Target Training
Target training means that you teach the bird to open his beak on a "target". In our case, the target is going to be a target stick. I use a chopstick for all of my birds. You could also use a pen, a dowel or some other thin stick.
We are going to train this behavior by "shaping" it. Shaping means that you mark and reinforce (click and treat) approximations towards the finished behavior instead of trying to get the entire behavior right away. Shaping is great because it allows you to set criteria low enough so that the animal can always have success.
Before you start training you might want to have a few little sessions in another room without your bird to practice and prepare for how you will execute your training. You need to decide which hand you will hold the target stick in, which hand you will hold the clicker in and how and where you will deliver the treat.
If I am training with seeds or anything that is individual pieces then I will put them on the desk next to me so that I can reach for one after every click. In this case, I would have the clicker in one hand and the target stick in the other hand and I set the clicker down after each click so I can hand the bird a treat. If I am training with millet, I hold the millet in the same hand as the clicker (if the bird is comfortable with that). I can then click and present the millet spray so the bird can take a little bite.
Train in 10 treat sessions. The bird can be inside or outside of his cage initially. The first step is for the bird to just look at the target stick, not touch it. This is great because if the bird is leery of new things, the target stick is far enough away so that he can build an association between the stick and the food.
Present the target stick to the bird, and click and treat the bird for looking towards it. If the bird shows any signs of fear, hold the stick further way. Repeat this 10 times in each session. Put the target stick behind your back each time when you are feeding. This is important because we don't want the bird to look at the stick but not get rewarded.
Probably very quickly the bird will become excited when you present the stick. The next step is to present the stick but don't click just for looking at it, instead hold out and see if the bird will lean towards it, then click and treat. If your bird was afraid of the stick you will just be holding the stick closer and closer as the bird becomes more comfortable.
Continue like this until your bird actually puts his open beak onto the stick.
Your steps might look something like this:
Looking at the target stick
Leaning towards the target stick
Leaning even more to the target stick
Opening beak while leaning forward
Putting open beak on the target stick
You can probably see why I have been asking people not to jump ahead. I see people get excited with training all the time and want to jump ahead before having the mechanical skills or a training plan in place and then they end up confusing themselves and the animal and giving up when the animal "doesn't get it". Except, it's not that the animal doesn't get it, it is that the training was flawed. There is so much to think about and plan for before bringing the animal into the mix. Because I train for a living it is important that I not only set the animal up for success but also that I get results. I have learned that it is critical to have a plan in place and know what your next step will be.
Happy Clicking!
Target training means that you teach the bird to open his beak on a "target". In our case, the target is going to be a target stick. I use a chopstick for all of my birds. You could also use a pen, a dowel or some other thin stick.
We are going to train this behavior by "shaping" it. Shaping means that you mark and reinforce (click and treat) approximations towards the finished behavior instead of trying to get the entire behavior right away. Shaping is great because it allows you to set criteria low enough so that the animal can always have success.
Before you start training you might want to have a few little sessions in another room without your bird to practice and prepare for how you will execute your training. You need to decide which hand you will hold the target stick in, which hand you will hold the clicker in and how and where you will deliver the treat.
If I am training with seeds or anything that is individual pieces then I will put them on the desk next to me so that I can reach for one after every click. In this case, I would have the clicker in one hand and the target stick in the other hand and I set the clicker down after each click so I can hand the bird a treat. If I am training with millet, I hold the millet in the same hand as the clicker (if the bird is comfortable with that). I can then click and present the millet spray so the bird can take a little bite.
Train in 10 treat sessions. The bird can be inside or outside of his cage initially. The first step is for the bird to just look at the target stick, not touch it. This is great because if the bird is leery of new things, the target stick is far enough away so that he can build an association between the stick and the food.
Present the target stick to the bird, and click and treat the bird for looking towards it. If the bird shows any signs of fear, hold the stick further way. Repeat this 10 times in each session. Put the target stick behind your back each time when you are feeding. This is important because we don't want the bird to look at the stick but not get rewarded.
Probably very quickly the bird will become excited when you present the stick. The next step is to present the stick but don't click just for looking at it, instead hold out and see if the bird will lean towards it, then click and treat. If your bird was afraid of the stick you will just be holding the stick closer and closer as the bird becomes more comfortable.
Continue like this until your bird actually puts his open beak onto the stick.
Your steps might look something like this:
Looking at the target stick
Leaning towards the target stick
Leaning even more to the target stick
Opening beak while leaning forward
Putting open beak on the target stick
You can probably see why I have been asking people not to jump ahead. I see people get excited with training all the time and want to jump ahead before having the mechanical skills or a training plan in place and then they end up confusing themselves and the animal and giving up when the animal "doesn't get it". Except, it's not that the animal doesn't get it, it is that the training was flawed. There is so much to think about and plan for before bringing the animal into the mix. Because I train for a living it is important that I not only set the animal up for success but also that I get results. I have learned that it is critical to have a plan in place and know what your next step will be.
Happy Clicking!
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