Training and the holidays...

Training Progress Video  <% 

Disciplining myself to *not* treat the birds all day long represents a problem.  With the holidays, it seems we have a wider variety of goodies around that are both good for them and yummy.  Sweet potatoes, warmed up with just a little bit of butter... 


Bobby is definitely showing signs of less-panic and managed to target the stick without shaking himself off of his perch to do so.  And, he seems to understand that the 10-count with step-up is okay now and doesn't panic at all.  Baby steps.

Coco is still throwing away his birdie kibble and I'm still putting it back into his dish.  He's covered in pin feathers and grumpy and I understand.  He gets lots of training to get lots of sunflower seeds... and I never let his bowl go empty.

Gracie is due to learn something new.  I'm thinking about asking her to do the "what does a cat say" with the meow response.  She says meow already, so I just have to train her to respond correctly.

Lucy is my champion this week.  She now says hello in response to my hello even when she's perched on my hand!!!  She is allowing much more Mama Touch and even says hello to my husband for a nut.  She did, however, dump her full water bowl TWICE today.  Grrrr!

I did a video showing the birds' progress.  Who knows, maybe I'll inspire someone to help their relationships with their own birds.  I hope so.  If nothing else, it inspires me to keep going because it works!

Merry Christmas!~

Breakthrough... <%

 


In the video above, you will see the proof that I've got Lucy trained to answer my "hello" with her own "hello" while I'm in the room!  It took something like 3 weeks of my getting closer and closer and running like a nut with a nut... to treat her. 

She has always been a "closet talker" and I'm excited that she's answering me while I'm so close to her.  What is really exciting is that Peter was able to get the same response while in the room with her.

Bobby is a little less paranoid and nervous the past days, but in general the birds haven't trained well otherwise this weekend.  It seems I have provided too many goodies during the day so they simply weren't hungry.  (: 

I'll get some new videos of the birds in-training for the coming week. 

It's working.  I'm happy.  Now to get Lucy to respond to "What does a chicken say?"  (She already sounds like a chicken.  I just need her to do it as a response to the command.  She "did do this" when she was about a year old, but quit doing it.)

Bobby had a little improvement yesterday.  He is getting used to his new/old cage and actually did some of his tricks for treats last evening.  He approached me (while on top of his cage) and gave me a "kiss" for a nut! 

Usually, he won't do anything while outside of his cage because he is too scared!  I'll take any progress I can get!

He got warm mashed sweet potatoes before going to "bed" last night.  He loves those.  (:

Sweet Bobby!

"Hello" saga standoff with Lucy!

Lucy is saying "hello" all the time when I'm out of the room.  We have her "answering" hello as long as we are outside of the room.  When I go into the room and say "hello," it appears that she knows that I want her to answer with her own "hello" while I'm in the room... but she just can't make herself do it!

Lucy's agitation is palpable when I offer a pistachio, say hello and wait for her response while I'm standing in front of her cage.  She "walks" the top of her cage all-round and chips away at wooden toys... but won't answer "hello" in my presence.

Worried that the bird might be simply frustrated and not learning, I have done the routine for days without being inside the room...so she knows what is expected.  And, when I've done the training in the room with the other birds, I just ignore the lack of response and (in short order) turn around and ask her to do something I know she will do for a lesser nut, ie sunflower seed.

The past two days, I offer the nut and hello... wait a count of 10, say goodbye and walk out of the room.  She says "hello" many MANY times after I leave, but I ignore her for a while and then go in and repeat the process.  She is (hilariously) saying hello using different accents and voices from my normal and funny voices to my husband's voice.

I feel that if we get her to respond while I am inside the room, we will have managed a breakthrough.  Until then, I'm doomed to hear "hello" over and over again as soon as I leave the room.  /:

Oh, Coco got grumpy and feigned a  bite during training last night.  I terminated training and ignored the behavior.  He has lots of pin feathers and is grumpy.  This morning, he was anxious to please me.  Timnehs are doing just fine and Bobby, maybe a little improved.

Encouraging Talking outside of the closet...

Lucy with mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving.

Today I am focusing on Lucy, the Congo African Grey.  She is a big "closet talker," meaning she talks when no one is in the room  While she can turn-around, wave, kiss, target, flap her wings, and tolerate "mama touch" on command, talking upon request hasn't happened... so far!

The past two weeks we have been practicing "hello."  I leave the room and say "hello," to her and basically she says "hello" a lot, but only gets a nut when she actually "answers" me AFTER I've said hello.  Her "answers" have always been random and it takes a lot of work to say hello, listen, holler "good girl," and then run like a chicken into her with a treat.

Today it is beginning to pay off... a little.  While she is busy saying "hello" about every three seconds, she has been successfully "answering my hello" within 10 seconds... every time!  If I reinforce this behavior regularly, I'm pretty sure I can have her "answering" when I am in the room with her in short order.  (:  Can't wait!

BTW, my neck and shoulders are really stiff and sore and I couldn't figure out why.  <%  Lucy got a new HUGE cage which I had to struggle to un-box and put together myself 36 hours ago.  Now the pain is tolerable because Lucy is soooooooo happy in her enormous cage!  She is a big girl and very actively travels around her whole cage several times a day.  Sometimes "pain" is the sign of a positive. 

One could get discouraged, but...

Sometimes I am tired and sometimes I get discouraged.  It feels, at times, that my birds just aren't interested in training and when it is the end of the day and there is this big, gigantic (normal) bird mess to deal with, I just want to skip training... And then, I read through a couple of blog entries from the beginning and see just how far they have come in about 12 weeks.

Coco (cockatoo) does everything I ask, including answering "hello" every time.  No biting.  No aggression.

Gracie (TAG) does everything I ask, and has learned "wave" in just the last week.

Bobby (TAG) is still phobic.  I moved him to a darker colored, smaller cage, one he was in for about a year before we got Coco.  He loved that cage and I thought the bigger one made him feel vulnerable.  He was scared to death with the move, but strangely enough, he's more readily following my training commands for turn-around, wave, and meow.   I get very sad about Bobby being scared of everything, even me.  I should try to *not* take this so personally, but be patient.  He took fright in the shower again this week and fell to the tile floor.  It jarred him and scared me.  I found a drop of blood, but couldn't find the injury on him, and that's been 3 days ago.

Lucy (CAG) has been doing everything, but "hello" in the right context is eluding her.  She should say hello right after I say hello.  She says hello over and over again, but hasn't figured out that she only gets a treat when she "answers" mine.

You could say that we have been "marching in place" most of the past few weeks.  There has been very little obvious progress.  I am waiting for a breakthrough moment and I have to believe we will get one.  In the meantime: 


Memo to self:  This is a lifelong project and there is no deadline.  Also, if you feed those birds treats all day long, they are not going to be the least bit interested in training. 

Inch by inch... anything's a cinch!

Gracie likes mashed potatoes!

     My philosophy about training my birds is that it should be fun and beneficial for all of us, humans included. Therefore, I am not sticking to an iron-clad training diet for my birds, nor do I adhere to an iron-clad training regime. Sometimes the birds don't feel like training and sometimes I don't feel like training them. So, by adjusting the training to their needs and mine, I hope to keep this a fun way of life for all of us. We do some training every single day, and some days are better than others, and the progress is slow... but definately in the right direction.   They get "bird food" and I give them seeds and nuts during training.

All 4 birds are holding their weight in spite a the reduction in seeds, nuts, and treats. There has been no aggression at all with the "target" stick in weeks.

