Parrot Tricks

Diane Grindol, Tani Robar

Description

KEEP YOUR PARROT STIMULATED AND ACTIVE, AND HE WILL KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED!

By nature, parrots are inquisitive, intelligent, and social animals. You can capitalize on these characteristics and obedience train your bird, teaching him behaviors that will make your life and his more enjoyable--behaviors such as stepping on your hand or wrist on command, and going to a designated perch. Then you can progress to teach him all kinds of tricks. He'll love the attention, communication, and socialization. From the essential basics of obedience training to awesome tricks that will amuse and amaze your friends, Parrot Tricks covers:
* Techniques to use during the "get acquainted" period
* Setting up a training area and using food as a training tool
* Training basics such as targeting, luring, and using cues
* Necessary obedience skills such as step up, come, perch, and stay
* The basic retrieve command, the foundation of many tricks
* Simple tricks such as shake hands, high five, kiss, and take a bow
* Tricks based on the retrieve command, including basketball, ring on the peg, and stacking cups
* Advanced tricks such as pulling a wagon, pushing a grocery cart, raising a flag, and riding a skateboard
* Innovative tricks that showcase your bird's natural abilities
* Chaining tricks, such as recycling and going to the mailbox
* Verbalizations and talking using the Rival/Model Method or the Positive Reward Method
* Directions for making simple props


With this book, patience, and practice, you'll build your understanding of and relationship with your bird as you build a repertoire of tricks. You can get your parrot to jump through hoops for you--literally!
Foreword.

Acknowledgments.

Introduction.

1 The Advantages of Trick Training Your Parrot.

Benefits to You.

Benefits to Your Bird.

Socialization.

Making Life Easier.

A New Experience for You.

Bird Ambassadorship: Getting Out with Your Parrot.

Keep Your Expectations in Check.

2 Preparations for Training.

Early-Bird Training.

Tameness Scale.

Any Age Bird Can Be Trained.

The Training Area.

Training Rewards for Your Bird.

Food as a Training Tool.

Training Sessions.

How Many Trainers?

Trimming Wing Feathers.

The T-Stand.

3 Training Basics.

Targeting.

Shaping a Behavior.

Physical Assistance (Molding).

Luring.

Capturing a Behavior.

Clicker Training.

Operant Conditioning.

Partial Extinction.

Cues: Verbal and Physical.

Generalizing.

4 Necessary Obedience Skills (Husbandry Behaviors).

Step Up.

Come and Perch.

Stay.

Go to Your Cage.

Potty Training.

Nail Trimming.

Wing Trimming.

Getting into a Carrier.

Toweling.

Moving from Place to Place.

5 Tricks That Don’t Require Props.

First Training Lessons.

The Turn Around.

The Wave.

Shake Hands.

Review of First Training Session.

High Five.

The Kiss.

Nod Head Yes.

Shake Head No.

Take a Bow.

Big Eagle.

Flap Wings.

6 Teaching the Basic Retrieve Command.

First Retrieve Lessons.

Bring It to Me.

Planning Ahead for Other Tricks.

Moving the Object Around.

Card Tricks.

7 Simple Tricks Based on the Retrieve.

Basketball.

Wastepaper into a Wastepaper Basket.

Recycling.

Ring on the Peg.

Rings on the Peg by Color.

Rings on the Peg by Size.

Ring on Your Finger.

Lei on a Doll.

Stacking Cups.

Coins in a Bank.

Letter in a Mailbox.

Puzzle Board—Learning Shapes.

The Shell Game.

Ringing a Hanging Bell.

Retrieving a Dumbbell.

Retrieving a Dumbell Over a Hurdle.

Lifting a Barbell.

8 Advanced Tricks Based on the Retrieve.

Pulling a Pull Toy.

Pulling a Wagon.

Variations of Pulling a Wagon.

Pushing a Grocery Cart.

Pushing a Baby Carriage.0

Pushing a Ball.

Bowling.

Soccer.

Rolling Out a Carpet.

Raising a Flag.

Carrying a Banner or a Rod.

Changing a Marquee.

Displaying a Sign.

Putting a Hat on a Rack.

Opening a Mailbox.

Riding a Scooter.

Riding a Skateboard.

Turning a Crank.

9 Miscellaneous Tricks.

Playing Dead.

Rolling Over.

Somersault.

Headstand on Table.

Headstand on Hand.

Climbing a Ladder.

Climbing a Rope or a Pole.

Sliding Down a Pole.

Climbing Rings.

Hauling Up a Bucket.

Jumping Through a Hoop.

Ringing a Service Bell.

Skating.

Riding a Bicycle.

