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Trick Training Ideas Needed

Hjarta5

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So last year I thought I would do some trick training with Wally and Luna. We started out slow with touching the end of a stick, which was very successful and gave us a big confidence boost :D We then graduated to other small training items, like getting them to raise their wings on command (Wally almost always, Luna only sometimes) and dropping an item into a bowl (Luna is much better than Wally, but I am almost always holding the bowl right underneath them and somehow they still want to fling it somewhere else :rolleyes:). Mostly, I try to repeat the same word whenever I see them doing something so that they will learn to associate their action with the same word, i.e. jump! come here!, as I think it will be awhile before we master the color rings game.

But I think Wally and Luna can do with some fresh ideas :idea2:

So I would love it if you shared what training activities you do with your birds so I can spice it up for Wally and Luna, too :)
 

EkkieLu

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Sergei will sit on my right hand, I say Do the Eagle, I hold my left palm up in front of him, he spreads his wings as wide as he can until I put my left hand down!
20180831_190219.jpg

I'm working on Angel doing The Baby He lays in the crook of my arm on his back and says Wa Wa Wah. Right now he lays there alright but Sergei says the Wa Wa Wah! Lol
20190126_172951_Burst01-2.jpg
 

Hjarta5

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@EkkieLu How cute! My vocal cue for the wing spread is "Eagle Wings!" so we must be on the same wavelength :D Sergei and Angel need their own comedy routine :lol:

For Luna, he has just recently trusted me enough to fly over and perch in my lap. It may take another 1.5 years before he lets me touch him ;)
 

Gribouille

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We are new beginners, Pichu is now quite good at target training, I get him to fly to different places in the room.
I also try to get him to accept a harness, so I train him to put his head through it to get a treat. Still a long way to go before he accept the harness on him I guess, but that's a start. Putting a ball in a bowl is a good idea, I think we'll try that too!
 

Begone

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I really like that they do things like, flying, going in a tunnel, flying or going through a ring, spin around when only holding on with their beak on your finger. Things that at the same time make them exercise.
If you can hold them in your hands you can teach them to lay still on their back (play dead,) or turn around.
Mostly, I try to repeat the same word whenever I see them doing something so that they will learn to associate their action with the same word, i.e. jump! come here!, as I think it will be awhile before we master the color rings game.
I do the same. :)
 

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Lately I've been focused on teaching them their colors (Sadly, I don't have a ring game yet, just little colored blocks. I hold them up, say a color, and Gus taps the correct one for a treat). So far, Gus can successfully identify red, yellow, and blue, and we recently expanded to other matching objects so he learns that red is red, whether it's a block or a crayon or a clicker, and he picked up the extrapolation remarkably quickly.

Funny thing is, Boo (my TAG) never showed any interest in the color game at all. Whenever I'd try to teach it to her, she'd just let her attention wander and request scritches instead.

Until today.

This morning, Boo sat and watched while I worked with Gus and I realized that for once, she actually wanted in on the action, so I gave her a turn. Do you know, that little stinker had already learned her colors just by observing Gus? Nailed it on the first attempt. She must have been mentally playing along for a while. Now I just have to wonder... why did she wait until she had it down pat before she'd even attempt the game? Was it in an attempt to surprise me? Does she get embarrassed if she gets things wrong? That bird is an enigma.
 
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Gribouille

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@Gribouille The harness is my next big thing for Wally, too! But I have to admit its me thats the intimidated one for that trick :facepalm:
I know, seems a very scary thing to do and it took me a long time before I tried the training with this, mostly because I didn't know how to start. Now I hold the harness in front of him and present a treat so he has to go through the loop to get it. First only the beak, now he gets his head past the eyes but still retreats very fast once he has the treat. I hope he will get used to it and not care that much anymore but I'm thinking we'll perhaps need the whole year before that.. Doesn't matter, as long as he keeps associating the harness with getting treats...
 

Gribouille

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Nailed it on the first attempt. She must have been mentally playing along for a while. Now I just have to wonder... why did she wait until she had it down pat before she'd even attempt the game?
This is so funny! My kids are like that too... The youngest doesn't care if he fails, he'll just try again and again until he gets it, but the oldest has been refusing to do anything he wasn't sure to master at once. Seems like Boo is like that too!! You could think some birds have pride, or need more time to get the point...
 

Hjarta5

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@Eloy Great idea re: the tunnel! I forgot thats another one I can use and I'm going to buy one next time I order my toy supplies! What do you use?

@Tazlima That is amazing! Also, I found that Wally is really into training when she sees Luna doing it and getting treats; otherwise, she could care less :p Birds in a flock must have some competitive nature in them!
 

Dona

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Aww I had a cockatiel many years ago that did wings open "Eagle!" on command. And when I said "Are you sleepy?" she tucked her head back. My canary flew on to his swing on request. My male caique hopped on command while the female looked at him like he was a suck up.

