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Clicker training

Mrs c

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Has anyone trained their african grey with a clicker? I was watching a video and thought I would give it a go. My concern is that he uses a click to show he doesn't like something. In fact I realised after watching this vid that Alfie has trained me quite well with his click. If I carry him in the direction he doesn't want to go he clicks and I oblige by going another way duh!!! Same when I show him out of the window. If it's not the correct window he clicks and I say "OK" and go to his preferred one. So.. Can I turn the tables and use a clicker on him instead??
 

Shezbug

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I wonder if he’s previously been clicker trained which is how he knew how to train you.:roflmao:
I am sure you can still clicker train him, if the actual click ends up causing a problem you can use a different sound- it doesn’t have to be a click. Some people who have birds that are uncomfortable with the clicker use words in place of the click.
 

Mrs c

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I wonder if he’s previously been clicker trained which is how he knew how to train you.:roflmao:
I am sure you can still clicker train him, if the actual click ends up causing a problem you can use a different sound- it doesn’t have to be a click. Some people who have birds that are uncomfortable with the clicker use words in place of the click.
What really took me by surprise was how he manipulated me so well without me catching on. :laugh: I thought about a little squeaker but not sure how hubby would cope with the learned noise at full volume.... Or me. :confused:
 

Sodapop&Co.

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Hmm that's really cool! But if the click means "no" in his mind then you've got a problem... I wonder if a tongue click would be different enough.
 

Mrs c

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We do use a tongue click as a sort of a game with him and he copies the sound back to us. Praps if I just say "good" or some other short word maybe.? I suppose as long as its quick enough it should work the same.
 

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We do use a tongue click as a sort of a game with him and he copies the sound back to us. Praps if I just say "good" or some other short word maybe.? I suppose as long as its quick enough it should work the same.
Absolutely, the only difficulty with using words is that it's hard to keep the tone the same every time but otherwise any distinctive sound or word works the same. I use "yes" with my dog as the marker word cuz I use good a lot as praise.
 

Mrs c

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Absolutely, the only difficulty with using words is that it's hard to keep the tone the same every time but otherwise any distinctive sound or word works the same. I use "yes" with my dog as the marker word cuz I use good a lot as praise.
Ah right. I say good boy to him all the time too. Better get my thinking cap on. :rolleyes: thanks for your input and I will let you know how we get on.
 

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I thought about clicker training. Paco will be 24 and I've had him for 3 years. No one has really spend anytime with him. I have taught him how to scoot over so I can reach for his bowl of water and I we finally learned not to bite. I just feel like we should expand more.
 

Mrs c

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This is a similar reason to mine. Alfie is 20 and we've had him 18 years and although we did training at the start and he's mostly easy to handle, we do get rough times when he's hormonal. I think it will give him and me something constructive to do together. Maybe give our brains a bit of a boost. I know mine could do with it:)
 

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My thoughts exactly, I think it will improve our communication skills between the two of us. He doesn't even know how to be a parrot, when I'm home and he his cage is open, he sits in it. The poor guy doesn't even know how to play with toys. I want him to be a happier bird, and hopefully stop the plucking as well.
 

Mrs c

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My thoughts exactly, I think it will improve our communication skills between the two of us. He doesn't even know how to be a parrot, when I'm home and he his cage is open, he sits in it. The poor guy doesn't even know how to play with toys. I want him to be a happier bird, and hopefully stop the plucking as well.
Oh that's sad. I hope it helps him. Alf was a bit like that with toys when we first got him but he was still young. I found that giving him toys made for a smaller bird helped and he was happier with acrylic ones. The clear ones seemed to be more interesting to him. He has all sorts now but still is drawn to those acrylic ones. Especially if they make a good rattle.
 

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Oh that's sad. I hope it helps him. Alf was a bit like that with toys when we first got him but he was still young. I found that giving him toys made for a smaller bird helped and he was happier with acrylic ones. The clear ones seemed to be more interesting to him. He has all sorts now but still is drawn to those acrylic ones. Especially if they make a good rattle.
I haven't thought of that, smaller toys. I did find some little boxes out of card board and he attacked them a few times. I'm really at a loss with him. Can I teach and old bird to play and be happy?
 

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I haven't thought of that, smaller toys. I did find some little boxes out of card board and he attacked them a few times. I'm really at a loss with him. Can I teach and old bird to play and be happy?
I wish you luck. I think you just have to try everything. I found over the years with alf that what I think is going to be boring he thinks is wonderful and I've spent a fortune on toys that I think look great and have never been touched. Just keep at it. I also remember that to coax him out of his cage we used to put a small table in front of the cage door. We would kneel down there to play with stuff and eat stuff. Curiosity got the better of him eventually and out he popped.
 

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oh Paco is out of his cage every day and he even climbs down to the floor and will step up. He doesn't know how to forage for food or play.
 

