you really want to make your training clear, consider using a cue (for example, just your hand position in front of him and the words "step up") without the lure of the seed. It's not absolutely crucial, of course, but if you always have to use a treat to lure a bird around, you may find you need him to step up fast some time when you don't have a treat on you.

Some people use a ball point pen click for a reward marker -- a LOT softer than a clicker. But you can modify the sound of a clicker a little -- take several small pieces of masking tape and put them in layers on top of the clicker lever, down inside the box opposite of the part you press. It muffles the sound a bit. But as several on here have said, a word can work -- pick a quick one syllable word like "yes" or "good."

I had never thought of a pen! Or muffling the clicker.

So far we just use yes. Seems to be working, as his stepping up is pretty good!

 

[jax7271]

If your bird is afraid of the clicker, you can use a word instead, usually something short. Sometimes it works better than a clicker. I had a puppy that did not like the sound so we used a word and it worked like a charm...

 

[Shinobi]

This the way it works. People putting forward great ideas that came from personal experience.

 

[JBosley]

This the way it works. People putting forward great ideas that came from personal experience.

Yes!

I love forums for this exact reason. You guys rock!