Gracie (TAG) is turning circles, flapping her wings, kissing, barking, and targeting with ease. We introduced "the wave" this week. She didn't like having her foot touched at all, but is to the point now where she "raises" her left foot to wave. We will work on the actual wave this week. She's getting it.

Bobby (TAG) cannot work at all when he is outside of his cage, so we ask him to wave, meow, turn around, while he's on his perch, in his cage. We also have him step up and we count to 10 as we carry him around in a circle... returning him to his perch... for a treat. He seems to focus on the counting and calms now when we count. My husband also does the 10-count. It's small progress, but it is progress.

Coco (cockatoo) is whipping out the turn-arounds this week and completely interested in the training. :D No aggression at all from him. He is answering my "hello" with his "hello" more often now... but he forgets and says "come here" sometimes... and doesn't get rewarded for that.

Lucy (CAG) has been doing everything right. "Mama touch" is getting much easier for her. I introduced "hello" to her a little at a time. She already says it, but I want her to answer my hello with hers. We called back and forth to one another the past days with whistles and words and when she answered my hello with her hello, I "bridged" by telling her she was a good girl and ran to her with a pistachio nut. Today she said hello many many times, but she only got the nut when she responed to my hello with one of her own. <%  She did it right at least a dozen times today, but I still can't get her to do it when I am in the room and directly address her with "hello."  She just tries any of her other "tricks" to get the nut.  Maybe next week?

 I have to make it clear that training my flock is to be a lifelong "family" habit, so it has to be consistent and fun for all of us.  People and animals continue to do things that are "fun."  Even when I'm tired and really would rather just sit and watch TV, I find I enjoy the training once I get my backside in gear and go into the bird room.  Just watching them respond to me in such a positive way is pleasurable...

Slow progress, but that's okay.

Coco in the wndow

Some days are better than others and each one of my 4 birds seems to be in a "different" mood every day.  It's difficult to tell when they will... and when they will not... take favorably to training. 

I have been doing incidental training with all of the birds throughout the day.  That is to say, informal requests for an activity are made to a bird, and with a positive response... the promised treat.  Then, in the evening when I've cleaned their cages and changed their water and filled their food bowls, we have a more lengthy session with all the birds that takes about 30 minutes altogether.

NOTED:  The girls were not eating their "bird kibble" during the day.  Apparently they have learned that seeds and nuts come at cage-cleaning time.  I haven't decided how to deal with this exactly, but for now I am not putting extra seeds or nuts into their cages post-training.  They need to eat the good-for-them bird food.

Gracie's food was dumped all over the floor of her cage.  That which landed on clean newspaper was returned to the bowl.  She was brought out to the T-stand and she went through her training easily for a few minutes, got bored, and refused to perform.  I returned her to her cage with only about 6 sunflower seeds having been offered during training.  Surprise!  She went straight to her bird food bowl and started eating BIRD FOOD! 

Lucy refuses to train or even take a treat from the bird stands... either of them.  She wants to train On-Her-Cage.  I will continue to bring her out to the stands and attempt training.  We need to move forward to more advanced training, in different locations, so that I can start new behaviors.  She is getting very good at "mama touch!"  Apparently the training is teaching some trust.  (Duh!)

Coco is sweet and dives into his wet breakfast bowl these days.  He is also trying to wait for training to get seeds and all-the-while avoiding the bird food.  Through the week he has been refusing to say "hello" on command or "turn around" without my hand pointing the way over top of his head.  Today, on the T-stand he said "hello" several times in succession when asked.  :D  However, turn around... is a work in progress.  His demeanor is more trusting.  I ask him to step up to come out of his cage.  If he refuses, I leave.  When he does step up, we go to the living room T-stand and he gets a nutriberry.  It's starting to pay off.  He seems much less agitated, doesn't scream much, and steps up more frequently.

We have taken Bobby to a slightly new level.  I ask him to step up and he has to stay on my hand for a count of 10 before he can go back to the perch and get his treat.  Now I have added stay-on-my-finger-while-I-do-a-360-degree-turn and count to ten at the same time, and THEN he gets a treat IF he doesn't fly off my hand.  If I start out slowly and he can concentrate on the smaller requests (wave, meow, etc), he can manage to contain his fear for a 360-ten-count.  :D  Baby steps.  He is a phobic bird and this training is about building confidence, so I'm happy.

This coming week:  Work more with the birds, one-on-one in the living room.  Get Lucy to do anything positive on the T-stand.  Teach Gracie to "wave" if she'll let me touch her foot.  Get Coco to say "hello" even more often, on command.  Work with Bobby and the 360-10-count and see if it doesn't help his confidence.  VARY the training so that the bird food gets eaten and the birds don't "wait" for the predicted treat/train time.

Chugging right along...

It's funny how the birds are reacting to the training and training menu.  (:    We haven't done new stuff because mama was gone for a week and then sick.  However, we have continued training every day.  The diet of bird-kibble and wet-bowl in the morning (fruits,vegetables, and sometimes scrambled eggs) continues.  AMAZINGLY, all 4 birds are more interested in their healthy food now that I'm not stuffing them with treats all day long.  In addition, it is so much easier on me!  ALSO, all of the birds run to their breakfast bowls now instead of looking at them like they were filled with dog-food.  Makes me happier and them, I think!

We continue to shower the birds, one a day, throughout the week.

Lucy (CAG) is happy and glad to do stuff to get treats, seeds, nuts, and praise.   She doesn't exhibit the impatience she did at the beginning.  "Mama touch" is getting better and better.  It's still hard for her, but now I make her "not pull away" in order to get the treat. 

Graice (TAG-11) is a pill and cute as a button!  She has learned to make an exact copy of the clicker sounds.  Hard not to laugh.  She's doing turn around quickly now and "mama touch" is (every time) easy for her.

Bobby is still a basket case.  I started having him step up (that has improved as long as he's inside his cage) and then I draw him to me and count to ten before I click, return him to the perch, and give him a treat.  In the beginning, he was too nervous to even step up with both feet!!!  (I've started counting to 10 by counting very slowly sometimes, stretching out his time of self-control, ie non-panic!)

Coco, the spoiled one:  He has never bitten me again and doesn't show any aggression toward the chop stick anymore.  He won't step up in the morning without a treat (husband says he's not a morning-person-bird) and refuses to step out almost all day long...without treating him.  I go in, offer my hand, and when he refuses I simply withdraw.  Occasionally he will step up and when he does, he gets to come to the living room, sit in the window perch, and eat a nutriberry seed ball.  He's a space-case-cockatoo about turn around, loves "mama touch," and we have gotten him to (more than accidentally) say "hello" in response to my "hello!" 

Conclusion of training so far:

-Aggression has disappeared from Coco.
-Lucy is improving steadily in her trust of the touch. 
-Bobby understands that "10" means he gets a treat. 
-Gracie is blossoming and eats almost as much bird food as she throws down to the floor.

New update next week.

Working on Bobby, the super-scared bird!

The birds are all doing about the same.  We're going through the routine a minimum of once a day just before bedtime.   Coco is stubborn, but doing better with the food business.  He doesn't throw away the food like he did and he rushes to see what's in his breakfast "wet" bowl.  The girls are about the same, positive and responsive.  And then, there is Bobby, the timneh African grey with phobic behavior, that we have to help.

Bobby strategy is to have him step  up and simply stay on my hand (without flying away in fear) for the count of 10.  He steps up.  I bring him out of the cage, give him a kiss and count to ten.  On ten, I click and treat.  I feel that if I do this every day for a while he can "put off" being frightened because he will know that when "10" comes he can return to his perch.

