That's a pretty accurate analogy.I met a lady a few weeks ago that has a cockatoo. She told me that having a too was basically like have a special needs child. In reality, I think having a bird of any species is like that. And even some dogs.
Very true. It takes a very small amount of time to create a problem and it takes forever to fix it.Like Dr. Phil says, it takes a thousand "atta boys" to undo one bad comment or act. Those of us who have phobic birds know that this is so true.
You dont. I recommend reading Barbara Heidenreich's Parrot Problem Solver to learn more. ANYONE who thinks any type of punishment is needed to work with a bird is WRONG, and needs to read that book ASAP.I am curious as to how people on this board discipline their birds.
You avoid the bite altogether in the way you handle them. Using a T stick to move/travel from one place to another. Not putting your flesh in the target zone. Reading and understanding their body language so you can see the bite coming.What do you do with a real biter? How do you discipline them? Obviously if a cockatiel bites you it hurts but if a macaw bites you people will start calling you Four Fingered Joe. So when you have a huge bird with a very powerful beak what steps do you take to ensure you won't be badly injured? Obviously you can't hit the bird or lock it away.
Yep! Avoid the bite, avoid the scream, avoid allowing the bird near a wall so it can chew on it, etc. You can do things that allows the bird to not be presented in the situation to be naughty. And if it gets into 'trouble' you need to take it out of the situation(or remove and avoid the situation altogether) in a calm manner. You MUST do things in a calm manner and reinforce with positive reinforcement.
You avoid the bite altogether in the way you handle them. Using a T stick to move/travel from one place to another. Not putting your flesh in the target zone. Reading and understanding their body language so you can see the bite coming.
It's all about how "you" handle them. Once in a while when "you" screw up you get a bite. Amazing incentive to not screw up.
I am curious as to how people on this board discipline their birds. Is it all verbal? ...
It's not about what you do when you see a bad behavior. And it certainly isn't about diverting bad behavior with a treat. It's about what you do, day-to-day, to have the bird live productively in your home so that you *prevent* and don't see bad behavior. It's about rewarding good behavior. Consistently.What do you do with a real biter? How do you discipline them? Obviously if a cockatiel bites you it hurts but if a macaw bites you people will start calling you Four Fingered Joe. So when you have a huge bird with a very powerful beak what steps do you take to ensure you won't be badly injured? Obviously you can't hit the bird or lock it away.
I would be hesitant to divert attention with a treat.
VERY nice post. You touched up on everything. I couldnt agree more.
It's not about what you do when you see a bad behavior. And it certainly isn't about diverting bad behavior with a treat. It's about what you do, day-to-day, to have the bird live productively in your home so that you *prevent* and don't see bad behavior. It's about rewarding good behavior. Consistently.
My birds know how to behave; they have been trained for good behavior with positive reinforcement. They do not (problem) scream; they do not bite. They step up, and they have their routine. They talk and play games, and they are never yelled at or punished in any way. They are happy, and our home is peaceful. It takes a lot of work to train large birds for life in a home. But, a thing once done well is done forever.
The only thing that I do that could even be remotely considered discipline is insisting that they go to bed at night in their cages. But they are all trained to do so, and all get treats for cooperating, so, off to bed they all go at the appointed time.
Sometimes, I think people read threads that criticize punishment, and they think that people who do positive reinforcement and try to work with birds' natural behavior must have spoiled, crazy birds that do whatever they want. In reality, our birds are extremely well behaved and well trained. The results look more like "discipline" than "discipline" ever could.
I so agree with youSometimes, I think people read threads that criticize punishment, and they think that people who do positive reinforcement and try to work with birds' natural behavior must have spoiled, crazy birds that do whatever they want. In reality, our birds are extremely well behaved and well trained. The results look more like "discipline" than "discipline" ever could.
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That's it in a nutshell.Sometimes, I think people read threads that criticize punishment, and they think that people who do positive reinforcement and try to work with birds' natural behavior must have spoiled, crazy birds that do whatever they want. In reality, our birds are extremely well behaved and well trained. The results look more like "discipline" than "discipline" ever could.
Dogs do not need a "firm hand", they need a skilled and compassionate owner who will set good boundaries (which can absolutely be done with positive reinforcement), be smart about doling out resources and who is skilled in reading body language. I train dogs professionally and I can tell you that the owners who get in the most trouble are the ones who think that they "need to show the dog whose boss". GSD are extremely sensitive and very responsive to body language.I think GSDs in particular need a very firm hand. Do you find your dog more intelligent than your bird or your bird more intelligent than your dog? I find my dog to be much more intelligent. I suppose there must be different ways to measure intelligence for dog and for birds.
I am curious as to how people on this board discipline their birds. Is it all verbal? I usually verbally admonish my birds if they are chewing on something they shouldn't by just saying "Leave that alone Iggy!" and they will stop chewing. The only one of my birds that bites is Iggy and she has never drawn my blood though she did rip into my boyfriends hand one time. Squeaky sometimes lightly nibbles me arm but has never bitten me. He has also drawn blood from my boyfriend though.
What do you do with a real biter? How do you discipline them? Obviously if a cockatiel bites you it hurts but if a macaw bites you people will start calling you Four Fingered Joe. So when you have a huge bird with a very powerful beak what steps do you take to ensure you won't be badly injured? Obviously you can't hit the bird or lock it away.
I would be hesitant to divert attention with a treat. I don't do that with my dogs or my birds. My dog is trained to drop anything on command but I never taught him by offering him something else if he dropped what he had. I wanted him to know that when I say "Drop it" he should drop it no matter what. He is also trained not to touch chicken bones on the street, which is very useful.
This is a great post and I LOVE the last sentenceIt's not about what you do when you see a bad behavior. And it certainly isn't about diverting bad behavior with a treat. It's about what you do, day-to-day, to have the bird live productively in your home so that you *prevent* and don't see bad behavior. It's about rewarding good behavior. Consistently.
My birds know how to behave; they have been trained for good behavior with positive reinforcement. They do not (problem) scream; they do not bite. They step up, and they have their routine. They talk and play games, and they are never yelled at or punished in any way. They are happy, and our home is peaceful. It takes a lot of work to train large birds for life in a home. But, a thing once done well is done forever.
The only thing that I do that could even be remotely considered discipline is insisting that they go to bed at night in their cages. But they are all trained to do so, and all get treats for cooperating, so, off to bed they all go at the appointed time.
Sometimes, I think people read threads that criticize punishment, and they think that people who do positive reinforcement and try to work with birds' natural behavior must have spoiled, crazy birds that do whatever they want. In reality, our birds are extremely well behaved and well trained. The results look more like "discipline" than "discipline" ever could.
Great post, and this post really hit the nail on the head.Dogs aren't "smarter" than birds and birds aren't "smarter" than dogs, it's just not that simple. Measuring intelligence is a really difficult thing to do because humans tend to measure everything against human intelligence. How can you say one is smarter than the other? It's like measuring intelligence of dogs breeds, you can't because they all excel at something.