Clicker Training for Beginners - Lesson 3
Ok, it is the moment you have all been waiting for, we are going to add our birds to the mix!
At this point you should know what your birds most highest value reinforcers are. You should also feel pretty comfortable handling the treats, clicking the clicker and delivering food. So, we are going to start working with our birds.
Charging the Clicker
The first thing we need to do is build an association between the clicker and the reinforcer. We want the bird to learn that a click = a treat for him, every time. You must always treat after you click or your clicker will lose it's power, so be thoughtful about when you click.
It is ok to use praise, verbal encouragement, scritches, petting and other things that the bird finds reinforcing for training BUT the clicker always means a food reward, nothing else. I see people all the time want to click and then do other things and nothing drains the power of the clicker faster. Part of the reason is that many times people are confused on what is actually reinforcing to the animal. Sometimes what feels good to the human is not necessarily reinforcing to the animal.
To start you will need to decide where you will train. Will you train with your bird in his cage, or take him to another spot, like a certain playstand where you will train? If the bird is not aggressive or fearful I will usually train on a playstand.
Get your reinforcers (treats) together before you start and have your clicker ready. Count out 10 treats, then click the clicker and then deliver a food treat. Do not hold your clicker up high by your birds face. Do not move your hand or any other part of your body when you click. Do not reach for the food before you clicker. Do not roll treats around in your hand. ALL of these become signals to the animal. Simply click and then give a treat. Do this 10 times and then put your clicker down. At this time you can think about how it went. Do you need to put all your treats in your hand or reach for them one at a time? Does the bird mind the clicker? Is your bird already look excited when you click? That is what you are looking for, that bit of excitement or eagerness when you click because they know food is coming. Count out 10 more and repeat. Practice clicking and delivering from both hands.
Remember at this time ALL we are teaching is that click = treat so we don't care what the bird is doing. We are just teaching association right now.
Please let me know how it goes. Part of the point of the class is to share and discuss how things are going.
Ok, it is the moment you have all been waiting for, we are going to add our birds to the mix!
At this point you should know what your birds most highest value reinforcers are. You should also feel pretty comfortable handling the treats, clicking the clicker and delivering food. So, we are going to start working with our birds.
Charging the Clicker
The first thing we need to do is build an association between the clicker and the reinforcer. We want the bird to learn that a click = a treat for him, every time. You must always treat after you click or your clicker will lose it's power, so be thoughtful about when you click.
It is ok to use praise, verbal encouragement, scritches, petting and other things that the bird finds reinforcing for training BUT the clicker always means a food reward, nothing else. I see people all the time want to click and then do other things and nothing drains the power of the clicker faster. Part of the reason is that many times people are confused on what is actually reinforcing to the animal. Sometimes what feels good to the human is not necessarily reinforcing to the animal.
To start you will need to decide where you will train. Will you train with your bird in his cage, or take him to another spot, like a certain playstand where you will train? If the bird is not aggressive or fearful I will usually train on a playstand.
Get your reinforcers (treats) together before you start and have your clicker ready. Count out 10 treats, then click the clicker and then deliver a food treat. Do not hold your clicker up high by your birds face. Do not move your hand or any other part of your body when you click. Do not reach for the food before you clicker. Do not roll treats around in your hand. ALL of these become signals to the animal. Simply click and then give a treat. Do this 10 times and then put your clicker down. At this time you can think about how it went. Do you need to put all your treats in your hand or reach for them one at a time? Does the bird mind the clicker? Is your bird already look excited when you click? That is what you are looking for, that bit of excitement or eagerness when you click because they know food is coming. Count out 10 more and repeat. Practice clicking and delivering from both hands.
Remember at this time ALL we are teaching is that click = treat so we don't care what the bird is doing. We are just teaching association right now.
Please let me know how it goes. Part of the point of the class is to share and discuss how things are going.