Why do I think this strategy will be a good starting place; I believe it because it works with me.  If I know that my "challenge" is limited, I can calm myself and focus on getting through the "challenge."  I went to a water park with my husband some years ago.  I was very frightened and didn't like it, however I told him that I could get through every ride ONE TIME and then I would never set foot in a water park again.  It worked.  I overcame my BIG fear and I've never gone to a water park again, and I won't.  (:  This strategy has worked for me at the dentist and doctor's office when I've had small, but painful, procedures.  When I know the "challenge" is finite, I can make it through without panic.

So.  We work with Bobby and I hope to report significant progress in a positive direction in a few weeks.   Baby steps! 

Positive Feedback and Getting Back on Track!

Bobby waves "hi!"

My husband and I were on a wee vacation for a week to celebrate a big birthday!  What fun!  However, there was a lot of work to do to prepare for leaving the birds (and dog) behind and we had to give some thought to the training diet and routine. 

First of all, the cockatoo (Coco) goes to the neighbors.  They love him and take good care of him. Coco bit Connie last time she watched him... bit her hard.  Just after that, Coco bit me too!  That was the reason we needed to re-think Coco-culture and attitude.  Connie was given a list of Coco's allowed food and instructed in the very basic command to target-click-treat when Coco wanted a sunflower seed.  She fed him only the bird kibble and birdie bread and only gave seeds and treats after a successful target-click-treat sequence:  RESULT:  Positive Feedback!!!  The whole family told me Coco was a changed bird!  His attitude went from defiant and throwing his food all over the place to sweet, attentive, and much better mannered.  What a difference a little human leadership can make in a bird's life!  He didn't bite anyone and he is welcome back to their house! 

Gracie and Bobby (TAGs) and Lucy (CAG) were cared for by a real bird person who came in daily to feed them and take care of them.  She happily provided bird kibble and a "wet" dish of fruits and vegetables every day AND continued modified training for all the birds in order to give them the coveted treats.  Upon returning, I noticed that all three grey parrots were much more effective in eating their birdie kibble (not so much food thrown to the bottom of the cage and more in their crops!) and, of course, they were glad to see me.

We have been home now 3 days (this is the 4th).  I've slowly re-introduced a twice-a-day training regime as their attention was poor the first days (more interested in mama than food)!  This morning all 4 birds did all their stuff even after a big helping of scrambled eggs blended with winter squash and some fruits.  (All four birds have been cycled through the shower already and that made them happy!)

Coco remembered the turn around and stepped right up for his seeds.  He got 2 seeds when he answered "hello" to my "hello!"   No aggression.  All positive.

Gracie "woofs" a lot, hoping she'll get food for that.  She is struggling with "mama touch," much to my surprise.  She allows me to touch her normally, but this "trick" worries her a little bit.  More training  needed here.  She feigned a "bite" when I tried to touch her, so I upped the treat to a cashew before I said "mama touch," and she managed to bend her head down for a quick "touch" to get the treat!  <%

Bobby, the scared boy, can't target yet.  He's scared.  He knows what to do, but is too scared of the stick.  We treat for "meow," "wave," and "step up."  I need to keep him in the loop of training without scaring him.  I ask for step up, bring him to me to kiss, and return to the perch before clicking when I feel he can tolerate it.  Then I give him praise (bridge) and click (another bridge) and give him a BIG treat when he's been very brave.

LUCY has shown no aggression at all for the training stick.  This is the whole goal for Lucy... to get her to feel confident and not to feel that aggression is necessary.  She's doing everything perfectly like a real Texas lady and daintily taking the treats from my hand.  YAY!  She is becoming, obviously, more open to being touched... more relaxed.

I'm pleased with the results of a few weeks of diet change and training on my part.  It takes time on my part to train them, but it is time I should have spent earlier.  They sometimes want "me" more than the treats, which pleases me.  I am not strict on the "training diet," as we don't have a deadline to train everyone to do everything in a brief period.  I want my birds to be successful, healthy, and happy.  I've been giving them each a spoonful of their favorite seeds every evening at bedtime.  Snacks are relaxing and I have assigned "human emotions" to them, whether that is correct or not.  They seem to like it and it doesn't interfere with their eating of the birdie kibble.

Mama went on vacation

Mama went on vacation for a week and we had to stay with the bird sitter.  Boring.  Anyway, she's home again and tried to train us, but we couldn't care less for the seeds and treats!  Mama!  We love our mama and that's all we cared about today.  Well fed, gone to bed.  Tomorrow is another day.

Just a wee update: 

We are training twice a day with each bird.  In the morning, it's a shorter session because they've just gotten their fruit and vegetables and sometimes, a little scrambled egg.  Treats are interesting, but not very interesting.    Even if I don't have energy... or time... we train every evening until I feel the birds have filled themselves up and have started to lose interest in the training/treating.  There's always a mess with cages, water bowls, and food bowls anyway, so might as well have seed husks all over the floor and clean it all up at one time.

Coco is doing better.  Bobby is still phobic, but we're hanging in there.  Gracie is doing great and the turn-around is pretty much automatic by now.  Lucy hasn't lost her temper in 3 days!!!

Introduced new activity called "mama touch."  Lucy is uncomfortable being touched and Gracie only allows touch when she feels like it.  "Mama touch" is a carefully placed index finger on Lucy or Gracie's shoulder with a click and treat directly afterwards.  I have to use super-treats to get Lucy comfortable enough to allow this activity and then I can only "mama touch" 3 or 4 times before she "would rather not."  We've been practicing "mama touch" for 3 days and both girls have marked improvement in allowing me to touch them "on demand."  (Coco LOVES touch, so I'm not training this with him.  Bobby is a basket case, so we'll wait for later with this one.)

There's the update.  There's nothing fancy, just follow through and keep doing the routines over and over and over again.  I LOVE seeing the birds run to greet me and do their stuff!!!

Gracie Lou (TAG -11)

Happiness is a state of mind... and Gracie's Happy!

The training and diet regime are going very well.  Gracie is blossoming!  She and Coco love this new stand in front of the window, but Lucy's still scared of it and Bobby is in hyper-phobic-hyper-hormone status, so we'll wait until he calms down to give him the "window seat."

I weighed the birds to see how they are doing.  It's been two weeks since they went on a training diet (of sorts) and weren't allowed free access to seeds and nuts... but only got those during training. 

                    October 1             October 15

Lucy            432  grams            428 grams

Bobby          286 grams             278 grams

Gracie          312 grams             306 grams

Coco             276 grams             274 grams

Their weights are essentially the same, which doesn't surprise me as I have been very careful to train them until they "lose interest," a status that tells me that they are well-fed.  One "poop" can weigh 15 grams for Lucy and maybe 10 grams for the other three.  I feed Bobby a little extra non-training diet because of his condition. 


UPDATE:


Coco:  We had a great training session on the T-stand in the morning and the cage top in the evening.  When he's hungry, he steps up on command and comes running to target.  We're also doing "come'ere and gimme a kiss!" which he does very well at... when he's hungry.  He flew off the t-stand, so we decided it was time to trim the 6 flight feathers that had grown out.  Gotta be careful!  Prefers Natural Gold to Harrisons, but still offering both.

Bobby:  Whew.  (Sigh!)   I love Bobby AKA Bobert with all my heart.  He wants to train, wants seeds, wants to come out, but is trapped in his phobia. He doesn't train well at all on top of his cage... too scared.  Inside his cage, we're doing better.  *not* targeting with stick as it's still scary, but continuing on with simple waves, kisses, and meows... sort of "treading water" until he gets his mojo back.  Prefers Harrisons to Natural Gold, but eats both.

