Parrot Training and Behavior
By Charis Hemenway
If you are having issues with your
bird, behaviorally, ALWAYS rule out medical problems first. There several different kinds to keep in mind, including:
Parasitical
Bacterial
Hormonal
Fungal
and
Nutritional---
Keeping up on vet visits, actively
communicating with your veterinarian and closely monitoring your birds health
should always come first, if you are having a problem or noticing something is
off, please do not hesitated to bring your friend in for a health check up.
Parrot behavior in general, captive and in the wild
When you are looking to work with
your companion parrot, it is important that you know a little bit about the
natural behaviors of that species and parrots in general. One of the most
common mistakes people make is projecting human behavior, or even sometimes dog
behavior onto their parrot. Parrots are not domesticated animals. Most of them
are at most a couple generations from their wild relatives. They may live
happily alongside humans their whole lives but they will always be wild animals
and so it is important to remember that they still have all of their wild
instincts and tendencies. So living with parrots, working with them and
training them are all going to be very different than say, training a dog.
Anthropomorphize: Putting human emotions and ideas
onto animals (Anthro means human, morph, means make into.)
There are a few very common
misconceptions about parrot behavior that can have particularly negative consequences
when we do not understand them. When we look at wild parrot behavior, we can
gain a better understanding of why our companions do what they do and how to
work with them in a productive and positive way.
Misconceptions about parrot behavior:
Screaming in the morning/evening:
It is actually very natural for parrots to be
loud in the morning and evening, they do this in the wild for many different
reasons including, affirming territory, and reestablishing connections within
the flock. This behavior is much harder to break because it is
self-reinforcing, and such a natural part of being a parrot.
However Learned screaming, such as screaming when everyone sits down to
eat, is much easier to change and work on.
Biting
Biting is actually almost
nonexistent in wild parrots. They may warn but it is rarely an actual bite, and
only extremely rarely is it hard enough to cause any damage. According to 5
wild parrot researchers and 35 years of observation, bites that drew blood
happened only twice. (Steve Martin )(oral
communications: A. Brice, February 1994,
C. Munn, July 1998, J. Gilardi, February 1999, P. English, November 2000, D.
May, May 15, 2001 ) wild parrot researchers)
Parrots
in the wild can fly away before the confrontation escalates to that point. A parrot
will bite as a last resort, and has mostly likely shown a whole display of
behaviors to worn before the bite happened.
Height Dominance
According
to these same researchers as well as avian trainers, height dominance does not exist among wild
parrots. They fight over resources but not over dominance, and certainly height
itself is not a factor. There are not dominant members in wild parrot flocks,
one might win a fight over one resource but loose a fight over another. In captive
populations, sometimes a social hierarchy is formed, for survival. Since there
is limited space and limited resources, this can help them live together. Unnatural
circumstances causes unnatural behavior. However again, it is not just for
dominance sake, and it certainly has nothing to do with how high in a cage they
are.
Why
then are birds sometime harder to handle when up high?
Simply put, birds like being high. It is safer
and there for, more reinforcing. So instead of putting our own
anthropomorphized ideas of dominance onto the bird, ask “how can I make being lower/or on my
hand/shoulder more appealing than being in their favored spot up high?”
Why spend time training?
Training can have exponentially beneficial effects
for your parrot, for yourself and everyone around you.
It is not only teaching your bird how
to fit in to a very unnatural world for them, it is also mentally stimulating,
it enriches their lives, keeps them busy and thinking. Parrots are very social
and clever animals that have to solve both environmental and social puzzles
continuously in the wild. Parrots also have to face a lot of very potentially
scary things living as a companion parrot. They have to get checkups, go
places, deal with changing sights sounds, people, animals and we cannot forgot
that they are prey animals, so they are going to be more hesitant of new
situations than none prey animals . Training your parrot to voluntarily do
maintenance behaviors such as beak trims and nail trims, getting them used to
being restrained, teaching them that a traveling kennel can be a comfort zone
and exposing them to many different situations in a positive way can greatly
reduce the amount of stress your parrot goes through. It will also greatly
reduce your stress levels and help build a great relationship between you and
your parrot.
Why positive Reinforcement/Operant conditioning is the way to go.
Positive reinforcement is part of a
concept called operant conditioning. This concept is actually barrowed from psychology
and originally used to change human behavior.
Positive reinforcement: To add a stimulus, or add something
after the behavior occurs, in order to make a behavior more likely to occur in
the future.
Example:
If a parrot steps up, (the behavior) then you add a treat (the stimulus) which
then makes it more likely for the bird to step up in the future. Please note: The stimulus always comes after
the behavior.
