Parrotcare PDF

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Getting Your Parrot To Love You

By Chet and Dave Womach
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Bird Training Manual
The Secret Behind Successful
TrainingEvery Time!
By Chet and Dave Womach
2007 Womach Brother Productions All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use,
sharing, reproduction or distribution of these materials by any means, electronic,
mechanical, or otherwise is strictly prohibited. No portion of these materials may
be reproduced in any manner whatsoever, without the express written consent of
the polisher. Published under the copyright Laws of the Library of the United
States of America, by:
Chet and Dave Womach

http://www.birdtricks.com
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TrainingEvery Time!
Table of Contents
Introduction:
My Personal Theory on Bird Training 4
Chets Story 5
Your Parrot Isnt Different 9
Chapter One: The Foundations. You Have To Get These Right If You Want a Nice Parrot 11
Your Birds Cage 11
Bathing 18
Feeding 19
Chapter Two: Behavior Problems and How to Fix Them 22

Quick Fixes to Try First 22
Chapter Three: The Most Important Step In Bird Training 28

Training Diet The Key To a Happy, Healthy Bird 28
How a Training Diet Works 29
Training Diet Steps 30
Things You Must Get Right 32
Chapter Four: Clicker Conditioning. Teaching Your Bird The Rules of The Game 39
What is a Clicker? 39
Clicker Conditioning Yourself 39
Clicker Conditioning Your Bird 44
Chapter Five: Training The First Behavior. Target Training 46

Target Training 101 46
Why Teach Target Training 47
You Can Teach Target Training to a Mean Bird 47
Summary 50
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TrainingEvery Time!
My Personal Theory on Bird Training
This is an exciting time! For those of you picking this up for the first time, who have never heard of
my training system, youre about to experience the joys of really, truly, training and enjoying your
bird as a valued pet and family member.
This training will help you fix behavior problems, any behavior problems. Whether your bird is
screaming, thrashing and charging in his cage, plucking his feathers out until hes bald, pooping on
you, or even biting this course will eliminate those problems.
My expertise is behavior modification via tried and true training systems. Training systems that focus
on the art of positive reinforcement. My theory is that punishment does not work well for birds. Birds
in their natural habitats are accustomed to being hunted. They take flight in times of danger. Those
natural instincts still remain in your bird. In order for your bird to respond to your commands, to feel
safe in your home and with your family he needs to trust you.
Punishment does not encourage trust. In fact, it does the opposite. Punishment is a way of exerting
your power or dominance over an animal. It may work for some trainers and some animals but it
doesnt work well for birds. If youre used to the old standard dog training, yelling, choke collars, and
negative reinforcement then youre in for a surprise. Im not that kind of trainer.
I believe in positive reinforcement. That being said, there are a few negative techniques that may be
used, however theyll be used in a way that the bird doesnt see you as the person responsible for the
negative stimulus. Well get into that later. Right now, you might be wondering...who the heck is
Chet Womach?
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TrainingEvery Time!
Chets Story:
Back in 2003 my brother and I founded http://www.birdtricks.com

without any experience. My brother Dave (http://
www.DaveWomach.com) now an acclaimed professional magician,
was an up and comer at that time and he had a bird
Needing money to pay a credit card bill I had foolishly racked up, I of-
fered to train his bird to do some tricks in his magic show.
I had never trained a parrot before, but my brother had bought some
videos that claimed to teach people how to train their parrots to do
tricks. I figured, Id watch the tapes, follow the instructions to the T
and in a week or two Daves bird would be trained, and Id have an extra hundred bucks!
But things didnt quite work out that way
I was severely disappointed in the videos and the information available on the market. Every
video made the same error. They used a tame bird to show me how to do the tricks. Well I did-
n't have a tame bird. I had a mean bird, and my hands were getting bloodier by the day.
To give credit where credit is due, they were amazing trainers with amazing birds. Their birds
did fantastic tricks. But none of that helped me to get my bird to stop biting and screaming at
me.
Why couldnt they show me how to train a bird using a mean bird? they were great at show-
ing tame parrots how to do tricks, but failed miserably at showing me how to get my mean par-
rot to do tricks. Because obviously a mean parrot behaves differently than a well trained and
VERY tame parrot.
Light bulb moment!
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TrainingEvery Time!
The first generation of our bird trick training course is exactly thatvideos of us training real birds, not
perfect birds but birds with all sorts of behavior issues. Weve sold more than 15,000 copies and it got
results. It was a fantastic work in progress. We tried all sorts of things, some worked some didnt but
you get to see it all. We stopped Linus, my Cockatoo, from screaming and stopped our other birds from
biting.
The success of our videos and our increased training led us to begin exploring how to train each type of
bird to end their bad behaviors. Weve spoken with tens of thousands of people, spoken with hundreds
of experts, and weve now updated our system into the most polished bird training system available.
A system that were proud to provide to you. It is designed to help any bird owner solve either birds
behavior problems. The really great part about this updated course is that it contains the old video foot-
age using the incorrect techniques and we tell why they dont work. We tell why each bird breed is dif-
ferent and show what you can do for your specific bird.
This course is going to help you solve 3 main problems:
1. End Biting For Good. Biting includes and encompasses any sort of aggression or actual biting. If
your bird doesnt want to get out of the cage. If it wont go back into its cage. It just bites you or at-
tacks you out of the blue. It's normal depending on their age, season, and level of maturity to exhibit
this type of behavior but we will show you how to nip it in the bud and how to make sure it doesnt esca-
late into an uncontrollable bird.
2. End Incessant Mind Numbing Screaming. This is the reason why cockatoos are the number one
most abandoned parrot in the world. Ive lived with this problem and I understand. Weve helped thou-
sands of owners stop their bird from screaming and we can help you too.
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TrainingEvery Time!
3. Stop feather plucking if it is a learned behavior. Sometimes it is a medical issue and we cannot
help you with that. We can however help you stop the behavior if it is a habit, or a behavior issue.
Set the framework, set a foundation of principles for any training today or in the future. How to set up
your birds environment, diet, toys, sleep, bathing, a whole host of basic principles. Youd be amazed at
how simple fixes like the right amount of sleep can fix big problems. Begin with a solid foundation and
the rest will be significantly easier.
At http://www.birdtricks.com youll find hundreds of stories about how our customers have been able to
transform their birds into friendly, happy, and confident family members. Here are just a few of their
stories...
*****
"I was given a Blue & Gold Macaw that was two years old when his owner
moved away. After a couple of days, he finally let me hold him, but he wanted to
bite my fingers ... and I had a hard time getting him back into his cage. I
bought a couple of books but I did not get any results...
After just two days of reading your system, I had a totally new bird, friend,
and companion!!!
Merlin is now on your healthy training diet, he has seen the Vet, and he's doing wonderful.
He waves hello with his foot and goodbye with his wing. He will play dead, and he loves to play peek-a-boo.
And, with the help of your system, he is not a screamer. Merlin even calls me "Momma" and tells me
"Goodnight"!
I would tell everybody with a bird: "Do what Chet says, and your bird problems will be solved!"
Diana Colon
Proud owner of "Merlin"
Deltona, Florida
_______________________________________________________________________
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TrainingEvery Time!
"My bird is an eleven-year-old Scarlet Macaw. I got her from a friend who kept her in the cage all the time. She used
to bite all the time, but since I've started using your training tips, she only nips when she's afraid. Now, when I let her
out of her cage, she comes straight to me.
She enjoys being out of her cage with me... and she LOVES playing with her cow bell.
She is calmer, better behaved, and she's starting to listen to me. She even lets me hang her
upside down (seeI've included)!
I'd tell anyone with a bird to give your program a try! It works
Susan Gnapp
Proud owner of a "Scarlet Macaw"
Key West, Florida
Deltona, Florida
_______________________________________________________________________
""In the beginning, the noise was HORRIFIC! ... 8 weeks later, they were 'waving' to me!"
We purchased a pair of five-year-old African Greys which were not captive bred. Their previous owner had done
nothing with them at all......They were just left in a breeding cage. Needless to say they had not bred and the owner got
fed up with them.
When we first brought the birds home, they were totally wild and would disappear into the nest box at the slightest
sound. It was crazy to begin with and the noise was horrific. We couldn't go NEAR the cage and it was difficult to
even change food and water without them going wild. Today, March 6th, after approx 8 weeks later, I now have these
birds taking sunflower seeds from my hand as a reward for
"waving" to me.
They step onto my hands easily -- and let me stroke them all over, even
under their wings. I know that this story will appear to be too good to
be true but I can assure you that I have spent no more than 30 mins on
any day training these birds.
Thank you once again!
Ian Jones
Proud owner of two African Greys
Barrow in Furness, United Kingdom
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TrainingEvery Time!
Your Parrot Isnt Different !!
Over the years Ive had a lot of customers insist that their parrot is different. They insist that their bird,
because he has a white toenail or a red feather that makes him different means that he responds to train-
ing differently and that this system wont work.
IT DOESNT MAKE A DIFFERENCE what your bird looks like, what breed he is, or what he is eating
today. If you follow the steps in this guide, then your bird will succeed.
The training I have developed works with every type of bird. Why does it work with every type of bird?
How on earth can I make such a blanket statement?
Because Ive trained every type of bird and because Ive helped thousands train theirs and because this
training method isnt a newly discovered secret. Training parrots has evolved from training other ani-
mals. From dogs to dolphins, all positive reinforcement training has the same basic roots. It doesnt
matter if youre training the worlds finest parrot or a chicken. The training will work.
Crows, owls, eagles it doesnt matter. The principles are the same. Regardless of the bird type you
have, this will work for you. Your parrot isnt different.
Dont believe me, try this stuff on your goldfish. It will work.
Is your bird smarter than a goldfish?
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TrainingEvery Time!
I guarantee that your bird is smarter than a goldfish.
So heres what YOU need to do to succeed with this training system.
1. Be patient. Your bird isnt going to get everything the first time and hes going to test you from
time to time to see if you really mean it. Patience will show your bird that you mean business and
that youre a friend, someone to trust. Lose patience and you not only lose all of the groundwork
youve laid up until that point, youve lost his trust.
2. Dont skip around. Try the strategies in the order theyre presented. .The guide is presented in an
order for a reason. If there is a need to speak on a specific issue that you might be dealing with,
well address it.
3. That bring us to the last point. Periodically youll see this symbol:
This means that you may have come upon a hurdle that you need to get over.
The information in these areas will help you get over these hurdles.
You may also see a stop sign. This signifies a warning. Stop and read the warning.
The last symbol that youll see is a BONUS sign.