Lucy:  Ran all over the top of her cage yesterday, targeting and giving kisses... she was waving with enthusiasm and turning round and round and round when I asked her to.  No outbursts of frustration.  Finger still healing from her last "grump" earlier this week.  Trying to ignore bird kibble altogether, but seems to prefer Harrisons.

Gracie:  Turning around quickly on command most of the time now, both on cage door and t-stand.  Energetic, positive, quick to respond, and affectionate.  Go, old girl!  She prefers Natural Gold to Harrisons.  Chewed up her calcium perch (pink), so that got replaced with a new wooden one.


Conclusion:  All 4 birds seem to be thriving under the diet and training attention.  We are continuing with the shower-a-bird-a-day thing and it's 2 birds when Peter is home on weekends.  I cleaned all of the air filters (hepa, all 5 of them!) and am hoping that the showering will cut down on the dust.    The training diet "posture" is to provide the birds with AMPLE food, but in a controlled manner.  I'm noticing about an 80% DECREASE is wasted food and a 80% increase in enthusiasm for fruits, vegetables, and training treats.   

So, am I finally being a good parrot mom?  I think I'm on the right track.  They are more than cute little feathery toys; they are spirits in need of leadership and cohesive relationships... We're going to work on that from now on, until forever.

Isn't Lucy a beautiful little spoiled brat?

She looks so innocent, beautiful, and happy, doesn't she?  She bit the index finger that held the sunflower seed last night (Grrrrrr!)

What I'm finding out most about my parrots is that they have totally different "needs" as far as training goes.  Lucy needs tempering, Gracie needs to focus, Bobby need to focus on training more than his FEAR and Coco needs to focus, listen, and respond to requests from his momma if he wants to come out and be a silly, cuddle-bum, cockatoo.  I'm thinking that, just like children, birds all have their unique positive and negative traits that need to be encouraged and discouraged.  Trying to make a single training diet or plan of action to fit all the flock just isn't going to work.  If my kids read this, they'll laugh!  My son, the oldest, was Mr. curious and you could say "no" until the cows came home and he'd still stick his fingers into the electrical outlet.   When my daughter came along and tried the same activity, I just had to say "no no" once.  She cried and never did it again that I know of.

Here's a refresher rundown on the personalities of the four birds, listing their strongest trait and their weakest.  Hopefully, training will bolster the positive and temper the negative:

                        Most Positive                    Most Negative
Gracie-11:           Calm Temperament          Attention seeking (noise)
(adopted at 10)                                             Bites men (loves them, tho!)
Timneh

Coco-6:               Tolerant of new                Reluctant behavior (step up)
(adopted at 2)      Tolerant of touch              Refuses good foods
 LSC Cockatoo                                             Periodical Screaming         

Bobby-6:             Sweet/responsive              Scared of everything!
home at 10 wks   Knows tricks x 4
Timneh

Lucy-5                 Smart/talks a lot               Reactive/bite
home at 12 wks    Knows tricks x 4             Low frustration point/bites
Congo Grey         Interactive                         Not tolerant/Bossy bully bird      

Progress last two days... or, in some cases, regress:

Bobby and I have been practicing "step up" for click/treat training because he's grown more phobic with the hormonal upswing and is even afraid to put both feet on my finger.  A few repetitions this morning and I could see his demeanor  change and focus change from FEAR to FOOD.  I quit after we went through wave, meow, kiss, and about 10 step-ups.  He wagged his tail, so we left it on a high note.  Bobby Goal:  Confidence building.

Coco did great this morning and yesterday on the t-stand.  I asked him to target on the t-stand from the far end of the perch (about 3 feet) and got him running back and forth for the sunflower seeds.  He was allowed 1 hour on the T-stand while I did kitchen duty.  He gets one seed each time, but sometimes I give him a jackpot! to make him happy.  Jackpots are 2-seeds or (at the end of the session) a nutriberry seed ball.  We practiced turn-around, gimme a kiss, and targeting on the stand as well as step up.  This morning (breakthrough) he did step-up from his cage perch on command about 10 times without hesitation.  He did hesitate 2 times in the middle of the session and I reacted after 2 seconds with closing the cage door and turning to Bobby for a turn.  When I returned to Coco, he stepped up immediately.  <:  It's gonna take time, but it is working.   Coco Goal:  Erase reluctance to step up and build relationship.   Non-screaming time out of cage, close door/ignore when screaming.

Gracie is going great guns!  While she says "woof" all the time, it's obvious that she understands when I ask "what does a doggie say?" and reacts correctly every time.  We trained on the t-stand and the cage.  The t-stand training isn't going very well as she is still a little nervous about it, but it is going forward.  Her "turn around" is improving to the point where I only have to trace the route part of the way and she completes the circle.   All target training and wing-flapping tricks are going perfectly with her.  She never loses her temper with waiting or shows frustration.  I love that!  Gracie Goal:  Build relationship that doesn't depend on horrible, loud, repetitive noises to gain attention.  She is blossoming like a June rose with the training and both talking and whistling more.  I can't wait to see how far I can take this little chicken!  <%

Lucy, OMG, Lucy!  It has not been a good 2 days with Lucy.  She will *not* stand on the T-stand, but flaps away immediately.  (Wing trim coming next week!)  On the cage last night when we started target training, she touched the target and then purposely bit the end of my index finger instead of taking the sunflower seed.  (Grrrrrr!)  I made no sound, but retreated to the rest room to bleed heavily into the sink, find a band aid and silently returned to the bird room.  I offered my wounded hand and asked Lucy to step up, which she did, and placed her ever-so-gently on her perch.  I closed the door, covered the cage, and continued target/trick training with the other three birds.  I wanted her to "hear" the other birds in training, but not to "see" what was going on.  Her jealousy is easy to trigger and her frustration level, very high with little stimulus.  Seeing everyone else get seeds would really have angered her, counterproductive to what I would like to accomplish with her.  Once the other birds finished their training, I uncovered Lucy's cage and went through the paces of each trick and gave her a few seeds, perhaps 4 or 5... not more.  Her attitude this morning was 100% aggressive and non-compliant, so...  I did not attempt to train her after the first, rejected, attempt.  She has spent the day in her cage with "bird kibble" and none of her favorite fruits or vegetables.  (She had those on the bird stand earlier this morning and I usually transfer leftovers to her cage for all-day consumption.)  Lucy Goal:  Calm her spirit without breaking it.  She is an amazing bird with lots of brain power and talking/whistling talent.  Create situations where she has to "think" her way out of situations instead of becoming frustrated and "biting" her way into trouble.

I'm video taping some sessions and will edit and upload this next week.  Whew.  Tired.

Progress is being made!  I have to admit that it is messier to feed the birds seeds than just to let them have them inside their cages.  Small price to pay for the results I'm getting already.

Gracie and Lucy have the best attitudes and the best results. 

Gracie seems happy and anxious to target (anywhere) and gives kisses on request as well as "woof" when I ask her what a doggie says.  As a matter of fact, Gracie goes woof pretty often, just hoping it will bring a seed, but I only treat when I've asked for "woof!"  I've started having her "turn around" in different places, but still have to show her the seed and circle underneath her to get her to turn around.  Still, she does it.  She flaps her wings on command, too.  She never has an aggressive attitude, but loses focus fairly quickly.  She's a very stable bird, other than biting my husband when he puts her back into her cage.

