> Training
If there is one
thing you can train your parrot to do that will improve and help
maintain your relationship, it is to step up on command. This can
be done with a simple "Step up," or as I use with my
birds, "Up, Up!" The command should be used whenever you
pick up your bird as it is a very simple and clear way to
establish dominance in a gentle way.
The most
important time to use the up command is when removing your bird
from his cage or from his playstand. If you let your bird just
crawl out of his cage on his own, you lose a very important
opportunity to establish the line of command. By using the up
command, you can often avoid the tricky issue of cage
territoriality. Birds who develop cage territoriality will snap at
you when you reach into the cage or simply refuse to come out.
This causes owners to become reluctant to put their hand into the
cage, thus creating a situation where the bird rules the roost.
If such problems
already exist, you may be "hand shy" at this point: you
pull your hand away as soon as you see the beak head down. A few
good parrot bites can make anyone afraid to stick their hand in
the piranha's den. However, birds also use their beaks like a
third hand to help them balance. Pulling your hand away gives them
the message that you are an unreliable perch.
In such cases it
is best to stick train your bird first. That is, you train the
bird using the up command, but you train them to step up on a long
stick rather than on your hand. This allows you to avoid giving
mixed messages, which is what happens when you pull your hand away
after giving the up command because you fear being bitten. Gently
press the stick against the bird's chest the same way you would
your hand. Firmly give the up command and push gently until the
bird has to step up to avoid falling off the perch. There is no
need to use much pressure, as a bird will generally step up as
soon as it feels itself leaning back off the perch, but be very
direct and clear with this method. If you let the bird run off and
start to chase it with the stick, you are sabotaging the very
thing you are trying to establish: gentle dominance.
Certain species
have a reputation for becoming aggressive during the Spring or
when hormones are raging, amazon parrots in particular. It is
highly recommended that you stick train an amazon and keep up this
training throughout its early years so that it will be comfortable
with stepping up on the stick when it reaches maturity.
Remember that
this training is not just for large parrots. Small parrots such as
lovebirds need this sort of gentle dominance as well. Teaching a
lovebird to step up when it is a baby is one of the best ways to
prevent future behavioral problems.
Once your bird
steps up on the stick on command, you can start to train your bird
to step up on command onto your hand. Do this away from the cage
at first. It is a good idea to have a simple training t-stand for
this. Set the bird on the perch, look it straight in the eye, then
put your hand against its chest and press gently while saying,
"Step up!" You can occasionally give your bird a treat
for obeying the up command, but don't give a treat every time.
Simple praise is an excellent way to reinforce good behavior. Most
parrot owners know that their birds just love it when they gush!
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