Parrot Training - The Secrets to Success
By Daryl Grammer
How easy is it to train a parrot? Funny you should ask. Oddly enough this question comes before nutrition, cage size, compatibility, and life expectancy. The answer? Well that depends not so much on the parrot, but on the owner looking to train the parrot. How much time do you have to dedicate to training? How much patience do you have?
The first two things to look at are dedication and speaking ability.
Are you dedicated to training your parrot? This can be a very slow process and will require a lot of patience. They do not know what you want them to do, so it is up to you to teach them that. The more human interaction you have in training your parrot, the better your results will be.
What is the birds general speaking ability? Do not expect a cockatiel to speak like Alex the African grey. Not all birds will speak either. Just because you own an African grey, doesn't make him a good talker. He may not be a talker at all, or he may never shut up. Choose your bird wisely and spend a lot of time with them and chances are you will be rewarded. Birds should be chosen for companionship anyway. Talking ability is just a plus.
So what is the trick? Positive rewards. Plain and simple. Rewarding a parrot for a positive behavior, no matter how minute, is the best way to train a parrot to do just about anything you want. Just as you teach a child to talk, it is the same for parrots. Repetition is the key. Repeating the word over and over and rewarding for any attempts. Find your parrots favorite cracker, seed, treat, etc and give it to them right after they make an attempt at what you are wanting. Eventually they will repeat exactly what you want and guess what, since you were positively rewarding them, you can now get them to do it on command.
Usually parrots learn their names first. Why is this? Because they associate their name with human interaction, which for parrots is a good thing. You will notice that parrots are most happy when they are getting attention from humans.
By raising the pitch and tone of your voice, you can get your birds into a happy state and the words you speak will have more meaning. A dull and boring low pitched voice will hinder the reception of what your bird gets. Parrots are very emotional birds and they pick up on your emotions faster then you do theirs.
Petarticles.net is dedicated to teaching everyone the importance of having a healthy relationship with their pet. Teaching your parrot tricks is time well spent that will lead to a long lasting bond.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daryl_Grammer
http://EzineArticles.com/?Parrot-Training---The-Secrets-to-Success&id=1648158
Words From Birds
By Joseph Devine
Several species of birds can say more than just "squack." Being a bird owner can be a colorful and interesting experience, especially if you wish to teach your feathered friend to talk. While looking for the bird that is right for you, it is important to keep in mind that the only sure-proof way of having a bird that can speak is by buying one that already knows how. Like in humans, speech is something that must be taught. You must be willing to commit the effort to teach your bird if you want them to talk.
Beaks that speak
There are certain species of bird known for their ability to mimic the sounds of other birds as well as those of humans. These species include
· African Greys
· Quaker Parrots
· Indian Ringneck Parakeets
· Budgies
· Cockatiels
· Amazons (species from the Rain Forest)
While these types of birds are more accustomed to being chatterboxes, there is no absolute guarantee that they will speak.
Teaching the tongue
At the beginning of their training a pet bird will babble and make unintelligible noises and then start to develop word from there. Remember, the more language a bird is exposed to the more they will learn. You should repeat words or phrases to make sure that your bird will mimic your voice.
Another helpful hint is to use a prerecorded CD. Choose the word or phrase that you want your avian companion to learn set your CD player on repeat. Your feathered friend will not respond during their lesson. They will however, remember the word or phrase at a later time. Birds are most likely to speak when they want to get your attention.
Avoiding a potty mouth
Anything that you say often enough in front your winged wonder is susceptible to be picked up and repeated. This has proven quite embarrassing for many talking bird owners when company is in their home. Avoid this situation by watching your own language in front of your bird. If they do repeat inappropriate or impolite phrases, do not acknowledge it. They will quit using it when they learn it does not get your attention.