Lucy only showed frustration by biting the stick once yesterday.  My ignoring the behavior and turning to another bird with my clicker, convinced her that "attitude" means you get left out.  She is turning around, waving, giving kisses, flapping her wings, and targeting all over her cage!  I pulled out an old "trick" from a couple of years back that we haven't practiced.  I call it, "touch your wings."  Lucy is very reluctant to be touched, so I just used my pinky finger and touched only her right wing.  It's like she held her breath... she is not a snuggler, but I think she would like to get more attention.  She's just not comfortable with it.  Lucy is beautiful and got a shower today!  (:

Bobby is a basket case, but we continue with treating for waves and meows.  I tried the target, but he freaked.  He's just on kibble, so he's wanting the seeds.  I'm hoping that "want" will trump fear, eventually.

Coco is a cockatoo.  For some people, that would be "enough said."   I fill his dish with "kibble" and he throws it all on the floor.   I'm pretty careful to have clean newspaper in the bottom of the cage when I fill his dish, so I can scoop up that food and put it back in the bowl.  (:  He doesn't want to "step up" to get out of the cage and spent most of the day *not* doing it.  Mid-afternoon he did step up and we managed a good 7 or 8 minutes of training on the new T-stand.  It went pretty well.  He runs to target and gives kisses for treats.  I've started "turn around."  He did it a couple of times, but he is a cockatoo... and went of somewhere in his own mind.

Diet and weight:  Birds are doing fine with weight.  I've withheld a lot of their favorite stuff until bedtime so that we could train, but then allowed some seeds and nuts to make sure that this transition in diet doesn't make them too lean and hungry.  It's amazing how much more they appreciate their breakfast fruits and veggies!!!  I weighed Coco because he's been so negative about eating the kibble and doing the training.  He hasn't lost a gram!!!

The girls are thriving with the attention and I see an eagerness I haven't seen for a while!  YaY!  Coco is a cockatoo (giggle!) and he will come along, when he feels like it.  Bobby?  I hope that his phobia improves, but I love him even "phobic" and I make sure he's in the training-loop albeit much limited.

I'll be gone much of tomorrow.  Good resting day for us all.

My girls on the new T-Stand

I'm getting pretty well trained, remembering to click "on time," and everything!  (:

The project for this morning was to create a better T-stand.  Hubby cut and glued and drilled and I did the introductions.   That's Lucy (CAG) in the foreground and Gracie (TAG) in the background.  Their old stand (shown behind the new one) was to small for Lucy to "turn around" and a little too high for me for training.

Progress with Coco (the cockatoo) is slow as molasses in January in Alaska.  (Groan!)  But, there is progress.  I offered a treat and said "step up" at least 40 times (over 2 days) for every single time he stepped up to get the click/treat.  Today, he tried out the new stand and seemed REALLY REALLY happy to be there!  He ran back and forth, targeting for click/treat and did the cockatoo-bounce-thing and looked the happiest I've seen in days.  Inch by inch...  Brought Coco a new preening toy recommended by Jean at the bird shop.  Thanks Jean!  He seems to like it!


Gracie (TAG) barks out a Woof! every time I come near her... wanting a click/reward, but I only give her the reward after I've asked her, "What does a doggie say?"  We practiced "turn around" and targeting on the old stand and she did super-duper.  On the new stand, she could only woof!  We did the proper sequence to get "woof!" and I gave her a cashew... a bigger prize than a sunflower seed.  She targeted and got a peanut!  Double-training:  She should learn to love the stand right away doing something familiar AND getting the best rewards for her work.  <%  Added a new calcium perch for her favorite perching area.  Her nails are tacky and she loves to chew.  She likes it!

Bobby (TAG) got a shower yesterday and then emptied two water bowls, bathing in his cage!  OMG!  He was so happy!  We're only doing non-threatening training until he settles down like wave, turn around, and what-does-a-kitty-say.  I fixed up a couple more foraging toys.  They're old, but he hasn't seen them for a few weeks.  He got a new "bucket" toy that hangs down from the top of the cage with cool junk in it to rip out.  He mouthed it a couple of times, but no panic.  GO BOBBY!

Lucy (CAG) only tried to break the chopstick once this morning.  I turned away and came back to find her waiting to get a re-try on the training.  She's been compliant and sweet ever since.  We are not introducing a lot of new things yet.  My goal is to get her attitude non-negative-reactive and to get her to do the tricks she already knows... WHEN I ask for them.   Lucy's cage is stuffed with stuff.  She gets a bucket like Bobby's to "talk into" as soon as her new cage arrives.  She loves to "echo" into the metal bucket and I love to hear her.


Food:  Birds had poached fish with their veggies and fruit this morning and they got a little scrambled egg.  The Timnehs, in particular, seem to be more protein driven and Lucy, more fruit inspired.  Coco likes warm proteins if you hold them for him (groan again).  Dry kibble is what we have offered all of the time.  They're still not diving into it very well.  They like the Natural Gold better than the Harrison's. 

Training Course:  I got the course and listened to the DVD and additional audio CD's that were sent.  They have some good information, but are at a lower level than what I have taught my birds already via information found for free on the Internet and through books I've bought.  Disappointed. 

Goals for the week:  Get Gracie to turn around better on command and reinforce target training and woof.  Bobby will get at least two showers this week.  It calms him.  "Tread water" and keep him interested, but not overly stressed.  Lucy will train better on the new stand as she get used to it.  Turn around needs to be practiced and I want her to "wave" a little better.  She's been lazy with it.  Coco: Continue to step-up retraining and target training on the new stand.  Laugh more.  Play more.  Make training more fun.

10/6/11 Gracie is a foodie, and Coco is stubborn AKA Cockatoo!

Gracie is a foodie!  She's doing great with the training.  I noticed that she said "woof" kind of a lot, so I showed her a seed and asked her, "What does a doggie say?"  She looked at me... the seed... the clicker... the seed (wait for it!) and then "woof."  It was quiet and soft, but a few repetitions of this and she belted out "WOOF!"  Thinking this might have been a fluke, I tried it again this morning after target training and, sure enough, she did answer "WOOF!" over and over again in answer to my question.  Is this the untapped genius in the family?

Bobby is a little better today, but still won't come out of his cage.  We aren't using the little stick, but ask him to meow and wave for a click/treat.

Lucy's getting excited about target training and we have been going through her repertoire of older tricks like waving, flapping, and turning around.  Her attitude seems improved with the attention and showers.   We all love attention, right.

Coco:  As mentioned before, he's refusing to step up and come out of his cage.  This is the situation where I got bit (and his beloved bird sitter).  He is baseline angry with the training diet, refusing fruits and vegetables, and acts like a rebellious teen.  I try to get him to step up (he's done this for years!) and he holds the cage side with his beak and proceeds to crawl up the bars with his feet to "CLING" and avoid being picked up.

Biggest challenge is holding my attitude to that of a beloved yoga instructor.  Relax.  Stretch.  Breathe.  Feel your breath... lalala.  It's hard not to mirror a bad attitude even when it's under 280 grams!  Today was Coco's bath day and last bath day, I got bit taking him out of his cage.  Grrrrr!

Breathe.  Clicker.  Target stick.  Sunflower seed.  He bit the stick (aggressively).  Relax.  Breathe.  Offer 3 other parrots sunflower seeds.  Show joy.  Try Coco again.  Gentle target, successful click and sunflower seed.

Next step, get him out of the cage with good attitude.  Go around to other 3 birds and joyfully complete target/click/treat sequence and return to Coco.  Place target closer to door and "target" while showing seed.  30 seconds.  Cockatoos genetic movement sequence must be linked to the movement of a sloth or chameleon.   (Patience.  Breathe.  Relax.  Wait.)  NO MOVEMENT TOWARD THE TARGET.

