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...