For more information on teaching your pet bird to talk and other pet tips, visit your local Baltimore vet clinics at www.baltimoreveterinarianclinics.com
Joseph Devine
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joseph_Devine
http://EzineArticles.com/?Words-From-Birds&id=1594095
Proven Benefits and Approaches to Parrot Training
By Mark Pfenning
Parrots are very intelligent animals. Each time you interact with your bird, either you are training your bird or your bird is training you!
These creatures are just two generations from their wild ancestors so they are unlike dogs and cats that are domesticated. Until they are trained and socialized, they will make no attempt to please their companion or their families. I strongly urge you to look into training techniques as early as possible. That is not to say that an older parrot can't be trained, however, younger birds are easier to train.
Parrot behavior training is as important for your bird as it is for any of your pets. A trained parrot will be a happier parrot. Plus, it will interact with family and friends in a nicer way thereby encouraging interaction on a regular basis.
Without realizing it, you can modify parrot behavior if you are tired or impatient, so make sure you are well rested and calm before you begin any type of training. This will ensure a good and happy experience for both of you.
Training a parrot with positive reinforcement techniques focuses on using rewards to strengthen or increase the frequency of a behavior. Positive reinforcement is a trust-building training technique.
Examples of positive reinforcement training with a companion parrot are to take a parrot who is afraid of stepping up onto its owners hand, and rewarding it with a desired treat when it shows relaxed behavior next to the owner's hand. The parrot would then be rewarded for allowing the hand closer and closer, and finally, would be rewarded for stepping up. Another example would be for an owner to wait until a screaming parrot is quiet for a very short time, and then immediately reward it with praise and attention. The owner would then gradually increase the amount of time the parrot must be quiet to receive the extra attention.
With this type of positive reinforcement approach to training, the parrot is only rewarded for behaviors that bring it closer to the final desired outcome (stepping onto its owner's hand or being quiet). For this technique to work effectively, it is common to have to reward a parrot several times for making very small amounts of progress; like rewarding the parrot ten times in a row, just for taking one step closer to its owner's hand.
Clicker training is a particularly popular form of positive reinforcement training. In clicker training, a parrot is taught to associate a click with receiving a reward. The click noise can be used to mark the instant a parrot does the desired behavior, making for more efficient training.
Parrots in general do not respond well to physical punishment. It is sometimes recommended to punish a misbehaving parrot by spraying it with water or flicking its beak with one's finger. However, such techniques are more likely to cause confusion and occasionally fear, and are not considered good training methods.
Visit http://www.ChattyParrot.com
Avian Information for Companions
Chatty Parrot is dedicated to educating companions on the latest in health tips, industry trends, and products for parrots and parrot lovers.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Pfenning
http://EzineArticles.com/?Proven-Benefits-and-Approaches-to-Parrot-Training&id=1593238
Teach Your Parrot to Stop Biting
By Rose Basile
Parrots are animals. And animals are supposed to be in the wild. Because of these, parrots develop instinctive habits like biting people when provoked. This is just their form of defense. They may have defense actions under their wings, but biting is the most basic of them all.
But since pet parrots are already domesticated, defense actions like biting should not be tolerated. This behavior may be ok for fellow birds. But since the parrot has earned the title of a family pet [it is surrounded by children and elderly people], biting must be corrected. It is not ok anymore!
Poor behavior should not be faced with punishment. The same with small children, parrots may learn to fight back or react negatively. A rebellious parrot will be harder to teach let alone correct any of its bad behavior.
Probably the best way to teach your parrot to stop biting is to work with the parrot early on and making sure this bad behavior does not start in the first place..
It is hard to control mature parrots. A saying goes, "You cannot teach an old dog new tricks." This is not entirely factual, but much of the saying holds true.
The parrot must learn to cooperate with human beings at an early age. That way they are easily trainable. Before anything else, the trainer must be patient to work with the parrot. He or she must be calm and not provoke the bird. Trust and rapport between the human being and the parrot can be developed.
Parrots can get aggressive and once they start biting, it is hard to correct this bad and damaging behavior.
Some techniques for it to learn cooperative behavior are as follows:
1. Step up and step down the parrot in different territories using the hand. In this way, the parrot will learn to trust its handler. Trust is very important in making the parrot follow its handler.