Repeat steps with target/click/treat with the grey parrots, ignoring Coco.

GwaaaaaaaaaLaah!  Coco is magically standing in his door opening.  Successful target/click/treat in the doorway before he climbs on the cage top and hops around idiotically.  Tried to get him to "target" on top of the cage and treat, but again... cockatoo responses are delayed and then, jerky.

Went back to other greys... see a pattern here?  Competition for the food seems to inspire Coco (I know it does inspire me.  I don't like to share chocolate.  Even if I do offer, I don't mean it.) and when I return, he targets, I click, and I give him 2 seeds.  I asked him to "step up" from his cage top and when he did, I got all excited, clicked, and gave him 3 seeds!

Yesterday Gracie got a shower, so today was Coco's turn.  He acted like he didn't appreciate the water hitting his yellow crest feathers, but after a few seconds, I saw that little tail waddle that tells bird moms everywhere that birdie is happy. <%

Bobby's shredding again... ):

Poor  Bobby, AKA "Bobert," has started clipping off his chest feathers again.  This is what he looked like before.  Now his chest feather looks more like 1/4 inch fur. ):  At least 30 chest feathers are on the cage bottom.  Last time he was hormonal, he clipped off all of his tail feathers, too.  I'm just waiting for that to happen.

Modified target training for Bobby.  Instead of the stick/target and him shaking violently in his heightened and sensitive state, I'm reinforcing his already-learned tricks, clicking, and rewarding.   I'm mostly using tricks that do NOT require him to come close to me as it appears that this increases his phobia.  I want him to feel good about the training and successful, so we are focusing on waving, turning around, and responding to "what does a cat say?" with meow.  I'm abandoning the "kiss" until he's calmer.  His phobia, associated with the hormones, seems to have high and low days.  For now, steady-as-she-goes with Bobby.

Yesterday there was minimal training as I was away all day.  Target training/clicking/treating were done just before the birds went to roost.  (Hee hee!  I LOVE CHICKENS) 

This morning, I noticed that the vegetable and fruit blend got a lot more positive attention from the grey parrots.  Even the picky cockatoo capitulated and dug through the veggies for a bit of my homemade birdie bread.  The training diet does seem to make the whole flock more "glad to see me" and generally more interested in food.  The dry bird food is not terribly well-received, but it's getting more and more attention as the seed-nut-treat-train that I usually provide... stopped running by their cage every hour or so.

Gracie<TAG:  Put her on a stand, in the kitchen, away from other parrots so Lucy wouldn't get jealous and grumpy.  She successfully targeted all over the place (click/treat) and she did two things she already knows... give me a kiss and come here!  We played and laughed and clicked for just a few minutes.  She's a foodie!

Lucy<CAG:  On the stand, she refused to train with seeds, so I brought out the peanut butter.  She targeted successfully several times, but she is lazy and doesn't want to go to the stick... she'd rather the stick was moved closer.  I have to remind myself to give the command/request once and shut up!  It's tempted to say "target, target, target..." until she gets it.  One should request once, shut up, and let the poor bird think and respond, right?   We also practiced kiss, wave, and turn around with clicks/treats upon successful completion.  I put the "target" training in between the other tricks.  You could see her wheels turning behind those beautiful grey parrot eyes.

Coco<LSCC:  Coco is my hardest nut to crack.  He is angry that he isn't being fed seeds constantly in his bowl.  I put him on his cage top I said, "come 'ere!" and he repeated "come 'ere!" and walked over to me, so he got a click/treat.  I alternated this behavior with "target" and "give me a kiss."  He still, at times, attacks the stick with irritation some times.  At those times, he gets no click and no treat.  I just turn to the next bird in the room.  He still refuses to "step up" to go out onto the play stand.  I'm gonna be patient and teach him to want to do what I request. 

Progress is slow, but steady all around.  I love these little guys and it's fun to see them thinking about what to do.  I just got the training kit with CDs and DVDs in the mail.  I'm going to read, listen, and ponder the course before I start trying to do everything at once.  I think all 4 birdies need to continue slowly with what we started this week while I "train the trainer" by reading and thinking.  Each bird is unique and I want to plan their training uniquely to fit their needs and abilities.

PS  I don't want to name the course yet.  I don't know if it's any good!  And, if the course is good, and I'm not, perhaps the makers of the course would prefer that I not mention them.  (Giggle!)

All 4 birds "get it" today and target/click/treat worked with sunflower seeds on all the birds, including Lucy!  I thinking the training diet is starting to make them more "inspired" to work for food.

Coco is still "ticked off" at the whole idea of working for food, but he's getting desperate:  It's either comply, or be stuck eating only bird food.

Bobby (TAG) is more fearful some days than others.  Yesterday was awful and today is a teeny bit better.

We are just targeting/clicking/and treating... moving the target and then, doing it all over again.  Today there will be 3 training sessions again, but they're very short... just like the attention span of spoiled parrots!  <%  They are (right now!) chatting, whistling, and (Coco) screeching.  I think they are anxious for more training session! (FOOD!)

Please feel free to leave your ideas on this blog.  ALL positive ideas are welcome!!!    

Here's a picture of Cindy Lou Who, the target-training-doggie!

Coco is "targeting..." reluctantly.

Coco is targeting...

Coco started touching the target for every sunflower seed.  At first he bit it, but then he got it... and just touched it... for the seed.  I'll take whatever time it takes to get his "ducks in a row."  He had bitten me again earlier today when I tried to get him out of the cage for a shower.  He has a temper.  He's never been a biter.  Puberty seems to have brought this behavior, a perfect reason to get him back on track with training.  So, I ignored the bite, waited a few hours, offered the seeds and target... and he got it.  Whew!  It's a start.

I weighed the birds yesterday evening before bed at 7 PM to verify that they weren't losing weight on the training diet.  Coco the lesser sulfur crested cockatoo (LSCC) and Bobby, the Timneh (TAG) could both use a little more weight.  Coco's a picky eater (wants only seeds) and Bobby is a quivering mess of nerves.  Lucy is about perfect weight (Congo Grey) and Gracie is too heavy (TAG).

Lucy    428 grams
Gracie  306 grams
Bobby  278 grams
Coco    274 grams

Target/clicker training was again easy for Gracie, but she was seemingly less hungry today, so she would only take a few seeds before I had to up the treat to a cashew.  She did "target" the stick when it put it clear across to the opposite side of the cage from her.  She threw all of her all natural bird food (kibble) on the floor of her cage.  Clean food was returned to her food dish.  In other words, if it didn't land in "anything," then I recycled it.

Bobby targets well, but he's so scared all of the time, he often drops the treat.  The Avian vet told me that peanut butter could be harmful to the birds (a mold, Aspergillus flavus, that can be found even in cooked peanuts) and we should avoid it.  But, the birds have had peanut butter (organic, freshly ground) for years, so I am using it as an ultimate-treat to tempt both Bobby and Lucy to calm down and focus on the target/click/treat training.   Lucy bit the blankety-blank-blank stick again (in anger/frustration) when I tried to give her a sunflower seed.  She took the cashew, but threw it (demonstratively) away and glowered at me.  So, I pulled out the peanut butter for now.

My plan of action:

-->Desensitize all 4 birds to the clicker and stick and get them used to target/click/treat over the coming week or so before attempting anything new.