10 Innovative Tricks.

Hopping.

Scratching Head.

Placing Object Under Wing.

Putting Foot to Beak.

Dancing, Bobbing, and Weaving.

Stretching.

Nodding Head Yes.

Shaking Head No.

Raising the Ruff or Neck Feathers.

11 Chaining Tricks.

Putting It All Together.

Still More . . . .

Final Touches.

Chains of Tricks.

12 Verbalizations and Talking.

You Are Already Training Your Parrot.

Training Your Parrot to Talk.

Once More, with Meaning.

Talking Back.

The Model/Rival Method.

The Positive Reward Method.

Expectations.

13 Making Props.

Using Props.

Getting Assistance.

Making Your Own Props.

T-Stand or Training Perch.

Floor Stand.

Table Perch.

Ring on the Peg.

Puzzle Board.

Basketball Hoop.

Shell Game.

Piggy Bank.

Barbell/Dumbbell.

Soccer Field.

Hat Rack.

Afterword.

Appendix A: Resources.

Appendix B: Places You Can See Performing Birds.

Appendix C: Glossary.

Index.

About the Authors.

Sujets

• Birds
• Pets
• Rival

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 04 juin 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780470893821
• Langue: English

Extrait

Table of Contents
 
Title Page
Copyright Page
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
 
Chapter 1 - The Advantages of Trick Training Your Parrot
 
BENEFITS TO YOU
BENEFITS TO YOUR BIRD
SOCIALIZATION
MAKING LIFE EASIER
A NEW EXPERIENCE FOR YOU
BIRD AMBASSADORSHIP: GETTING OUT WITH YOUR PARROT
KEEP YOUR EXPECTATIONS IN CHECK
 
Chapter 2 - Preparations for Training
 
EARLY-BIRD TRAINING
TAMENESS SCALE
ANY AGE BIRD CAN BE TRAINED
THE TRAINING AREA
TRAINING REWARDS FOR YOUR BIRD
FOOD AS A TRAINING TOOL
TRAINING SESSIONS
HOW MANY TRAINERS?
TRIMMING WING FEATHERS
THE T-STAND
 
Chapter 3 - Training Basics
 
TARGETING
SHAPING A BEHAVIOR
PHYSICAL ASSISTANCE (MOLDING)
LURING
CAPTURING A BEHAVIOR
CLICKER TRAINING
OPERANT CONDITIONING
PARTIAL EXTINCTION
CUES: VERBAL AND PHYSICAL
GENERALIZING
 
Chapter 4 - Necessary Obedience Skills (Husbandry Behaviors)
 
STEP UP
COME AND PERCH
STAY
GO TO YOUR CAGE
POTTY TRAINING
NAIL TRIMMING
WING TRIMMING
GETTING INTO A CARRIER
TOWELING
MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE
 
Chapter 5 - Tricks That Don’t Require Props
 
FIRST TRAINING LESSONS
THE TURN AROUND
THE WAVE
SHAKE HANDS
REVIEW OF FIRST TRAINING SESSION
HIGH FIVE
THE KISS
NOD HEAD YES
SHAKE HEAD NO
TAKE A BOW
BIG EAGLE
FLAP WINGS
 
Chapter 6 - Teaching the Basic Retrieve Command
 
FIRST RETRIEVE LESSONS
BRING IT TO ME
PLANNING AHEAD FOR OTHER TRICKS
MOVING THE OBJECT AROUND
CARD TRICKS
 
Chapter 7 - Simple Tricks Based on the Retrieve
 
BASKETBALL
WASTEPAPER INTO A WASTEPAPER BASKET
RECYCLING
RING ON THE PEG
RINGS ON THE PEG BY COLOR
RINGS ON THE PEG BY SIZE
RING ON YOUR FINGER
LEI ON A DOLL
STACKING CUPS
COINS IN A BANK
LETTER IN A MAILBOX
PUZZLE BOARD—LEARNING SHAPES
THE SHELL GAME
RINGING A HANGING BELL
RETRIEVING A DUMBBELL
RETRIEVING A DUMBBELL OVER A HURDLE
LIFTING A BARBELL
 
Chapter 8 - Advanced Tricks Based on the Retrieve
 
PULLING A PULL TOY
PULLING A WAGON
VARIATIONS OF PULLING A WAGON
PUSHING A GROCERY CART
PUSHING A BABY CARRIAGE
PUSHING A BALL
BOWLING
SOCCER
ROLLING OUT A CARPET
RAISING A FLAG
CARRYING A BANNER OR A ROD
CHANGING A MARQUEE
DISPLAYING A SIGN
PUTTING A HAT ON A RACK
OPENING A MAILBOX
RIDING A SCOOTER
RIDING A SKATEBOARD
TURNING A CRANK
 