This is just extra information that you might find
helpful.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
You Have to Get These Right If
You Want a Nice Parrot!
The first step in making sure that your bird is happy, healthy, strong,
and ready for any kind of training is to make sure that his
environment is optimal.
Making sure that he is well fed, groomed, and living in a fantastic

environment may actually eliminate most of the undesirable behavior
problems that hes exhibiting.
Your Birds Cage

Step 1
Cage Size
You know that old saying that bigger is better? In the case of your
birds cage, its true.
Birds are meant to roam and fly, so they should be allowed enough
space so that they feel free to forage naturally, climb around, and
exercise.
Some basic housing rules are:

There should not be too many birds in a cage.
There should be plenty of perches.
There should be enough food bowls for the number of birds in the
cage.
Additionally, the cage needs to be big enough to put lots of toys
in and be able to move around and play with the toys without
bumping into them.
If you want to get a good look at cages for different parrot breeds,
and a free catalog, Go to www.cagesbydesign.org. This is a great
place to find cages for your bird. Check out the pictures and view
what birds they place in the cages.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
Cage Materials
What do you want the cage to be made out of?
The first rule of thumb is to be leery of cages that are made of

chicken wire or chain link fence. Birds can develop metal toxicity
which will cause them to deteriorate slowly and eventually die. This
is because birds like to chew and theyll grind on the metal with their
mouths. The chain link and chicken wire are soft metals. Pieces will
break off and the metal will stay in their systems. Its toxic and lethal
to many birds.
Rather than list all of the good choices, because there are many,
heres a basic guideline:
Check with your avian veterinarian

Avian Adventures makes a great cage and theyre carried in many
pet stores.
Cagesbydesign.com offers safe, premium cages
Small birds have many safe alternatives in your local chain or
reputable pet store.
Other Cage Considerations:
Durability. Remember that larger species live for 50+ years so you
want to make sure that the cage you buy will last a long time.
Wheels. Look for quality wheels on the cage. Make sure they can
withstand a lot of weight. When youre moving the bird from room
to room or even home to home, its important that the wheels are
working and in good shape.
Lighting. Does the cage have the ability to have lighting added to it?
I like to purchase full spectrum lighting for my cages because it helps
produce vitamin K in the birds. Full spectrum simulates natural light,
sunshine, which reduces feather plucking tendencies.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
All animals, including people and parrots, need Vitamin D and we
need the sunshine to make it. We cant make it on our own. Full
spectrum lighting helps with your birds overall health, vitamin d
development, and general happiness.
Avoid the temptation to just place your bird by the window for his
natural light requirements. It doesnt work and it can stress your bird
out. Modern windows filter the sunshine and we dont get the 'D'
development that we need.
Believe me, I learned this the hard way. My parents occasionally

watch my birds. They have old windows that dont block the sunlight
and they have full spectrum lighting in the room.
I couldnt figure out why my bird was happier at my parents.