-->Reduce and eliminate peanut butter entirely within 4 weeks by getting the peanut-butter-loving birds used to the training, the training diet, and replacing the peanut butter with almond butter.  Right now the almond butter is not enough of a prize to calm Bobby or incite Lucy to train properly.   Coco only marginally likes peanut butter and Gracie hates anything sticky, but she does like peanuts.  Again, peanuts will be eliminated.

-->Continue target/click/training at least twice a day for each bird and the dog (in front of the birds).  Move the "target" and get the birds to follow.  Get Bobby targeting more confidently and Coco/Lucy, less aggressively.

-->Shower the birds regularly!  Gracie and Coco got a shower today.  Game plan also includes one bird gets a shower every day.  Why?  Individual time spent with birds that also inspires relaxation for them.  (Also, less bird dust!)

Today was a good day, in spite of my very sore finger.  I've handled Coco many times after the bite.  He loves me.  I know that.  He's a wild-child and it's my responsibility to help him change that.

Highlight!  The bonus treat!  When Coco had successfully targeted the stick a few times in a row, he got 3 sunflower seeds instead of one.  After a few more single treats, he got a nutriberry.  Jackpots are proven to work in dog training, so hopefully it is helpful in bird training.  All the greys also enjoyed a "jackpot" of several bites of their favorite after a few single-treat-target-click rounds.

Tomorrow is a new day and all 4 birds (and dog) have shown greater understanding of what I'm doing.  I'm happy and I have a whole big box of band aids.  Let's hope I don't have to use any more of those!  <%

Train the trainer and then, train the birdies {:

Bobby during high hormone season

Yesterday was discouraging.  My birds did NOT want to target train and Coco (cockatoo) wouldn't even take food from my hand.  Bobby just shook and hid in the corner, Lucy had a BIG BAD attitude, and Gracie just wasn't interested.

What did I do wrong?

OMG!  EASY!  I overfed my little darlings and they weren't the least bit hungry.

I watched an online video about "the training diet," and contemplated my bird training road map to success.  I had set my birds up for almost guaranteed FAILURE!  I stuffed them for breakfast with hand feeding and warm scrambled eggs.  (Flashback:  If I fed my little children a burger and huckleberry milkshake at lunch, they never would have eaten a plate full of vegetables for supper!  Duh!  If I fed them a burger and milkshake every day for 5 years, they would be unhappy if I gave them salad instead and made them work for burgers and shakes!)

Loved 'em, cuddled 'em, did not lose my temper with the cockatoo even though he refused to step up.  (He got a shower.)  Allowed Bobby to cower and shake in the back corner of his cage and covered them up at 7 PM with fresh water and a very few seeds.  The "training diet" must be achieved, but I really do feel that they should be weaned off of their old diet.  I felt a few seeds at bedtime would keep them from feeling miserable. 

First thing this morning, I removed the seeds.  Most of the birds hadn't touched them, but had just gone to sleep like good birds.  Coco refused to step up and is "angry" and screaching this morning.  Bobby is having an exceptionally "frightful" day and although I put him on the stand, he was miserable.  The girls, Gracie (TAG) and Lucy (CAG) decorated the top tier of the bird stand and tied into their breakfast:  cold hard boiled egg, cold veggie/rice mixture, a grape, cantaloupe, and a bit of pear.

I pulled some winter squash from the freezer (Mom in Montana grows it for me and prepared it!)  I mixed 6 eggs with a cup of squash and some crumbled (overly dry) homemade birdie bread I'd made last week.  I blended the mixture and poured it into an iron skillet that I'd oiled with macadamia nut oil.  I cooked the mixture slowly while the "girls" watched.

My birds love this sort of mixture:  Warm, yummy, and full of vitamins.  Usually I just plop a gob in their dish and watch them go at it.

Today is a new day.  Clicker in hand.  Stick in hand.  Yummy stuff in other hand.  Here's what happened:

Bobby shook uncontrollably, touched the stick, grabbed the egg, dropped it, and ran to the corner.  We'll try later.

Coco (still in the cage because he wouldn't step up and I'm done shoving my finger in his chest) took the egg, but dropped it when I clicked.  He seems disconcerted by the clicking.  We are days away from target-touching, but he'll get there.  We'll try nutriberry later.

Gracie assessed the situation, touched the little stick and gracefully took the egg mixture.  Happy girl.  Relaxed.  This action was repeated alternately with Lucy, and Gracie was always polite and always targeted correctly.  She's 10 or 11, so old birds do learn new tricks!

Lucy:  Jealous!  Impatient! Angry!  She bit the stick and threw the egg away.  I turned my back, ignored it, and gave Gracie more.  Our little doggie was begging, so I showed her the stick, said "target," and when she did, she got egg.  (:    This really got Lucy going!  She dangled from the swing and beat the heck out of a toy, jumped down, and back up again.  MAD!  We repeated the sequence several times with Gracie, Lucy (throwing a tantrum and me turning away,) and then, Cindy Lou, the dog.   Suddenly Lucy's demeanor changed and she climbed down to the platform.  She was calm and her eyes had softened.  I offered the stick and she touched it as gently as a well trained princess and immediately took (gently) her offered egg.    We repeated 3 times with the same results.

Conclusion: 

Diet:  I'll continue to tighten the training diet while watching all four birds for weight loss.  The greys are at a great weight, but Coco has always been a little thin.

Patience:  They are all smart birds, able to learn.  It's not their fault I've waited such a long time.  It's going to take time to unlearn things, too. 

Reward:   Keep eye on goal:  Happy birds that interact well with others make for happy homes.  There is a great chance that any or all of these birds will outlive me.  I have to make them well-adjusted and joyful so they are "requested" and "wanted" and not just put into some shelter one day.

Coco has quieted, Bobby is preening, and Lucy and Gracie are chatting their tail feathers off!  Lucy is whistling "Deep in the heart of Texas!"  (:  Time to shower Gracie.  It's her turn.

Gracie, about 10 (TAG)

Today's strategy:  Make every bird feel warm, happy, and safe.  Continue the target training.  Be patient.

Last night Coco (cockatoo) broke down and took 10 sunflower seeds from my hand so that I could "click" and build the association between clicker and food.  He was desperate, I guess.  Last night he did step up and come out to play with me a few minutes before bedtime.  Again, desperate.  Since he's been a "mature" bird this past year, he's gotten independent and refuses to step up and.. he started asserting himself through biting.  This morning he ignored his healthful breakfast and although he took a sunflower seed from me, he threw it down in disgust.  If you have ever seen a toddler throw a tantrum at the table by throwing his veggies across the floor and looking defiant, you can "see" Coco in your mind's eye.  He refused to come out of his cage again this morning.  He is getting a golden opportunity to get a shower this morning.  Showers always seems to temper tempers... even mine!  :>

The other greys came out to the stand where they got hard boiled egg, broccoli, brown rice, cooked carrots, apple, cantaloupe (from my garden), grapes, and raspberry.   Raspberry could be called an "art tool" as well as a food because it decorates the stand, floor, wall, and lamp.  If I don't clean it up, the ants come in and, bless their tiny little hearts, they clean it up for me.  (usch!)  I did "click" when I presented the food (no stick) and the girls dove in while Bobby shook in terror at the back of the stand, not touching his dish.