Mrs c

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oh Paco is out of his cage every day and he even climbs down to the floor and will step up. He doesn't know how to forage for food or play.
Oh I see. Sorry I misunderstood:) alf loves to forage. He can open a puzzle toy in seconds. :geek:
 

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about the click:

1. this is a great book, on sale today for 1.99 reg 17.00
Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals
by Karen Pryor | Jun 16, 2009
4.6 out of 5 stars 384
........................................................................
2. The Neurophysiology of Clicker Training | Karen Pryor Clicker Training

...................................................................
3. For many owners and trainers, verbal markers are utilized first and foremost before a clicker. While a verbal “yes” is effective, it doesn’t quite beat out using a clicker for precise communication. In the article “Amygdala: the Neurophysiology of Clicker Training” by Karen Pryor, it explains how the clicker is interpreted slightly differently and more effectively than verbal markers.

Clicker Training Research
The brain functions in such a manner that sharp, sudden stimuli is interpreted more quickly and through a different pathway than normal every day sounds. This allows the animal to have a quick reflex response to potentially dangerous situations. The click is considered to be a sharp, sudden sound which is processed quickly through the amygdala before the cortex (thinking part).

How It Relates To Learning
Fear responses that have been conditioned are also established in the amygdala. This allows animals to quickly understand what is dangerous in the world and avoid similar situations in the future. Scary situations are quickly stored in long-retention memory.

Karen Pryor and her colleague, Barbara Schoening, hypothesize that clicker training establishes “similar patterns of very rapid learning, long retention, and emotional surges, albeit positive emotions rather than fear.” Essentially, clicker training evokes strong happy emotions from animals while being interpreted more quickly than verbal markers could be.
 

Mrs c

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Wow! That's certainly helpful. I will definitely have a try with the clicker and see how it goes. If he does see it as a sign of displeasure I will stop. Thank you. :)
 

Snowghost

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about the click:

1. this is a great book, on sale today for 1.99 reg 17.00
Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About All Animals
by Karen Pryor | Jun 16, 2009
4.6 out of 5 stars 384
........................................................................
2. The Neurophysiology of Clicker Training | Karen Pryor Clicker Training

...................................................................
3. For many owners and trainers, verbal markers are utilized first and foremost before a clicker. While a verbal “yes” is effective, it doesn’t quite beat out using a clicker for precise communication. In the article “Amygdala: the Neurophysiology of Clicker Training” by Karen Pryor, it explains how the clicker is interpreted slightly differently and more effectively than verbal markers.

Clicker Training Research
The brain functions in such a manner that sharp, sudden stimuli is interpreted more quickly and through a different pathway than normal every day sounds. This allows the animal to have a quick reflex response to potentially dangerous situations. The click is considered to be a sharp, sudden sound which is processed quickly through the amygdala before the cortex (thinking part).

How It Relates To Learning
Fear responses that have been conditioned are also established in the amygdala. This allows animals to quickly understand what is dangerous in the world and avoid similar situations in the future. Scary situations are quickly stored in long-retention memory.

Karen Pryor and her colleague, Barbara Schoening, hypothesize that clicker training establishes “similar patterns of very rapid learning, long retention, and emotional surges, albeit positive emotions rather than fear.” Essentially, clicker training evokes strong happy emotions from animals while being interpreted more quickly than verbal markers could be.


Great post, I definitely be looking into this. I was wondering about Paco's fear response's to many things. I know is last owner had him in the corner of her living room next to large windows. She gave him to me since she was working so many hours. What I have observed in Paco is his fear of many things, the closet door opening, clothes, clothes hangers, pretty much everything. Has he not been exposed to these items or was first owner's bf abusive? He is now 23 and I wondered how long a fearful experience would last in their memory. This will be a must read for me.
 

MommyBird

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Great post, I definitely be looking into this. I was wondering about Paco's fear response's to many things. I know is last owner had him in the corner of her living room next to large windows. She gave him to me since she was working so many hours. What I have observed in Paco is his fear of many things, the closet door opening, clothes, clothes hangers, pretty much everything. Has he not been exposed to these items or was first owner's bf abusive? He is now 23 and I wondered how long a fearful experience would last in their memory. This will be a must read for me.

It was an interesting book, enjoy!
I will say that I have a Hahn's Macaw and they are usually sentinals in mixed flocks in the wild.
Jimi came to me from the breeder so I'm his only home. He would alarm call at many things, constantly. So I decided to teach him. Some things I decided were not scary and I would talk in a silly voice about them, like birds outside or changing piles of books by the chair, or pots in the kitchen that moved locations day to day. Other things I decided were scary (meaning an alarm call about them would be useful to me) so I'd growl and call at deer and elk and the FedEx truck.
I think since his BirdMom never had the chance to teach him, I had to tell him some things that were bad so he didn't have to worry about everything.
Worked pretty well, although he decided on his own that gnats on the ceiling must have someone (me) deal with them immediately.
 

Mrs c

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Great post, I definitely be looking into this. I was wondering about Paco's fear response's to many things. I know is last owner had him in the corner of her living room next to large windows. She gave him to me since she was working so many hours. What I have observed in Paco is his fear of many things, the closet door opening, clothes, clothes hangers, pretty much everything. Has he not been exposed to these items or was first owner's bf abusive? He is now 23 and I wondered how long a fearful experience would last in their memory. This will be a must read for me.
Alfie was and still is nervous of some things but I find that exposing him slowly and gently to things overcomes the fear. We are doing some DIY at home at the moment and he is happily making drilling noises and hammering noises so I recon they can get used to most things if you take it slow. There was a time a piece of wood or a drill would have him in a panic. Given half a chance he would be joining in now. :)
 
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