Eventually I did and I placed full spectrum lighting on his cage, and
now everyones happy.
Bottom Tray
You want to get a cage where your bird cannot stick his feet through
the cage bars and touch his feet in the bottom tray. The tray is
designed to capture the messings but it also captures any spilled food.
An important aspect of training is a training diet, which Ill talk about
in chapter three.
If your bird can access the food in the bottom of his cage then you will
not be able to get him on an established training diet and the training
wont work.
Placement of Your Birds Cage

The placement of your birds cage is very important for both his health
and his happiness.
You want to avoid drafty windows and vents to keep him healthy and
you may want to keep him away from windows to keep him from
getting stressed and frightened.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
In addition to stress from loud noises, construction equipment, and
other predators, birds outside the window, hawks for example, can
terrify your bird.
For example, my bird Tikko loves being able to see the neighbor
children in the backyard playing but he also becomes very frightened
when he sees the construction equipment, cranes in particular, come
out.
Secondly, dont put your birds cage on the ground. They do not feel
secure on the ground. Theyre birds after all, they like being up
where they can see things.
Dont put your birds cage in other potentially scary places like:
Near loud speakers (surround sound or other sound system) That

loud bass can cause stress.
In the middle of a room. Birds prefer corners so that they dont

have to be on guard. Their back is covered so to speak. When
they are relatively free of distractions, they can sleep better and
will be less stressed.
If you have the option, consider setting up your bird so that he can be
in your most active room during the day (so that he can be around
you) and out of that room when its time to go to bed.
Birds need 12-14 hours of sleep and if you can move him into a
different room when its time for him to go to bed then hell get
better sleep, hell be healthier, happier, and better behaved.
My parents found a fantastic solution to their birds need for sleep.

They placed the birds in a room and cut a hole in the wall and placed
a window so that the birds could see the people during the day.
Come bedtime, they shut off the light and close the blinds over the
window. This solution also works well for birds with screaming
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
problems. When they scream you simply shut off the light and close
the blinds. They quickly learn to stop screaming.
What Goes Into Your Birds Cage?
Perches
I recommend very tough perches because most birds destroy them. If
you dont mind replacing them often, then basic wooden dowels of
varying sizes are fine.
I recommend the manzanita perch. It is made of the toughest wood,

which means that the bird cannot chew them very easily and they
take a long time to destroy. They also a have natural contours,
diameters, and knots and branches, which provide your parrot with
variety.
Variety in a perch is important because it helps in the natural

development of your birds feet and keeps your bird from developing
joint problems and arthritis. If you dont have a manzanita perch
option, then simply buy perches of different sizes.
Bendable rope perches also allow you to change angles to provide

variety. Variety is the key for good foot development. You may also
want to try the nail and beak grooming perches that enable your bird
to file their claws. These come in odd shaped sizes and offer a more
natural feel.
Toys
A common problem among new bird owners is to not train their bird
to play by himself. This leads to your bird screaming for your
attention. (We speak in depth about screaming and how to eliminate
it in Chapter Two.)
Birds are intelligent creatures and they need stimulation. Since you
cannot be with them 24/7, you must train them to entertain
themselves. You do this by providing them a wide variety of toys.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
Boredom causes destructive and undesirable behaviors. Change and

add toys often.
You may not want to hear this but your bird needs new toys
constantly. Imagine if you were given one Rubik's cube to play with
for the rest of your life. No computer games, no hobbies, no board
games, cards or even sports. Nope, just the Rubik's cube.
Youd go nuts, right?
Your bird will too. He needs new toys and this means that you will
need to budget and spend money on your bird.
I recommend 3-5 toys in your birds cage at one time. You also need
to watch him to make sure that hes playing with them. Signs of play
include chewing and relocating the toy to a new area.
Make sure that the toys you purchase offer varying textures sizes and
types of toys. Your bird wont like every toy.
For example, my macaw likes wood but doesnt like plastic so I dont
get him plastic toys. My cockatiel loves paper to shred. He also likes
soft wood toys like the softness of balsa wood and foam so thats
what I buy for him.
If your bird doesnt touch the toy at all for a week or two, then get rid
of it.
STOP! Dont get reflective toys. Your bird may bond to the
reflection and it can cause real problems. Avoid mirrors, reflective
plastic and so on. While some birds dont react, it isnt worth the
risk. He will like the toy just fine, talking and singing to it, but hell
become possessive when you try to play with him. This
possessiveness can cause biting and aggressive behavior.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
Other Types of Toys and Where to Find Them

Foot toys are excellent options. Game type or puzzle toys are also
spectacular for many birds. Puzzle toys challenge your birds
intelligence and problem-solving skills. Food finding toys, or toys
with buttons are examples of these types of toys.
Basic rule of thumbPay attention to the toys, make sure hes

playing with them, and vary them regularly.
8beaks.com makes fantastic toys. Theyre on the premium end but

you can mix these toys with home made toys. Windycityparrot.com
offers toy pieces.
Bonus tip: Before you give up on a toy try changing it. For example
a toy hanging in the middle of the cage quite often wont be touched
but if you place it in the tree, not hanging but just laying on the tree,
your bird may interact with it simply because he needs to if he wants
to hang out in his tree.
Foraging is Fun.
I also recommend that you invest time to create a foraging
environment for your bird. This is done by constantly hiding things
like food or toys to create an explorative environment. Place toys in
unusual places, make your bird move around the cage to act. Hide
toys and treats.
I like to hide stuff in the play tree, like a peanut, in order to stimulate
my birds. It keeps him busy for hours and present a more natural
environment.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
Bathing
Step 2
Bathing is an extremely important thing to do with your bird and it

serves several functions:
Can stop feather plucking

Will help to prevent over preening
It is a great way for you to spend time with your bird
Baths also cut down on your birds dander problems.
Makes the feathers look and feel better.
I recommend taking the bird in the shower with you. Its a great way
to bond, an easy way to groom your bird, and it only adds about 5
minutes to your shower.
If you are going to shower with your parrot, youll need to find a
Shower Perch. You can find them at www.windycityparrot.com or
search for one on your favorite search engine. Theyre great to give
your bird a place to perch while youre in the shower just make sure
the perch is slip proof.
Most avian veterinarians recommend bathing or showering with your

parrot 2 to 3 times a week in the winter and 3 to 5 times a week
during the hot summer months.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
Feeding
Step 3
30% of pet behavior problemsall pets; dogs, cats and birds

includedare related directly to a bad diet.
Think about it. You dont feel good when you dont get proper
nutrition. You sleep poorly. You get cranky, your body hurts. The
same thing happens to your bird. Only when your bird doesnt feel
good, he takes it out on you. He bites, he screams, and he pulls out
his feathers.
The foundation of your birds diet.
The best bird diets, and the kind that you need to follow if you want
to be successful with this program, begin with a pellet base.
I strongly recommend that you get a certified organic pellet diet as

the foundation diet for your bird. The organic pellets found at
feedyourflock.com are ideal. They are free from chemicals and other
unnecessary products. Youd be amazed at what you can find in bird
food. Rubber stabilizers and myriad chemicals that the FDA says
that small amounts arent harmful. Dont believe it!
Organic foods are always healthier.
Another type of pellet available via your avian veterinarian is

Harrisons and is a good back up pellet.
You might be inclined to get colored pellets. Dont do it. Many

people use colorful pellets because the birds tend to like it more.
They like it because its full of sugar. You dont want to fill your
bird with sugar.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
A colored pellet is better than an all seed or seed and nut based diet
but it isnt ideal.
Why Seed and Nut Diets are Bad.