So, my strategy of warm, happy, and safe... I cooked some organic 7 grain cereal for the birds with some sugar free dried raisins and cherries.  Then, I used my little blender and blended in some freshly ground almond butter and some applesauce/cranberry sauce I made last year.  I made it smooth!  All three grey parrots were raised "hand fed" and I hand-feed them once a week like they were babies.  (I can sneak in health food via this method and medicine, if I ever need to.)  So, guess what!!!  I hand-fed Bobby and Lucy the mixture while it was luke-warm.  Click-present-click-present-click.  "CLICK" means food!  Gracie (shown above) would have nothing of the colored mixture.  She hates "sticky" and she didn't trust the baby food dispenser when it wasn't off-white. (Sigh)  But, she did take a sunflower seed after targeting the little stick (now somewhat broken by Lucy) and we repeated a few times.

Last night, before bedtime, I gave each bird a few seeds in their cups and Lucy got some nuts, but not her favorite cashews.  They aren't used to the training diet yet and I don't want them to go to bed hungry.  Learning should be fun, not torture.  Right now they're all full of good breakfast, except for stubborn cockatoo.  The greys are whistling and talking (except Bobby, who is hiding).  The greys all get rolled out into the front room, side by side, where there are lots of high windows and sunlight.  They are a flock and they like it that way.  (Lucy (CAG) is always between Bobby and Gracie (TAGs).  We don't want the TAGs inspired to go into breeding mode by side-by-side friendship-building.  Coco is alternating the cockatoo-complain-screech and "hello."  He has his own window in a busy area where he can see me all the time, but where I can close the door when his cockatoo-ness screams too loudly.

More target/click training later when these little birds are hungry and motivated.  Also... when I am motivated.  <%

Coco was holding out, so I upped the anti and it worked!

Coco, 6 years old

Coco has been "holding out" on the training.  I've got him on a training diet (no seeds) and he's been getting grumpy.  Still, he has refused taking his favorite sunflower seed from my hand to eat it.  He does occasionally take it and throw it down in disgust.  ):  The first stage is getting him to figure out that the click from the clicker means "treat."  So, I try to give him a seed and then click when he takes it.   In dog training, they called it "loading the clicker."  You just build an association of treat=click.  The next stage is "target" where you get the bird to touch a target... you click (good bird!) and then, treat.  For 3 days Coco won't even take the treat!!!  So, after another failure this morning, I upped the anti:  Nutriberry!!!  It worked!  He took it.  I clicked and walked away.  I can't repeat it for a while because it takes a little time to "eat the treat."

Bobby:  He is too scared to stand on my hand all the way to the bird stand, but he only flew off once on the way there and not at all on the way back to his cage.  I've decided to "talk to Bobby" more, telling him where I'm taking him.  It seems to work.  Small breakthrough:  I was able to get Bobby to focus through his fear long enough (on the stand!) to target-click-treat three times before he freaked out.  You have to understand that Bobby is too nervous on the stand to even eat his warm lovely breakfast, so taking any food at all on the stand is a step in the right direction.  Go Bobby!

Gracie:  Gets it!  Target/click/treat is very straight forward for her!  Go grey girl!  She's a foodie and no seeds in her cage is motivation enough to target/click/treat!  :D


Lucy (CAG):  Jealous.  Angry.  Irritated...  Targeted once, click, took the seed... threw it on the floor and threw a hissy fit!  Hahaha!  I continued to work with the other two greys and Lucy got more jealous.

Birds back in cages.  Gave Lucy a peck on the head and a washed out yogurt carton to work out her frustrations on.  She just told me she was a "good girl" in my husband's voice, complete with Swedish accent.  How can you not love 'em.

PS  Cindy, the little doggie got her target behavior-click-treat lessons too.  She went through Pet Smart's entire 3-tier program, but I've been too lazy to keep her on her "paws."  We're all in  training!

Teaching old parrots new tricks or teaching old pet owner new tricks.

Lucy, 5 years old

    I have 4 parrots.   They are spoiled and often act like spoiled children, throwing small tantrums when they don't get what they want and refusing to give me what I want... loving pets that interact joyfully with me and with my husband.

Timneh African Grey (Bobby) is 6 years old.  He's been with us from the "pre-feather" stage.  He knows a few tricks like, giving kisses, waving, turning around, flapping his wings, and the best... meowing when I ask him what a kitty says.  He has gone "phobic" on us and is frightened of everything.  He still does his tricks for treats.  He whistles, but doesn't talk.

Timneh African Grey (Gracie) is about 10 or 11.  She talks a little, makes awful squeaky sounds, bites men, and makes blowing your nose sound when you reach for a tissue.  She flaps her wings on command and gives kisses.  We adopted her about 18 months ago.  We adore Gracie.

Lucy (shown above) is a 5 year old Congo African Grey.  She whistles, talks, and (reluctantly) does the same tricks like wave, flap, kiss, turn around, (used to) sound like a chicken when you asked her to.  She is stubborn, smart, funny, and bites when she is frustrated... which is often if she doesn't get her own way.  She can whistle part of the Adams' Family tune, 76 trombones, the Marine Corps Hymn, and more I can't remember.  She talks a lot, but could really improve her interaction.  Her favorite word of late, "water."

Lastly, there is Coco.  He is a 6 year old lesser sulfur crested cockatoo that we adopted 4 years ago.  He says some small things, but has become very stubborn with age and sometimes refuses to step up.  He bit me the other day... and he bit his bird sitter that he loves.  He was upset and we both cried.  ):  It just isn't like Coco to be like that.  He doesn't want to eat anything except sunflower seeds and gets really grumpy when they aren't provided.

Bottom line:  My birds get the best cages, light, water (filtered) and best bird food.  They get out of their cages every day onto a huge stand I built.  I cook warm food for their breakfast and have given them loads of fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds in addition to their "bird food."  The "bird food" usually ends up on the floor.  It's time my spoiled birdie-children went to school and learned some manners.  I've been weaning them off the "treats" and getting them used to "bird food" and fresh foods.  I've ordered some bird training guides and I've already started.  This blog is about the progress.

9/27/11  The Timnehs (TAG) both took well to target training.  I "loaded" the clicker with good vibrations by giving the bird a sunflower seen and simultaneously clicking the clicker.  The morning lesson included only this:  Treat/click.... treat/click.... treat click.   In the afternoon, I added a little wooden stick.  The TAGs easily, curiously, touched the stick.  When they did, CLICK, and they got a seed.  Three seeds and they were veterans!  Coco refused the sunflower seed all morning.  He was hungry, but refused to take it.  (He is like that!)  Lucy (CAG) got mad, grabbed the seed and threw it on the floor.  I walked away and continued training on the TAGs.

9/28/11  The TAG's both consider themselves veteran target trainees!  :D  Although Bobby is scared of his own shadow, he seems to understand touch-the-stick-get-a-seed quite well.  I stretch him a little bit by having him outside of his cage and he did target/treat 3 times before freaking out... at which point, I just let him alone.  BREAKTHROUGH with Lucy this afternoon.  She allowed me to present-the-seed with a click in her cage this morning without throwing a tantrum, so I put her on the bird stand and UPPED the anti on the treat.  PEANUT BUTTER on a spoon!  OMG!  First I did treat/click at the same time a couple of times and then I present the stick.  She daintily reached out with that big beak and only just touched the stick (she broke on end yesterday!) and then got her peanut butter bite.  We repeated this 5 or 6 times.  She is so darn smart and so darn stubborn!  She knew exactly what I wanted.  COCO is holding out.  He's drowning "bird food" and trying to get filled up.  I know he wants a sunflower seed... but he twists his head away from my hand and refuses to take it.  I have yet to give him a seed with a click... I won't give up.  Cockatoos are ultra smart.  Tomorrow is a new day.

Ordered training materials.  Must set aside an hour or so every day just for training.  This is gonna be fun!