Will only do target command on one perch

[HarleyQ]

Target training Harley has been a success so far. She will target from one side of her play stand perch to the other. However she won’t do it anywhere other than that one perch. She won’t even step off of the perch on to the ladder. Has anyone had this problem before? If I do it even a little bit off of the perch and onto the ladder she will just dance back and forth instead of doing the command. She will reach for it on the perch, but won’t step off of it and if she’s on another perch and sees the stick she will just go to the top perch and wait instead of wherever I have the stick. I’m assuming I should probably start doing the command in a different area. It’s just difficult because that’s the only place she’s comfortable really, and she doesn’t step up yet for me to take her somewhere else to train. Any suggestions?

 

[Zara]

@Monica @Fuzzy

 

[sunnysmom]

 

[Monica]

Is she comfortable in her cage?

Can you.... target train her through the cage bars? Through the open cage door? Around the top of the cage?


Short answer is YES! Yes, you need to generalize the behavior. Right now, that perch is "school", and what she's learning "in school" she is not applying to "everyday life". Generalize the behavior in various locations. It may mean you have to start from square one in a few different locations, but once she understands that you ask this behavior, regardless of location, then she can perform that behavior even in new settings. It also helps to increase distractions once you have the behavior down pat in lower distraction areas!

 

[elena_2004]

Target training Harley has been a success so far. She will target from one side of her play stand perch to the other. However she won’t do it anywhere other than that one perch. She won’t even step off of the perch on to the ladder. Has anyone had this problem before? If I do it even a little bit off of the perch and onto the ladder she will just dance back and forth instead of doing the command. She will reach for it on the perch, but won’t step off of it and if she’s on another perch and sees the stick she will just go to the top perch and wait instead of wherever I have the stick. I’m assuming I should probably start doing the command in a different area. It’s just difficult because that’s the only place she’s comfortable really, and she doesn’t step up yet for me to take her somewhere else to train. Any suggestions?

As you said yourself, she probably feels very comfortable on that particular perch. Just keeps trying on that perch for now until she gets super comfortable doing it. Then keep trying in other places. Its all about repetition - eventually they learn!

 

[HarleyQ]

Is she comfortable in her cage?

Can you.... target train her through the cage bars? Through the open cage door? Around the top of the cage?


Short answer is YES! Yes, you need to generalize the behavior. Right now, that perch is "school", and what she's learning "in school" she is not applying to "everyday life". Generalize the behavior in various locations. It may mean you have to start from square one in a few different locations, but once she understands that you ask this behavior, regardless of location, then she can perform that behavior even in new settings. It also helps to increase distractions once you have the behavior down pat in lower distraction areas!

Thanks for the suggestions! I will try through the cage bars tomorrow. I just switched her to her permanent cage, so we no longer have a play top anymore. I might keep the previous cage just in case she won’t do it anywhere else, but I didn’t even think to try from outside the cage. Can’t reach my arm in the cage though as she sometimes will get mad about that.

 

[Monica]

@HarleyQ keep us updated!

I actually recommend target training through the cage bars for aggressive or fearful birds! Done right, you can avoid bites! Thankfully, not something you may need to worry about too much... but who knows? Maybe it'll help to generalize the behavior?

 

[HarleyQ]

@HarleyQ keep us updated!

I actually recommend target training through the cage bars for aggressive or fearful birds! Done right, you can avoid bites! Thankfully, not something you may need to worry about too much... but who knows? Maybe it'll help to generalize the behavior?

She’s not much of a biter thankfully. She bit me once which was my fault because I went too fast, but it didn’t even break the skin. She is pretty fearful though, but it gets better everyday. I’ll be sure to keep y’all updated.

 

[HarleyQ]

So, I tried it through the cage bars and she did perfectly. She had a little bit of an issue at first. She just wanted to stay on the rope perch and wouldn’t go to any other perches, but after a few times I had her going to every perch in the cage. Maybe tomorrow we will try outside the cage, then we will start doing step up. I’m excited!

 

[Monica]

That's awesome!

It wouldn't hurt to practice every day within the cage for at least a week to get her more comfortable with the behavior before moving outside of the cage or around the outside of the cage at least.