Parrot Training
How to Be Successful in Parrot Training
Here are some parrot training tips you can use. Whether you are trying to teach your parrot to talk, or working to correct bad habits, these tips can work for you.
As with any animal, parrot training is based on a system of reward or punish and ignore. But there are special strategies that you will need to apply that only work for our feathered friends. These strategies have been effective in training programs, so you can put them to good use with your parrot. Here is a short list of tricks and tips that can help you shape and train your parrot to behave the way you want him to. Most of these tips tend to work better if you have a young bird. They can be adapted to adults, but it takes a little more work.
Reward your parrot. When you have something that you want to teach your parrot, if you see him doing it correctly, immediately reward him with a yummy treat, a congratulations and a pat on his head. He won't understand it at first, but after a few times (or more) he will realize that he's doing something right. This is the first aspect of parrot training, and it's important to do this whenever your bird does something right, so he will learn. Don't go overboard with your rewards, and make sure you use some type of treat for rewards ONLY, so he knows why he's getting it.
Ignore and don't punish. Parrots are not as easily disciplined as other animals may be. They don't take it lightly, and it's difficult to apply a correct amount of pressure to a bird. It works best in parrot training if you ignore your bird's wrong-doings as much as you can, and concentrate on his good actions, and reward them. If he likes the treats he gets, he will try to act positively as much as he can, so he won't be ignored.
Make your sessions of training short and frequent. Parrots can't concentrate for the length of time that dogs or cats can, so you don't want to exceed your bird's focus. It's easy to distract a parrot, too, so only have them perform single actions for shorter periods of time. Keep your sessions no longer than ten to twenty minutes, and make sure you repeat them a few times a day.
Don't give your parrot rewards too frequently. Parrots can catch on fast, and if you over-reward them for tricks they have already learned, your parrot training will devolve. The problem of over-rewarding will become obvious in this case. So from time to time, just give your parrot a word of praise instead of a treat. In this way, he won't become used to getting rewards so that he will only do the trick you're teaching if he can see the treat handy.
Take your time and engage in parrot training patiently and with lots of positive attitude. You bird will learn more if you make the learning easiest for him.