2. Also try giving treats and food using the hand. Once the parrot realizes that the hand can do no danger, it can also correct its instinctive behavior of biting.
3. Play the towel game. Use the towel to carry the parrot around so as for it to lose its fear of unknown objects. Other objects may be used too. But limit them to soft ones so as not to hurt the bird.
4. Let the parrot come out of its home on its own. Never provoke the parrot by taking its things as parrots have territorial behaviors and may act aggressively later on (which we are trying to prevent in the first place!)
With these techniques in mind, your parrot will learn cooperative behavior and hopefully will grow up to be a hassle-less pet.
Parrots are beautiful and smart creatures, and a joy to keep as a pet if you train them well. Parrot Training Secrets can help you with the care and training of your beautiful bird. Be sure to check out secrets to teach your parrot to talk!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rose_Basile
http://EzineArticles.com/?Teach-Your-Parrot-to-Stop-Biting&id=1502784
How to Tame a Budgie
By Ariana Cherry
When taming a budgie, it takes a lot of time and patience. In order to tame a budgie, you must develop a bond of trust between you and your pet. Remember that you are bigger than your budgie, and it is possible for him or her to feel threatened by your size. By developing your relationship slowly with plenty of patience, ease and affection, your budgie can become one of your closest friends in no time. Read on to learn how to tame a budgie
Things You'll Need:
Your pet budgie
- Patience
- Affection
- Trust
- Love
Step 1
Begin your training sessions with 10- to 15-minute sessions a day. These will be the tools to building a bond of trust between you and your bird.
Step 2
Visit your bird by his cage at about the same time every day. Talk softly to it, and leave your hand in front of the cage so that he or she can see it. Don't wave it with any big motions, but just leave it still so that they can see it. Make sure that you aren't moving around a lot during your first few times of training. You can say things such as "Pretty bird" or "Hi birdy." Talk very softly as if you were talking to a baby or young child.
Step 3
Begin slowly opening the door to your budgie's cage after about four to seven days of just talking to your bird. At first the budgie may act afraid, but with time and your trust, he or she will slowly begin to open up. Start just by leaving your hand in the cage without actually putting it near the bird. The idea is to let your budgie get used to having your hand in the cage.
Step 4
Offer your budgie a treat such as millet spray or wet leafy greens. Try this trick after about another four to seven days of leaving your hand in it's cage. Hold the treat near the budgie's perch or where he/she can reach the treat. With a little time and patience, the budgie should eventually come over to your hand to take the treat. Just lay your hand still holding the treat so that it does not appear threatening to the budgie. Start by holding the treat far away at first, and then gradually hold it closer and closer as the budgie begins to trust your hand. This could take three to five different times before it is successful.
Step 5
Hold your hand near your budgie once he or she has learned to trust your hand. Approach your bird slowly, so that it does not scare him or her. Use your index finger as a perch for the budgie. Take your finger and hold it under the budgie's lower abdomen and try to get it to sit on your finger. The budgie may appear afraid at first and go away. Take plenty of patience to try again, and avoid using your hand to go after the budgie. Let the budgie decide for itself when it will jump onto your finger. Once the budgie has gotten onto your hand, hold it very still, and then reward him with a treat. Talk softly to the budgie as it sits on your finger.
Step 6
After your budgie has gotten onto your finger, you can be awarded with a great bond of trust from your budgie. From this step, you can begin training to let your budgie out of it's cage if you wish. It could be some time before your budgie decides to move away from it's safe area. Congratulations on your first steps towards taming your budgie.
Would you like to have an article written like this one? Get articles and content for your personal or business needs. Articles can be written on family, relationships, crafts, finance, religion, internet, and more. Check out more information at: http://www.arianacherry.info
Read more great How To's by Ariana at:
http://www.ehow.com/members/arianacherry99.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ariana_Cherry
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-to-Tame-a-Budgie&id=1238226