4 different sections of operant
conditioning:
Positive reinforcement: Adding
a stimulus to make a behavior more likely
Negative reinforcement: Removing
a stimulus to make a behavior more likely
Positive punishment: Adding
a stimulus to make a behavior less likely
Negative
punishment: Removing a stimulus less likely
Staying away from positive punishment!
Positive punishment means we are making a
behavior less likely to occur in the future. Examples of this would be yelling,
prodding, poking, pulling, harsh noises, shaking. You are adding these things
in after the behavior occurred to discourage it in the future.
There are severe consequences to using this with a parrot.
There are 4 main side effects of
using such techniques that can really cause a lot of damage to your
relationship and set your training back.
1.
Escape/Avoidance
behaviors: your parrot will try
and get away from you, or try and get out of the situation instead of being a
willing participant.
2.
Overall decreased responding: i.e. apathy, if they cannot escape,
their over all activity many times goes
down, This is the most overlooked because it can mask as a pet being “well
behaved” when What is actually going on is the pet has learned that it cannot
do anything so it does nothing, including productive healthy behaviors.
3.
Aggression: Even though many times we do these
things to stop aggression, it often times has the very opposite effect.
4.
Over-generalization of fear (phobias) a common problem with
parrots is phobias, but many times we are the cause of those phobias because we
did not respond properly to their behavior. . (Azrin and Holtz, 1966).* (Kristi
flemming)
Example: You are trying to socialize your bird.
You try to take a bird into a room it is unfamiliar with, the bird is actually
nervous about the light change in the hall,
you don’t notice the bird showing signs of fear, so it escalates and
bites to get you to stop. You just respond the birds bite by shaking your hand.
This happens several times. The bird now associates the change in light or the
hall way, or the lamp, with you shaking it. It starts to fear those things
“irrationally” from our perspective. And
develops a “phobia” . However what really happened from the bird’s perspective,
is something scary physically happened every time he got near the lamp. So he now very rationally fears the lamp.
Benefits
from using positive reinforcement
The word Operant itself implies that
the animal can act on its environment to change it, it is giving the power to
the bird to willingly participate, instead of being a bystander. And that is
really what positive reinforcement is about, your animal is willingly
participating with you in a fun way.
1.
Focus on what TO DO instead of what not
to do: Birds can’t just stay
still and do nothing. So what DO you want them to be doing? Asking someone or
something to do something specific is a more concrete concept and will always
be easier than asking them not to do something.
Reward a bird for staying on your hand instead of trying to
discourage it from moving up your arm.
This will strengthen your relationship instead of causing fear or
mistrust.
2.
Builds a strong and lasting
relationship: The
power of building a trusting relationship with your bird and not causing
mistrust cannot be over stated, especially since they are wild prey animals. It
can make the difference between an amazing friendship that lasts for years vs
the screaming bird in the backroom you eventually have to rehome.
3.
Mentally healthy and stimulating for
your bird: Your
parrot will be actively trying to figure out what you want, and it will turn
into a fun puzzle for them.
4.
Make stressful situations far less
stressful: Such as being
restrained. You can teach them to willingly and even look forward to
participating in behaviors such as nail trims.
Keeping things positive with your
bird should not be seen as bribery. It is the acknowledgment that all behavior
happens for a reason, it does not happen within a vacuum. Animals will do
something because the consequences are reinforcing, or avoid something because
the consequences are unwanted. We have
to get rid of the idea that an animal should do something because “they just
should”. It is also in no way “letting
them get away with things.” It is the modification of behaviors, including
unwanted behaviors, it simply does it in a positive way.
Example: teaching your parrot not to bite by
doing things like taking smaller steps, paying attention to your birds warning
signs, and redirecting unwanted behavior into something wanted or teaching incompatible
behaviors, such as looking away from you while on your shoulder instead of
biting your ear, you can train your bird not to bite in a positive way and
without getting hurt. Staying safe is
the number one priority when interacting with animals, always.
Training your Parrot
The Basic idea is that a behavior is determined by its
consequences. What comes directly after a behavior will determine whether that
behavior is repeated or not.
Wanted behaviors are rewarded, unwanted behaviors are
ignored.
Basics of training, (or teaching!)
Ask
questions and observe your bird’s behavior first. Ask:
-What is the motivation/what is being
reinforced currently? Why?
-How does it apply to the species in
the wild?( Make sure you are not anthropomorphizing!)
-What is your goal behavior, and
-Why would they do that behavior
instead?
-Am I setting my bird up for success?