Seeds and nuts are full of fat. Good for people in small amounts but
terrible for your bird. They wreak tons of havoc on your birds liver.
They cause cancer and they shorten lives. In fact, a recent study
determined that a parakeet on a seed based diet will live 2-3 years
but a parakeet on pelletbased diet will live 10-12 years.
If your bird is on seeds, get them off that diet and onto pellets!
If your bird absolutely wont eat pellets then you need to get tricky
with your bird, get creative. Take the pellets and hide them in his
other food. Break them down into small bits. Hide them into a
powdered and sprinkle them on the food. Hide them in muffins or
breads. Bake them into eggs, all sorts of things.
YOU CAN SWITCH YOUR BIRD TO PELLETS!
A birds diet needs more:
In addition to a pellet based foundation, your bird needs a constant

and regular dose of fruits and vegetables. (Take care to avoid too
much citrus because of the high acidity.)
Good options include:

Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, deep green leafy veggies
Apples, melons, grapes, (remember to pit any fruit)
Set up a regular feeding routine.
Once a day, at the same time every day, give your bird a bowl of
fresh fruit and veggies. Be sure to not leave it out for too longtwo
hours is sufficient. If you leave the bowl out for too long, youll get a
house full of fruit flies.
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Chapter One:
The Foundations
Bonus: If you already have a fruit fly or moth problem, then visit
Windycityparrot.com. They offer moth and fruit fly traps to get rid
of the problem before the little buggers multiply and fill your home!
A quick search for moth traps, using the websites search tool, will
help you quickly find the right product.
Bean Mixes
Bean mixes make an excellent and nutritious addition to your birds
diet. They add protein and natural minerals and nutrients that your
bird needs. You can make your own or visit myparrot.com. Denise,
the website owner, offers a great bean mix to purchase.
So heres what you need as a foundation diet for optimal parrot

health:
1. Organic pellets
2. Fruits
3. Veggies
4. Bean mixes
Your bird will be healthy and raring to go!
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Chapter Two:
Behavior Problems
And How To Fix Them
Before you begin panicking about your birds behavior problems, there are a
few things that you will want to try first.
Quick fixes to try first:

These are super quick fixes that dont require much, if any, training.
1. Diet is key. Get your bird onto a better , more varied, diet. This will help
his mood and aggression.
2. Sleep is vital. Make sure that your bird gets 10-12 hours of sleep during the
night. This must be uninterrupted sleep in a dark room. This especially helps
during the spring and summertime because it curbs the seasonal mating issues
that often arise.
3. Control your reaction. When your bird becomes sexually mature, he will
automatically will start exhibiting some bad behavior. Dont allow your birds
behavior to alter yours.
For example, if your bird is feeling particularly hormonal and decides that he
doesnt want to step up or to have you pet his head. He may lunge at you and
look like hes going to bite. Instinctively you retract your hand and change your
mind about interacting with him.
Normal behavior for you too, but it causes a problem. Youre training your bird
to think that anytime he doesnt feel like interacting, he can lunge or bite and
his problems are solved. Unfortunately, this can escalate.
22

Chapter Two:
. Behavior Problems
And How To Fix Them
Instead, if your bird bites you or shows aggression, stand your ground.
For example, if the bite doesnt hurt you can push your hand into the
bite. My macaw is a big faker and will lunge and scream but if you just
keep your fingers there hell wrap his beak around your fingers and
then back down. He just wanted to scare you.
Picture of person presenting the back of

their hand to the bird. 4. Always make sure your interaction ends on a good note.
When your bird lunges for your hand, you can turn the back of
your hand so your bird can only bite the back of your hand.
This throws him off and he may end up only bumping into it.
He may nip but it wont hurt very much.
5. Dont antagonize him. The goal is to not react in any man-

ner that gives your bird what he wants. Now, once hes realized that he
isnt going to bite you, you can gently touch him somewhere you feel
safe like his foot or the top of his head. This enables you to leave the
situation on a good note. You dont want him to feel like he can get
away with bad behavior.
Heres a real life example of what Im talking about. My cockatiel

didnt want to get out of the cage with my hand. He wanted to get out
on his own. I realized that I needed to establish a new rule you dont
get out of the cage unless I take you out of the cage.
23
Chapter Two:
Behavior Problems
And How To Fix Them
So I make him be nice.
I make him step up and then Ill take him out immediately and place him on
the top of his cage. I make him make the decision to get out of the cage.
This type of behavior generally happens once your bird is beginning to turn
mean. If he doesnt step up, then you can simply shut the door and he doesnt
get to come out. Go back five minutes later and repeat the process. You may
have to repeat this 20 times, before he decides that hes ready to come out on
your termsthis is where your patience comes in handy.
Generally, most birds will eventually figure out that they get to come out if
they step onto your finger.
With a bird that doesnt like to come out of his cage to interact with you, you
have to keep the deal by only taking him out of the cage. No further interac-
tion is required. Dont hold him, dont bath him, dont wrap him in a towel.
All of those interactions may be why he didnt want to come out on your fin-
ger in the first place. Your only goal here is to get him to learn that if he
wants out of his cage, he has to come out on your finger nicely.
One last example, Tiko my blue and gold macaw never really took to my
wife. He wasnt raised properly or socialized. The problem arose when Tiko
began to be jealous. I would hug her and he would scream and become ag-
gressive.
We were able to eliminate this screaming behavior in about 30 minutes.

Know how we did it?
24
Chapter Two:
Behavior Problems
And How To Fix Them
When he screamed, we hugged longer. The second he stopped or said

something nice, we backed off. We rewarded him positively for stop-
ping the behavior.
The bird doesnt set the rules! If you let him, he will run your house.
Not too much fun.
6. Read Your Birds Body Language. To not get bitten, you need to be
able to read body language. You need to be able to recognize when
your bird is pissed. Many people have trouble figuring this out, my
parents included. For example, their Tikko didnt like women for some
reason and whenever a woman would come into the house, he would
stand at the top of his cage with his wings spread wide and he would act
as big and dominating as he could. To make matters worse, if a woman
walked too close to him, he would scream.
Body language cues couldnt have been more apparent or obvious how-
ever, they simply thought that he was showing off. He wasnt showing
off, he was being EXTREMELY aggressive. He was demonstrating his
unhappiness that the person was in their space.
I share this story only to demonstrate how easy it is to misread your

birds physical cues. Recognizing body language isnt an easy thing to
do so heres a cue - anything your bird does before he bites youthats
aggressive body language.
25
Chapter Two:
Behavior Problems
And How To Fix Them
Here are some more things that you can look for to identify possible aggressive
behavior:
Your bird can have a rapid pinning of the eyes

