Hi all, my CAG Oz is almost 6 months old. Although it might be too early, I think it shouldn't hurt to start teaching him speaking. He definitely has the potential to speak, as I had heard him saying "step down" once when he wanted to get off my hand, but that was about a month ago and he never did that again.
Browsing the Internet, I've learned two approaches. One is to passively wait until the bird says a word, then rush over and give a treat. The other is to actively repeat the word to the bird, reward the bird whenever it vocals back, then be more and more strict with the pronunciation. I've been taking both approaches. The problem I have with the first approach is that, as I mentioned, it took a month for me to hear Oz saying one phrase. For the second approach, I'm stuck in the phase where I began trying to be more strict about pronunciation, Oz doesn't get the idea and loses interest very fast.
I'm well aware that no matter what the approach is, it takes time and patience to be effective. I just want to know if I am on the right track. At what age did your bird start talking? How did you teach your bird to talk and how long did it take? I'd love to hear your stories! Thanks in advance!
Browsing the Internet, I've learned two approaches. One is to passively wait until the bird says a word, then rush over and give a treat. The other is to actively repeat the word to the bird, reward the bird whenever it vocals back, then be more and more strict with the pronunciation. I've been taking both approaches. The problem I have with the first approach is that, as I mentioned, it took a month for me to hear Oz saying one phrase. For the second approach, I'm stuck in the phase where I began trying to be more strict about pronunciation, Oz doesn't get the idea and loses interest very fast.
I'm well aware that no matter what the approach is, it takes time and patience to be effective. I just want to know if I am on the right track. At what age did your bird start talking? How did you teach your bird to talk and how long did it take? I'd love to hear your stories! Thanks in advance!