Chapter 9 - Miscellaneous Tricks
 
PLAYING DEAD
ROLLING OVER
SOMERSAULT
HEADSTAND ON TABLE
HEADSTAND ON HAND
CLIMBING A LADDER
CLIMBING A ROPE OR A POLE
SLIDING DOWN A POLE
CLIMBING RINGS
HAULING UP A BUCKET
JUMPING THROUGH A HOOP
RINGING A SERVICE BELL
SKATING
RIDING A BICYCLE
 
Chapter 10 - Innovative Tricks
 
HOPPING
SCRATCHING HEAD
PLACING OBJECT UNDER WING
PUTTING FOOT TO BEAK
DANCING, BOBBING, AND WEAVING
STRETCHING
NODDING HEAD YES
SHAKING HEAD NO
RAISING THE RUFF OR NECK FEATHERS
 
Chapter 11 - Chaining Tricks
 
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
STILL MORE . . .
FINAL TOUCHES
CHAINS OF TRICKS
 
Chapter 12 - Verbalizations and Talking
 
YOU ARE ALREADY TRAINING YOUR PARROT
TRAINING YOUR PARROT TO TALK
ONCE MORE, WITH MEANING
TALKING BACK
THE MODEL/RIVAL METHOD
THE POSITIVE REWARD METHOD
EXPECTATIONS
 
Chapter 13 - Making Props
 
USING PROPS
GETTING ASSISTANCE
MAKING YOUR OWN PROPS
T-STAND OR TRAINING PERCH
FLOOR STAND
TABLE PERCH
RING ON THE PEG
PUZZLE BOARD
BASKETBALL HOOP
SHELL GAME
PIGGY BANK
BARBELL/DUMBBELL
SOCCER FIELD
HAT RACK
 
Afterword
Appendix A - Resources
Appendix B - Places You Can See Performing Birds
Appendix C - Glossary
Index
About the Authors

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:
Robar, Tani.
Parrot tricks / Tani Robar and Diane Grindol.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7645-8461-9 (alk. paper)

1. Parrots—Training. I. Grindol, Diane. II. Title.
SF473.P3R.6’86535—dc22 2005024915

Book production by Wiley Publishing, Inc. Composition Services
Foreword
Over my thirty years of working with companion parrots, it has become very clear that these intelligent birds thrive on what I call “instructional interaction.” One of the greatest advantages of teaching tricks or positive behaviors to a companion parrot is the ability to use them to redirect negative behaviors. My 16-year-old Caique, Spikey LeBec, can be a real terror at times, even with me. If he is so stubborn and/or wound-up that he is difficult for me to handle, I have him do a somersault in my hand and tell him what a good boy he is. He is quickly distracted from his antsy aggression and gives me his attention almost immediately. All of my parrots have at least one or two trained behaviors that they do for praise and attention. These include somersaults, raising a foot to “gimme four,” whistling duets, hopping across a table, rolling over on their backs, or spreading their wings to the cue, “Eagle Boy.”
They are simple tricks, and we do not take ourselves too seriously about them because they are totally for our enjoyment and not to impress anyone. Years ago when I used to do a monthly parrot care seminar at a local humane society, I had trained Spike to put a wiffle ball through a miniature basketball hoop. He was very good at it. Unfortunately the ball rolled off the table one too many times. Each time a very helpful person from the audience would reach down and pick up the ball and give it to Spike. Of course the audience laughed because they thought it was very funny when he rolled the ball off of the table and then looked at the audience with his imploring body language. It only took a few times for him to realize it was a lot more fun to get someone to pick up the ball for him than it was for him to put it in the hoop. So much for Spikey being the star attraction in a parrot show!
Tricks are simply positive behaviors that have been trained by giving the parrot a consistent positive reward through patterning. Why does it work so well with our companion parrots? Because it provides them with one extremely important factor that they need to be happy in our lives—focused attention from the people in their lives. When many people think of giving their parrots attention, they think of cuddling and physical affection. A certain amount of this is fine, but the people who realize that instructional interaction is the most positive way to relate to an intelligent parrot are the ones who have the most successful relationships with their birds.
I have seen lots of parrots doing tricks over the years, but the most memorable ones are not the ones that are most technically accomplished, but those where the love and respect in the relationship shine through, and it is obvious that both the people and the parrots are having fun. This is why I enjoy Tani Robar and her performing parrots. Like my Caique, Spike, sometimes her Caique, Cassie, seems to get distracted and loves the attention of the audience so much that she d