He can show a fanning of his tail feathers
He can even have a trancelike look, or sway back and forth.
The feathers on his head may pop up or they may stay down.
Its different for every single bird. You can tell by the feathers on their heads,
their wings, their chest feathers and so on. Pay attention to your birds body
language.
Once you learn to recognize your birds body language you can determine your
actions. Sometimes, the answer is that you simply dont touch your bird. Re-
spect the body language. My Cockatiel doesnt like to be touched. We still
have some rules, but I respect his space and he respects my rules.
My Macaw, who generally loves to be petted, will gently grab my finger and
move it away when he doesnt want to be petted. Listen to what your bird
wants, respect, and do not antagonize. You dont want to be the parrot owner
that doesnt know when to stop. Weve all met those kinds of people. They
just dont get it that you want them to be quiet and leave.
Dont be that person to your bird.
26
Chapter Two:
Behavior Problems
And How To Fix Them
7. Be aware of how your birds environment affects his behavior. Some-

times very unexpected and strange things can set off your bird to behave
badly. I have customers that have had some interesting occurrences and
theyre common enough to take note of.
For example, there have been birds that respond unfavorably to particular
colors. Ive known parrots to throw fits when they see a red sweater or a
hat. New furniture has even thrown some birds for a total loop.
If your bird begins exhibiting unusual or unfavorable behaviors, you need

to think back and determine what has possibly changed in his environment.
New people, new pets, new cage location, just about anything can be a
trigger.
Even rooms can make a difference. I really notice a change when I take
my bird Magoo out of my office. He likes to be in my office and hes calm
but on the weekends when I bring him into the main room boy does he
like that better.
Pay attention to your birds environment. He will like some rooms and
locations better than others. Experiment with location to find the best
situation for your bird.
Now that you know how to properly care for your bird and you have elimi-
nated any of the quick fixes, its time to get into some training.
27
Chapter Three:
The Most Important Step In
Bird Training.
Training DietThe Key To Happy, Healthy Birds.
This chapter is all about how to establish your bird on a training diet.
Before you panic, a training diet is not a starvation diet. In fact, youre
not really feeding your bird less than you normally do.
What you are doing is making sure that your bird is healthy and moti-
vated to train. In this chapter well discuss what a training diet is. Why
you should put your bird on a training diet, and how to do it successfully.
What is a Training Diet?

Assuming that your bird is on an organic pellet based diet, a training diet
is simply portioning your birds food from one or two large meals to two
or three smaller meals. You save the snacks and yummy stuff for train-
ing time and you train before mealswhen theyre motivated to take
food from you.
It is different than a standard leave the bowl of food in the cage all day
kind of diet, because the amount of food your bird receives is controlled
on a daily basis. It follows two basic guidelines:
1. It must be SAFE.
2. Treats are saved for training.
THIS IS NOT A STARVATION DIET!
28
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
How A Training Diet Works

Your bird is an animal plain and simple. As such, he is motivated by
foodgenerally. (There are a few rare exceptions but well get into
that later.) A training diet works by making your bird want to work
with you because you have something that he wants. Not something
that he needs now or hell die. Something that he wants.
You need to give your bird a reason to do what you ask him to do. It
works, regardless of whether you have a bird that avoids you or wants
nothing to do with you or a bird that already loves you. It gives birds
with problem behaviors a reason to get along with you.
Your bird, on a training diet, wants to eat more than he wants to run
away and he chooses to perform the behavior youve asked him to.
I know that sounds rather harsh. It isnt. Realistically, it is much

more gentle than that. Follow the steps to the T and your bird will be
happy, healthy, and training well for you in no time.
WARNING: Be careful about getting a bird on a training diet that is

overly restrictive. You dont want your bird to associate hunger with
training. You want him to be hungry but not starving. Being too hun-
gry tells your bird that starving is part of training, which makes him
refuse to train. Not good for him or you.
29
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
Training Diet Step One: Weigh Your Bird, Every Day
Before you can weigh your bird, you need to have a bird scale. It will
have a perch for your bird to stand on and will weigh in ounces, grams,
and pounds. You can find a good bird scale at many online pet stores. A
quick search online will provide you with tons of options.
Once you have your scale, weigh your bird every day to see weight fluc-
tuations. Chart them so that you can tell if your bird has lost weight and
if so, how much. More than a 10% loss in weight is not good. Measur-
ing daily ensures that you can.
1. Make sure that your bird is healthy, regardless of whether youre

training them or not. The first symptom of illness is often weight loss.
Weve saved three birds because we weigh them every day.
2.Make sure that you are feeding your bird the proper amount to maintain
a healthy weight. That your training diet isnt too stringent.
Training Diet Step Two: Structured Feeding
A training diet works by reducing the amount that you feed your bird at
meal times and then filling in the gaps with treats at training time.
30
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
For example...Lets assume that your bird normally eats 10oz of food
a day. (This is a number chosen simply because it makes the math
easy it is not representative of what you should feed your bird. Con-
sult with your avian veterinarian to find out how much your bird
should eat every day.)
So, assuming that were working with a bird that eats 10oz of food a
day, were going to cut his food intake by 10%. So now hes getting
9oz of food each day. Training works best if you divide that 9oz into
two or three scheduled meals a day depending on how often you can
train your bird. Well work with the assumption that you're only able
to train twice a day.
This means that your bird now gets 4.5oz of food twice a day. Make
sure that the times you feed your bird are regular, so hes eating 4.5oz
in the morning and 4.5oz at night.
Just before each meal, set aside a few minutes to train your bird. Hell
be hungry because he hasnt had any food since his last meal, and hell
be motivated to train. You make up the 10% that you cut out of your
birds diet by feeding him treats at training time.
Thats it in a nutshell, however there are some things that are very im-
portant if you want your training diet to work.
31
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
Things You Must Get Right.
1. Your Bird Must Be Ready. Make sure that your bird is ready for
training and a training diet. He has to be willing to let you come near
him. He doesnt have to be a nice bird but he cannot be a violent or ag-
gressive bird. He cant hate you.
2. Save Treats for Treat TimePellets Only. I recommend that you pick
out everything that your bird loves to eat and that you save those favor-
ites for training time treats. If you feed him the treats during meal time
them theyre not really treats.
To discover what your birds favorite food is, place a wide variety of
foodstuff in your birds bowl and watch what he chooses. Hell eat his
favorites first. They dont really believe in delayed gratification. Dessert
comes first.
3.Make Treats Easy to Consume. The treats you feed your bird need to
be able to be eaten quickly. Some birds are slow eaters. This doesnt
work because by the time hes done with his treat, hell have forgotten
why he got it. You want him to perform the behavior and eat the treat
right away.
32
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
Shell the nuts and seeds. My Senegal parrot is a very slow eater. I have
to cut a sunflower seed into three pieces to make it small enough to keep
the pace of training high, or to get enough repetitions in.
4. No midnight snacks! Your bird cannot be able to reach the bottom of

his cage and eat from the tray. Many cages have trays that are close to
the bottom of the cage. This means that any food your bird knocks out of
his bowl, hes able to reach down and eat later. He wont train if he isnt
hungry.
5. Dont restrict water. Make sure that your bird has access to fresh,
clean water at all times.
6. Weigh your bird at the same time every day. The best, and easiest
time, is first thing in the morning before training. Keep a chart or journal
nearby so that you know if your bird is losing, gaining, or maintaining
his weight. You dont want your bird to lose more than 10% of his
weight. If he does, then youre withholding too much food. Dont do
this, its cruel. Make sure hes healthy and hes getting enough food.
What To Do If Your Bird Wont Take Treats From You.

