Parrot Training The Secrets to Successful Parrot Training

How easy is it to train a parrot? Funny you should ask. Oddly enough this question comes before nutrition, cage size, compatibility, and life expectancy. The answer? Well that depends not so much on the parrot, but on the owner looking to train the parrot. How much time do you have to dedicate to training? How much patience do you have?



The first two things to look at are dedication and speaking ability.



Are you dedicated to training your parrot? This can be a very slow process and will require a lot of patience. They do not know what you want them to do, so it is up to you to teach them that. The more human interaction you have in training your parrot, the better your results will be.



What is the birds general speaking ability? Do not expect a cockatiel to speak like Alex the African grey. Not all birds will speak either. Just because you own an African grey, doesn't make him a good talker. He may not be a talker at all, or he may never shut up. Choose your bird wisely and spend a lot of time with them and chances are you will be rewarded. Birds should be chosen for companionship anyway. Talking ability is just a plus.



So what is the trick? Positive rewards. Plain and simple. Rewarding a parrot for a positive behavior, no matter how minute, is the best way to train a parrot to do just about anything you want. Just as you teach a child to talk, it is the same for parrots. Repetition is the key. Repeating the word over and over and rewarding for any attempts. Find your parrots favorite cracker, seed, treat, etc and give it to them right after they make an attempt at what you are wanting. Eventually they will repeat exactly what you want and guess what, since you were positively rewarding them, you can now get them to do it on command.



Usually parrots learn their names first. Why is this? Because they associate their name with human interaction, which for parrots is a good thing. You will notice that parrots are most happy when they are getting attention from humans.



By raising the pitch and tone of your voice, you can get your birds into a happy state and the words you speak will have more meaning. A dull and boring low pitched voice will hinder the reception of what your bird gets. Parrots are very emotional birds and they pick up on your emotions faster then you do theirs.

Petarticles.net is dedicated to teaching everyone the importance of having a healthy relationship with their pet. Teaching your parrot tricks is time well spent that will lead to a long lasting bond.

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Parrot Training And Training Your Pet Parrot

Training your pet parrot can be a rewarding experience, just as training a dog or cat would. The difference with your pet parrot is that it can talk, or actually repeat the words that you taught the bird to speak. It will be much easier if your pet parrot was hand raised prior to its purchase, as compared to the bird being raised by its own parents.



Earning your bird's trust is the first step. Once that is established, work hard to keep it. Do not ever discipline your bird using force, because it will take a long time, if ever, for the bird to trust you again. Whenever you need to discipline a bird, look at it straight in the eye and say 'No' with a stern voice. If it continues to misbehave and start to make loud screams, cover its cage for a while.



Uncover the cage and watch your bird's behavior. Approach your bird slowly while looking straight at the bird's eyes. Slowly slip your hand into the cage and leave it there and watch the bird's reaction. If your parrot attacks you, keep doing this for the next few days. Before long, your parrot will calm down and start to accept you again. You may use a perch or stick, or even a toy, if you do not want to get yourself injured. As you approach the bird with your hand, caress its belly with gentle strokes. Once the bird has gained your trust, it will hop onto your fingers. Use words like 'up' to get your bird perched on your hands.



Once your bird has gained your trust, you are in a great position to start training your bird to talk. Start with simple words like 'hello' or the bird's own name like 'polly'. Slowly use easy to pronounce words and repeat frequently. You can also use training tapes to teach your bird to talk. Cover the cage and play the tape on your recorder or CD player. You can even teach the bird to sing if you repeatedly play a music tape or CD. The best time to do this is early in the morning.



The best period to teach a parrot to talk is between 4 to 6 months of age. Older parrots may take a slightly longer time to master the words. But one thing is for sure, you'll have loads of fun and satisfaction doing it.

Azmi Adnan is a writer and a bird enthusiast. Subscribe to his newsletter for fresh video clips on parrots and other bird species, ezines and interesting bird stories at his website http://www.power-to-live.com/parrot.html

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