You want your bird to succeed so be as clear and simple as possible!
Knowing your bird/ having relationship,
having clear goal of what behavior you do want, setting up for success.
The ABC’s Of Training:
Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence
Antecedent: Anything that happens directly
before a behavior occurs. (What creates the behavior)
Behavior: What the bird does directly after the antecedent
Consequence: What happens directly after the Behavior occurs
There is always a (A)before, (B)during,
and (C)after.
In a training session, the A or
antecedent should be the cue.
Cue: Your signal for the animal to do
a behavior, such asking your bird to step up by sticking your finger out.
Sticking your finger out is the cue, or (A)antecedent.
The B(behavior) in that example hopefully will be your bird stepping
onto your hand.
With a successful behavior, your C or
consequence should be your reinforcement.
Reinforcement: Reward, Giving the animal something that they find enjoyable.
In this example your ( C) Consequence could be you saying “good job!” in a high
pitched excited voice, or scratching the bird in its favorite spot, or giving
them a treat. By reinforcing directly after the bird steps up, you are making
the behavior of stepping up more likely to occur in the future
(stepping up is pretty basic, but most
behaviors can be broken down into small achievable steps like this, and put
together as a more difficult behavior.)
Also, the antecedent is technically
anything that happens before a behavior. If you bird is distracted, startles,
calls out or is fearful. Those are still behaviors but look around you to see
what the antecedent is. You want to set your bird up for success so controlling
the environment around you as much as possible so your bird can focus is
important. Many times controlling the environment can solve problems such as
alarm calling or over preening as well.
Timing
Reward the behavior as soon as possible!
As soon as the behavior occurs, REWARD
IT!
After
a couple seconds, that reward is no longer associated with that behavior.
As Humans, who speak the same language, we can
associate a consequence with a behavior that happened a long time ago. Animals
do not understand this the way we do and only(C ) consequences that occur
directly after the behavior are associated with it.
There is an aid to help this
association between behavior and reward called a bridge.
Bridge: It literally bridges the gap between the
behavior and the reward, or, it links the B and C together because you want
that to happen as fast as possible. A bridge is usually a quick consistent
sound, such as a whistle, clicker, or the words
“good” or “OK”.
Example: you put your finger out A, the bird steps up B,
( BRIDGE) then you give your parrot a treat, C. A bridge is really helpful when
learning new behaviors, but you can stop using it once and animal knows the
behavior.
When you bird does not step up:
Lets say you put your finger out, A
and the bird looks at you, thinks about it, determines its not worth it and
looks away. Take your finger away, only
give them a limited time frame in which to earn a reward. In
this case,
Antecedent: your finger out
Behavior: bird looks at you
Consequence: pause/ chance of reward taken away.
You have a choice now, you can ask
one more time, ask for a different behavior, or simply walk away which ends any
chance to earn a reward. Never force
your bird to step up or do any other behavior. This can break the trust and
cause larger problems.
Keep your sessions short and frequent.
They should range from just a couple
repetitions to about 5 minutes. If you are working on desensing a bird to
something scary than it can run up into 30 minutes if you are taking each step
very slowly. However it should never go longer than this.
Giving
your animal a break between sessions, even if it is only a minutes long break,
can help them stay engaged and retain the information.
Creating
a behavior
There are two ways to
create a behavior, capturing and shaping.
Capturing: You can capture any behavior the animal already does and
pare it with a que(A) and reward(C).
Example:
If you see your bird spread its wings, you can just reward the behavior. When
it starts to do the behavior again, do your chosen cue, such your thumb and
pinky out, and then reward after. After several repetitions and whenever your
bird starts to associate the que and behavior, once it is established, ONLY
reward after you have asked for that behavior.
Shaping: This is breaking a
behavior down into small approximations, or steps. Like learning a dance
routine.
Example: You want your bird
to be comfortable in their travel kennel? You might have to take them step by
step, rewarding them for being near the kennel, and then even nearer to it. Sitting
right outside of it, then maybe putting one foot inside to get to the toys and
food and fun stuff inside of it. Then maybe stepping in quickly and stepping
out. You would then allow your bird to
consistently go in and out without ever closing the kennel door. After this you
might close the door for just a second and then open it again and let them walk
out. After that you might close the door for growing amounts of time. This is how
you would shape a behavior and this might take place over many training
sessions.
Many times with
nervous, fearful or aggressive birds many more behaviors will have to be shaped
rather than captured. The important thing is to be patient, calm and
positive. Parrots are not necessarily
going to get over their fears in one session. It can take years in extreme
cases, patience is extremely important
when trying to create trust.