The goal is to get your bird to take rewards from you, thats the point of
the diet however, some people tell me that their bird doesnt like treats
and would rather receive affection, like a pat on the head, for a good job.
33
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
First, make sure that youre following the training diet steps to the
T.
Good treats are a must! Make sure that youre giving him a real
treat.
Make sure that youre following the diet and that he is hungry at
training time.
IF your bird still prefers other options, then it is possible that
youre moving too quickly training your bird when he really isnt
ready for it. IF hes scared of you, he wont take a treat. He
doesnt trust you.
He may also not be in a good environment too many distractions
equals poor training. Your bird needs to be in a zero distraction
environment.
Caution: If youre going to relocate your into a quieter area for train-
ing, getting him from his cage to his training environment has to be a
pleasant experience. If it isnt, your bird will think only about the ter-
ror of transport rather than the fun of training. Youre essentially
training him to hate training. Make sure the transport to another area
is pleasant.
Treats are significantly easier rewards than playing or petting for train-
ing. If you want your bird to begin favoring treats over petting or
34
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
playing then youll need to train your bird to like them more. Dont
worry. Its possible!
Heres how...Lets take the example of a bird that prefers to get let out
of his cage rather than a treat. Your first step, once youve eliminated
all other causes for this preference like distractions and a proper training
diet, is to pair the action the bird wantsbeing let out of his cagewith
eating a treat.
Open the birds cage, but do not let your bird out of the cage. Give him
a peanut or sunflower seed or whatever kind of food he likes best. As
soon as he eats the treat, you let him out.
Repeat that 10 times a day spacing the treats every hour or so. If you do
this for a week or two (sometimes longer), hes going to realize that he
needs to eat a treat to get out of the cage.
He begins to associate value to the treat. Eventually, believe it or not,

hell start to value the peanut as much or more than being let out of the
cage.
This strategy has been proven with dogs, mice, and even dolphins. Dol-
phins can be trained to value the cut up pieces of fish their trainer offers
them over the fish that they can catch in the open sea.
35
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
They did this by training the dolphins to associate the cut up fish with
games that the dolphins enjoyed.
Dog trainer experts use this for dogs too. In fact, you can pair anything
and can get them to value anything more than their favorite reward.
You can even have the reward be negative and have your animal work
for the negative reward just as hard as they would for a positive reward.
Scientists have proven this by training mice to work for a pellet. Once
the mice were trained to push a lever to receive a pellet, they added a
mild shock to the lever. The mice worked through and adapted to the
shock because they valued the pellet. As the shock level increased, the
mice continued to press the lever and receive the pellet. Eventually the
mice chose to receive very aggressive shocks in order to get the pellet.
The next phase of the study was to remove the pellet from the scenario.
SO the mice pushed the lever and all they received was a shock. They
found that the mice worked very hard just to receive the shock.
What they then found was that when they introduced a different me-
dium into the mice cage, a chain hanging from the top that produced a
shock when touched, the mice
36
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
worked to touch the chain and receive the shockwithout a food pellet
reward. They had learned to value the shock more than the pellet.
Kinda crazy, but true.
Back to bird training...you want to train your bird so that he values food
treats over other rewards. When youre beginning this process of pair-
ing treats with behaviors that your bird does want like being let out of
his cage, you do not want to work with your bird for too long in one ses-
sion.
Once you recognize that your bird understands that he has to eat a pea-
nut before he gets out of the cage, hell begin to work for that peanut.
Make sure that you keep training sessions short, especially in the begin-
ning. Some birds have a short attention span and you may only get your
bird to repeat the behavior one or two times. They need to be both food
motivated and interested in training.
You can gradually build up the amount of time your bird trains. If you
train too much theyll begin to resent training and lose interest. Keep an
eye on your birds behavior and body language.
You can also make early training sessions about behaviors that your bird
likes to do, like bob his head or puff out his feathers or other natural be-
haviors like spreading their wings. This makes them associate fun with
37
Chapter Three:
Bird Training.
training and thats always a good thing! For example, my bird Magoo
lost his desire to train. I had been overtraining him and he flat out re-
fused to train. Realizing that there were behaviors that he enjoyed, I decided
to focus on those. With several clickers placed throughout the room and in my
pockets and treats always within easy reach, I waited.
Magoo, happened to be a bit hormonal at the time and enjoying his silhouette
cast by the lamp on the family room wall. He would stare at the wall and flash
out his wings so they were spread out like a big eagle. Looking at the wall he
would then stand there and admire himself. It fascinated him to see the shad-
ows flash up on the wall.
I decided to focus on this behavior. Each day, for the hour or two in the eve-
ning that I was watching TV, Id sit there and wait for Magoo to flash his
wings. Whenever hed flash them, I was ready with the clicker, a treat, and a
cheer. Magoo is a cockatiel and he loves exuberant cheering. Like it is with
any trick and any bird, the first time, second time, third time, and event the tenth
time, Magoo no idea why he was earning a treat.
Eventually it got to the point where Magoo realized that if he wanted attention,
he'd just cast out his wings and look at me expectantly for his treat. Magoo re-
turned to enjoying our training sessions it changed everything. Not only was he
willing to work because he was doing something that he wanted to do but he
tried harder and I learned to not push him so hard.
38
Chapter Four:
Clicker Conditioning
Teaching Your Bird
The Rules of The Game
What is a clicker?
A clicker is a small handheld device that makes a sounda clicking

sound. It marks the instant that a parrot, or other animal, has done
something correctly. It is the signal to your bird that he is going to
get a reward. Of course it doesnt have to be a clicker, you could
make a sound with your mouth, whistle, hand clap. But a clicker
works best because it is accurate, quick, and repeatable.
A clicker needs to be precise and consistent because it is the signal

that your bird is right on target! This is why it is so important that
you are a good clicker!
Clicker Conditioning Yourself

Timing is critical for your parrot. You need to realize that your par-
rot doesnt understand what you want him to do. It may sound obvi-
ous, but he doesnt.
If you want your bird to wiggle his left toe when he waves, instead of
his right toe, then you need to make sure you practice and develop a
consistent clicking style. By this I mean that you need to try to click
the very instant your parrot has made enough progress towards the
goal you want him to reach. You cant get sloppy and click too late,
or too early and you must always think of clicking from your birds
perspective.
39
Chapter Four:
Teaching Your Bird
Remember, we will be training your parrot to recognize the clicking
sound of the clicker as the signal you give him at the exact moment
hes done something correctly.
In this exercise youre going to work with a friend of yours to hone

