Re: [Freeflight] Why trick train pet birds.....

["Douglas Delgado" <Dougandmona@m...>]

Chris:

I'm sorry but I don't understand what you are telling me to do here. I 
reread the message and I am still confused. So, let me try to explain 
again and you tell me what I am missing.

Phinney has two behaviors that she does consistently on cue:

1. She has a cued and consistent recall. Flighted.
2. She has a cued, consistent and darn near bullet proof retrieve. Not 
flighted.

I am trying to combine these behaviors into one behavior. I want to 
combine the recall and the retrieve. I want her to do both behaviors at 
the same time. That is where we are having difficulty. When cued from a 
recall perch (consistently successful recall perch), she tries to "hand me" 
the object or else she tries to place it in a pail rather than fly If I 
work in small steps and get close enough for her to "hand" me the object, 
she just does. She doesn't "get" that she needs to launch herself from the 
perch and fly to me WITH the object. Funny, but she does know how to fly 
"without" the object. I don't need to train the flight because she has that 
down.

What I don't understand is what behavior do you think needs to be performed 
"last"? I'm trying to get all of the behaviors simultaneous so what would 
be last? She already understands both behaviors seperately - she just 
doesn't understand them simultaneously....yet.

I probably had the same frustrations when I was trying to teach her 
recall.....but I did eventually teach her recall...which is why I'm sure 
we'll get this if I keep working on it. I am "getting around" the 
frustration by having her fly to my husband with an object. For some 
reason, she will do that so I think it would be smart for me to try and get 
cooperation from BOTH parties (husband and bird) and work on this consistent 
and on cue...and after I get there, then work on getting her to do a 
flighted retrieve from a stationary object. Phinney has always flown better 
when we "boomerang" her back and forth than she does when I ask her to fly 
from a stationary object.

Also, this problem is specific to this bird. I do not have this problem at 
all with the Senegal. The Senegal has a consistent flighted retrieve....and 
it is so cute because she will pick up heavy objects and fly to me like a 
helicopter.....you can see her working in the air to get the object to me.

Again...you are right. The proof comes out in the pudding. Once I start 
trying to train, it is always much different from this nice, clean and easy 
analyses....but, that is also what makes the training so much fun...I think.

Thanks.

Mona in Seattle
Phinneus Fowl (aka Phinney) TAG
Pretty Rita Cockatiel
Babylon (Senegal Poicephalus)
Doug (spousal unit)