It is also important to stay calm. Many birds
end up acting aggressive towards nervous owners. One reason is that if an owner
is nervous, many times a bird will pick up on this and get nervous themselves.
Also, if an owner is scared about being bitten and then becomes jumpy and pulls
their hand away or makes fuss, they are often times actually rewarding the
bird’s aggressive behavior. Both because they pulled their hand away quickly
and often making a big scene to a parrot is very entertaining. Staying calm and patient is the best way to
act around aggressive or fearful acting parrots.
Reinforcement
There are many different rewards and
many ways to reward (reinforce).
How
to reward
The better the animal completed the
behavior, the bigger the reward.
When your parrot is just learning a
behavior, give them a really good reward for doing it. If they are struggling,
but trying, reward that. After the parrot knows the behavior, if they are
choosing not to fully participate and give their best, give less of a reward.
Remember that if you reward them for doing half a behavior
that they know, then they will only do half the behavior in the future.
Be patient but have
specific criteria.
Jackpot: A really big reward that ends your session. You always want
to end training sessions on a good note.
If
you cannot for whatever reason, go ahead and end, and then come back in a
couple minutes and have a fast super positive session with a behavior the
animal is confident in and end on that.
Types
of Reinforcements:
If your bird is really food motivated you can
actually just use part of their diet for their training session before you feed
them out. Usually speaking though, treats should never be free fed, they should
be kept for special occasions and training so they remain rewarding.
You also need to always keep your birds
health in mind, the healthier the treat the better, and always keep quantity in
mind.
Food
is not the only motivating thing to a parrot!
Head scratches, getting excited,
dancing, music, toys, bits of cardboard to tare. Anything that can be easily
and quickly given, and quickly used up can be reinforcement. I also recommend varying
the rewards up. If an animal can predict exactly what you will give and how
much you will give they are more likely to pause and think about whether they
really want that reward or not. However if you switch it up, it becomes more
exciting and more rewarding to them. It is a little like the gumball affect.
With gumball machines, or machines with different toys in them, At least half
the fun is not knowing exactly what you will get, all you know is that you are
getting something fun!
Intermittent
Reinforcement Schedule: reinforcement is
delivered at random intervals instead of continuously. Meaning, every several
times the animal does a behavior, it is rewarded instead of every single time.
For established behaviors Intermittent
reinforcement can actually strengthen the behavior and stop it from deteriorating.
This is the gambler affect. Gamblers will continually bet because the reward is
unknown. This actually has the same effect on unwanted behaviors. If your
animal is begging and you give in only every once in a while, then they will
continue to beg for longer periods of time, because at some point it will be
reward. If you had given in every time and then simply stopped, they would stop
begging relatively quickly.
Consistency,
Clear Communication, and Repetition.
Consistency: Consistency is probably the most important aspect of training. Living
in a predictable world with predictable causes and effects is so very important
for trust and for creating a foundation. What
is acceptable yesterday is today as well, what is not acceptable yesterday
should not be rewarded today.
If you are not consistent, the animal has no
frame work in which to build on, they will be confused, not understanding what
you are asking for and become frustrated. Especially in timid animals, if they
cannot predict your behavior, there is no way they can trust you and thus learn
from you. Being consistent also means consistently training them. Training a
behavior means consistently working on it until it is a good solid behavior and
then having periodic sessions in the future
in order to maintain that behavior.
Clear Communication:
Does your animal know exactly what you are asking for? What is your criteria
for a behavior? What exactly is being rewarded, and what is being ignored? If
your bird is not getting it and you are unsure if you are being clear, ask
someone else to watch you without telling them what you are doing, can they
figure out what you want? If they cannot, chances are your bird will not get it
either. Also, when you are training a behavior and decide on a cue, only ever
use that same cue, saying “come here, come on, lets go, hurry up,” will
confused the animal, if your cue is “come” it should stay exactly that, “come.”
Repetition:
Practice makes perfect. Does a child learn their times tables the first time
around? Do they have to practice? Even when they start to get it, they
sometimes have to be reminded, sometimes they get the answer wrong even though
they previously knew it. This is the same with parrots. Practice, repeat the
steps several times, and then take a break, and then repeat them several more
times. A Behavior is rarely learned and remembered in one training
session. Give your parrot lots of
chances to learn and remember.
Remember to have fun and be patient!
Training should be a positive time with you and your companion parrot. It will
strengthen your relationship and reduce stress. Parrots are amazing creatures,
full of personality that can continue to amaze you for a lifetime. Have fun!