your clicking skills. Its a lot of fun, and if you feel stupid about doing
it, grab a young kid and have them play along, theyll love it, and
youll get to practice without looking silly.
Its important that you grab a person that has never played this exercise
and ONLY tell them this one rule.
Tell them The goal of this game is to work for clicks.
Thats it! Dont tell them anything else. Its likely that the person will
ask you for more details. But always respond by saying, all I can tell
you is that the goal of the game is to work for clicks.
The reason this can be the only thing you tell the person playing the
game with you, is because my goal from teaching you this game is to
teach you what its like to train an animal more effectively.
40
Chapter Four:
Teaching Your Bird
And when you first start training your parrot, he wont know the rules of
the game either. In fact, your parrot doesnt even know as much as the
person youre playing this game with. Because your parrot doesnt know
that the name of the game is to earn clicks. We still have to teach him
that. But more on that later.
The point that Im trying to teach you is how to train a living being to do
something in a completely different way than you are used to. This game
takes away all of the ways you can cheat, and only gives you one way to
communicate; with a clicker.
You cant give little hints, you cant point to things, and you probably
shouldnt use facial expressions either. Only use the clicker!
What do you use the clicker for? Good question. Heres how the game
works. Start in a room with the partner youve chosen to play this game
with. And in your head think of something youd like to get your partner
to do. It could be anything. Maybe you want to get them to walk over to
the TV and turn it on. Or maybe you want them to walk over to the re-
frigerator, grab a gallon of milk, pour you a glass and bring it to you.
Whatever it is, it doesnt matter. It just has to be something that is within

the physical limitations of your partner.
41
Chapter Four:
Teaching Your Bird
But heres the catch. Your only means of telling you partner what task
you want them to do, is by clicking the clicker.
This forces you to think like Dr. Skinner and the rat he wanted to train to
touch the lever on its food bowl. You need to think of small progressive
movements youd like your partner to perform, gradually reward him,
and tell him that hes moving in the right direction by clicking every time
he makes progress toward the end goal.
For example, if youre wanting to try the getting you a glass of milk task,
which I highly recommend, youll need to first click your partner for any
movement made towards a glass in the cupboard.
Keep in mind that youre partner has no idea of the task hes supposed to
do, and youll be forced to be very clear, and precise with your clicking
to make sure he doesnt get confused.
Remember, click every time he moves towards your goal, and com-
pletely ignore any actions not moving towards the goal. Soon hell real-
ize that youre shaping his path towards a desired action or goal. But be
patient, because it could take him a few minutes to understand whats
earning him the clicks. Just like your bird wont understand what the
clicks mean in the beginning either.
42
Chapter Four:
Teaching Your Bird
Youll also notice that the game gets a lot harder when you have some-
one do more specific tasks. For example once youve got your friend
to grab the milk out of the fridge, youll have to think of ways to click
and reward your friend for tipping the milk jug, into the corresponding
glass.
So remember to click for small movements. Just like youll be forced

to reward your bird for small movements, your friend will need the
same. Even a slight tipping of the milk jug towards a tipping over mo-
tion, even if its just an inch, is progress towards the end goal, so re-
member to click him for it and all other progress, until the game is
complete and the task has been accomplished.
I strongly recommend that you take the time to practice your clicking
before you begin training your bird. Incorrect clicking can confuse
your bird and make training an unhappy time. Its supposed to be fun!
Once you know how to click correctly, its time to teach your bird the
rules of the game.
43
Chapter Four:
Teaching Your Bird
Clicker Conditioning Your Bird
Lets begin by assuming that you have a bird that already takes treats
from you. Your first step is to walk quietly over to your parrots cage
click the clicker and hand him his favorite treat. Repeat this exercise ran-
domly throughout the day. He will quickly begin to equate clicks with
treats.
Now youre ready to move into trick training!
However what do you do if you have a parrot that is too afraid to eat
from you? This happens often. Here are a few ways to handle clicker
conditioning an aggressive or frightened bird:
First, will your bird allow you to put a treat in the cage and walk away?
If so, then do that. Click and leave a treat in the cage. Eventually hell
gain trust in you and youll be able to hand feed him. Dont force it, let
him come to you.
If your bird will not let you near his cage, then you need to tackle this
another way. You need to give the bird what it wants. In this case your
bird wants to be LEFT THE HELL ALONE. He doesnt want a sun-
flower seed, he wants to be left alone. Click and then leave him alone.
44
Chapter Four:
Teaching Your Bird
Come up to your parrot close enough to slightly agitate him but not freak
him out. Once agitated, wait for him to show a sign of calming down.
When he does that, click and leave.
Youre training him to relax when you come near his cage. He will be-
gin to associate clicking with leaving. Ten feet between you and your
bird will eventually become 9 feet then 8, 7, 6, until your close enough to
touch him or touch his cage. You overcome your bird being afraid to
have you near him. Now you can introduce treats and the training diet.
WARNING: Be careful about getting a bird on a training diet whose

diet is restricted too much. You dont want your bird to associate hunger
with training. You want him to be hungry but not starving. If hes starv-
ing and grumpy, he wont want to train. In fact, hell learn to hate train-
ing.
Once this final step is accomplished you are in great shape. You have a
clicker conditioned parrot who can understand what you want from him
and what he gets in return. He knows the rules of the game as you have
established them. He has to earn treats. Youre the boss. Your bird is
not.
The good news is that the more you train your bird, the more your bird
will understand and anticipate the tricks and behaviors you want him to
do. It gets easier!
45
Chapter Five:
Training The First Behavior
Target Training
Target Training 101
Target Training is a trick that I talk about a lot in videos and my elite par-
rot trick training program so Im going to keep it brief here. For a more
in depth explanation of target training please refer to our video.
Lots of animals target train and it is an excellent concept that teaches any
kind of parrot (mean or perfectly nice) how to touch the end of a stick
that you are presenting to it. The end result of target training will be that
your bird is willing to climb around his cage, or even cross the room, to
touch a stick or target.
To begin training this behavior, you introduce the stick with a click. De-
pending on your birds level of comfort with you and the stick, it may be
introduced in his cage or merely in the room. Again, depending on your
birds level of comfort with you and the stick, he may initially get re-
warded for simply looking at the stick. The goal is to gradually get your
bird more and more comfortable with the stick until he touches the end of
it.
Eventually hell cross a room to touch the end of a a stick. It is the first
behavior you should teach a bird. Refer to our video taming, training and
tricks volume one for a more detailed explanation.
46
Chapter Five:
Target Training
Why Teach Target Training?
I teach this first because it is a shaping behavior. It teaches your bird

how to think and it helps him to understand the rules of the training
game. Youre not luring the bird, youre not training him to follow food.
Instead youre teaching him to figure out what hes supposed to do next.
Intelligent bird problem solving!
Your bird knows that the rule of the game is to earn clicks, now he will
learn what he needs to do to earn those clicks. If he moves toward the
stick, you give him clicks.
Through positive reinforcement, you shape your birds behavior. You

guide him to figure out the rules of the game on his own. When you
teach target training first, hell be drastically better at figuring things out
during future training sessions.
You Can Teach Target Training To A Mean Bird
If your bird isnt able to leave the cage yet, maybe hes too mean or still
too frightened, you can train this behavior right in the cage.
47
Chapter Five:
Target Training
The only reason that you might not want to train this first is that your
bird may not be ready for training.
Here are some instances where your bird may not be ready for training:
1. Traning too long. Seriously, you can really start with a minute or two
of training. Pay attention to your birds behavior. One or two repetitions
at a time. Dont burn them out before you even get into the good stuff.
Mentally burning out your bird is the number 1 reason birds stop
training. Give them a break! Make sure that your bird enjoys this. He
doesnt need to be on a training diet to do this kind of initial one or two
repetition training. Patience is the key here.
2. Training diet is too restrictive. Monitor your birds weight so that he