I noticed that Gigi often flew to the sofa arm when I was sitting on the sofa. So I started saying "I want that bird right here!" while enthusiastically tapping the sofa arm. Now she nearly always flies there when I say it and tap. I also called her a "shoulder girl" when she popped down from the back of the sofa. So now I can ask "Shoulder girl?" and she will usually hop there. I also say "stretchy wings!" when she stretches out a wing so she does it over and over. When Gigi gets really excited she flies a loop around the living room while doing contact calls. I clap and cheer her on so she does it again and again. Yesterday she had that look in her eyes while standing on her cage door and I said "Be a fly-baby!" and she took a noisy loop around the living room. So all of Gigi's tricks started out as normal behaviors that I named and encouraged. But it's impressive. She seems to understand so much of what I say.
 

Gribouille

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So all of Gigi's tricks started out as normal behaviors that I named and encouraged. But it's impressive. She seems to understand so much of what I say.
They really do understand a lot, my budgie Nova is not tame and I've never trained her except for telling her to go inside her cage, which she always does in the end but it can take time.
The other day she escaped from the little cage we use to shower. She isn't used to be in the bathroom so she was flying around, refusing to let me close to help her. So I told her no, you have to let me help you or you won't find the door. She then flew to the top of the door. I told her yeah that's the door but you have to go through there to get out. She flew out at once. I'm sure it was no coincidence, she has learned my gestures and words. I'm sure she could easily learn tricks if she was tame!
 

Dona

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They really do understand a lot, my budgie Nova is not tame and I've never trained her except for telling her to go inside her cage, which she always does in the end but it can take time.
The other day she escaped from the little cage we use to shower. She isn't used to be in the bathroom so she was flying around, refusing to let me close to help her. So I told her no, you have to let me help you or you won't find the door. She then flew to the top of the door. I told her yeah that's the door but you have to go through there to get out. She flew out at once. I'm sure it was no coincidence, she has learned my gestures and words. I'm sure she could easily learn tricks if she was tame!
Oh my gosh, so cute. Let's talk it out little bird. Yes, that's the door.

Yesterday Gigi flew off her boing onto a perch. The boing continued to swing and smacked her on the tail. She looked and got smacked in the face, twice. Then I swear she just looked at me like "Are you kidding? Did you see that?"
 

Gribouille

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Oh my gosh, so cute. Let's talk it out little bird. Yes, that's the door.

Yesterday Gigi flew off her boing onto a perch. The boing continued to swing and smacked her on the tail. She looked and got smacked in the face, twice. Then I swear she just looked at me like "Are you kidding? Did you see that?"
:rofl:
 

Macawnutz

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So I would love it if you shared what training activities you do with your birds so I can spice it up for Wally and Luna, too :)


Just come visit me someday.... will ya? ;)
 

EkkieLu

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@EkkieLu How cute! My vocal cue for the wing spread is "Eagle Wings!" so we must be on the same wavelength :D Sergei and Angel need their own comedy routine :lol:

For Luna, he has just recently trusted me enough to fly over and perch in my lap. It may take another 1.5 years before he lets me touch him ;)
Ekkies speak way more clearly than amazons. So when I repeat things to get Angel's anunciation to improve, Sergei feels the need to put his 2 cents worth in!

Newt is a shy little guy. I have to say Step Up several times to him before he actually does it. So now Lucy yells Step Up to Newt as soon as I put my hand out to him!
 

Rain Bow

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Buddy does 6 colors... His commands are "take away" & "leave __color__" We use a bunch off wood washers & a little stand/holder I hold when we do it. I don't use a clicker & never have yet, but I know when Buddy was young my Dad tried. The take away game part he started himself when he started getting bored w/ doing colors. That's how those 2 commands started.

20190909_190908.jpg

He also "pulls it" This is the newest one that we do, to close the towel curtain on my front door nightly. I use a 1" ribbon to tie it so he "pulls it" to take the bow out, "hangs it" to put the ribbon on/over his shower perch (Mom helps) & then we close the towel by "pulling it". There's beak damage to a few of my towels, but it gives him a great sense of accomplishment. I am really proud of him.

It sort of goes like this...

Pull it, this is the bow

20190909_191803.jpg

Then "we" hang it

20190909_191818.jpg

Then he pulls the curtain shut

20190909_191833.jpg

Then Mom pretties the curtain...

20190909_191855.jpg

Both of these games, tricks, helps took time. The color thing we've been doing about 6 months into owning him & has progressed over time. We don't do it every day but we do it a few times a week.

The towel thing is almost nightly. He may not get to do it 1-2 times a week.

He's currently working on taking food from a metal spoon.
 

Hjarta5

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@Dona I agree with you; birds are so smart and will learn so much if you just give them the opportunity to do so! Gigi sounds like such a cute fly girl :fairy:

@Macawnutz I would love to see your flock in person! :) But somehow I feel like your wink n nod is some sort of trick... :peek1:... Is it?
 

Hjarta5

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@Rain Bow Thats such a great game! I feel like Luna has learned our nighttime routine where he'll climb back to his roosting perch at around the same time every night after snacks and the lowering of lights. I feel like the curtain would be a great addition to that, to let him know its time for bed :goodnight2:

I am always a fan of the color id game! Did you also teach that by naming the colors over and over?
 
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