stays in a safe zone. He can totally begin to associate hunger with train-
ing and that is a bad thing. If he doesnt want to train, take him off the
diet and train him with one or two repetitions of the behavior, rather than
10 or 20, so that he learns to enjoy training.
3. Difference of opinion. Maybe your bird just doesnt want to do what

you want him to do. Train him to perform a natural behavior that he does
enjoy.
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Chapter Five:
Target Training
Maybe your bird enjoys fluffing his feathers, spreading his wings, talk-
ing, etc When he performs this behavior, click and reward. (This
means that you must keep the treats handy and keep your clicker on you
at all times.)
After a week or two of being rewarded for performing a natural behavior

that he enjoys, your bird will associate the behavior with the click and the
reward. Youll notice that hes learning the pattern. Hell actually begin
to perform the behavior repeatedly in anticipation of the treat. When he
stops offering the behavior, stop the training. Dont overdo it.
Once your bird understands the behavior receives a reward, you can add
a verbal or physical cue to the behavior.
For example, my cockatiel didnt want to train and rather than make him
dislike training, we trained him to spread his wings because it was a be-
havior that he enjoyed. One he learned the pattern of behavior equals
click and reward we added the word Flex, to the trick.
Every time hed perform the behavior wed say the word so that he began
to associate the word with the behavior. Knowing that hed spread his
wings, wed insert the cue prior to him performing the behavior.
After a couple days of this, when he offers the behavior dont click. Say
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Chapter Five:
Target Training
the cue, wait for the behavior, then click and reward. You teach him that
he doesnt get rewards unless you offer the cue. He cant just flex and
always get a reward, he has to realize that flexing gets the reward when
you ask him to perform the behavior.
Once smaller conditioning type behaviors are understood, like target

training or training a behavior that the bird enjoys, you are ready to move
onto bigger and better tricks. Youre ready to move onto creating a last-
ing relationship with your bird.
Summary
You now know how to set up an environment for your bird so that he
feels safe and comfortable.
You now know how to get a bird to stop being afraid of you.
You now know that food rewards arent the only rewards that your bird
can receive, but that they are the easiest to use for training sessions.
You know about how to set up a SAFE training diet. A diet that encour-
ages training.
You know how to motivate your bird to work for treats, you know how
50
Chapter Five:
Target Training
to target train or add a cue to a behavior to shape your birds understand-

ing of the training process.
Youre ready for bigger and better tricks. More importantly, your bird is
ready for bigger and better tricks.
I highly encourage you to train your bird to know as many tricks as

possible. I sometimes hear people complain that they dont want their
bird to perform, they don't want their bird to learn tricks. They just want
it to be a nice bird that doesnt bite them.
Guess what, if you want a bird that doesnt bite, scream, or throw a fit
when you walk in the room, you have to teach him tricks. Why wouldnt
you?
You are a FOOL if you think that you dont have to teach your bird
tricks. Your bird will not be a fraction of the bird that he can be.
A bird that knows how to do tricks has fun.

A bird that knows how to do tricks is mentally stimulated
A bird that understands you, loves you.
If you dont like playing with your bird, and would rather he just stay in
his cage and not bite you then WHY DO YOU HAVE A BIRD?!
51
Chapter Five:
Target Training
If, on the other hand, you value your bird as a pet and a family member
and you want him to be as happy, healthy, and content as possible then
youre on the right track.
Now you can take your bird to the next level. You can not only eliminate
the behaviors that you find undesirable but you can teach your bird all
sorts of wonderful tricks, tricks that both he and you will enjoy.
Were called http://www.birdtricks.com because tricks are the key to

tame birds. Use our resources, our product of the month, our newsletters,
all of the many resources available at http://www.birdtricks.com that are
designed to eliminate bad bird behaviors and turn unhappy bird families
into thrilled bird families.
Heres to happy birds and bird families!
Chet Womach.
52

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BirdTricks.

Getting Your Parrot To Love You

By Chet and Dave Womach

Chet and Dave Womach

Chapter Two: Behavior Problems and How to Fix Them 22

Chapter Three: The Most Important Step In Bird Training 28

Chapter Five: Training The First Behavior. Target Training 46

My Personal Theory on Bird Training

Back in 2003 my brother and I founded http://www.birdtricks.com

But things didnt quite work out that way

Light bulb moment!

This course is going to help you solve 3 main problems:

Thank you once again!

Your Parrot Isnt Different !!

Is your bird smarter than a goldfish?

I guarantee that your bird is smarter than a goldfish.

So heres what YOU need to do to succeed with this training system.

The last symbol that youll see is a BONUS sign.

Making sure that he is well fed, groomed, and living in a fantastic

Your Birds Cage

Some basic housing rules are:

The first rule of thumb is to be leery of cages that are made of

Check with your avian veterinarian

Other Cage Considerations:

Believe me, I learned this the hard way. My parents occasionally

I couldnt figure out why my bird was happier at my parents.

Placement of Your Birds Cage

Near loud speakers (surround sound or other sound system) That

In the middle of a room. Birds prefer corners so that they dont

My parents found a fantastic solution to their birds need for sleep.

What Goes Into Your Birds Cage?

I recommend the manzanita perch. It is made of the toughest wood,

Variety in a perch is important because it helps in the natural

Bendable rope perches also allow you to change angles to provide

Boredom causes destructive and undesirable behaviors. Change and

Youd go nuts, right?

Other Types of Toys and Where to Find Them

Basic rule of thumbPay attention to the toys, make sure hes

8beaks.com makes fantastic toys. Theyre on the premium end but

Bathing is an extremely important thing to do with your bird and it

Can stop feather plucking

Most avian veterinarians recommend bathing or showering with your

30% of pet behavior problemsall pets; dogs, cats and birds

The foundation of your birds diet.

I strongly recommend that you get a certified organic pellet diet as

Organic foods are always healthier.

Another type of pellet available via your avian veterinarian is

You might be inclined to get colored pellets. Dont do it. Many

Why Seed and Nut Diets are Bad.

YOU CAN SWITCH YOUR BIRD TO PELLETS!

A birds diet needs more:

In addition to a pellet based foundation, your bird needs a constant

Good options include:

Set up a regular feeding routine.

So heres what you need as a foundation diet for optimal parrot

Your bird will be healthy and raring to go!

Quick fixes to try first:

Picture of person presenting the back of

5. Dont antagonize him. The goal is to not react in any man-

Heres a real life example of what Im talking about. My cockatiel

We were able to eliminate this screaming behavior in about 30 minutes.

When he screamed, we hugged longer. The second he stopped or said

I share this story only to demonstrate how easy it is to misread your