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Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

By Azmi Adnan

To have a talking bird, it is preferable that you purchase a young, hand raised bird between the ages of two and six months. Older birds will not learn as fast and wild or untrained birds will be more difficult to train as they have already got used to the sounds ingrained in their heads. If you can only purchase an adult bird, you will need a lot of patience to train it to talk as it will take a much longer time, but it is not impossible. 

The ability for your bird to mimic the human spoken words depend largely on the species, the character of your bird, your technique and how tame your bird is. You will need to work on taming your bird first and build its confidence in you as its master before you can succeed at training it to talk, so you have to work on that part. You will know that the bird is ready to be trained to talk if it is calm and looks at you confidently when you approach it.

The African Grey parrot, Greater Indian Hill Mynah and the Javan Hill Mynah are perfect talking birds to have because they are easier to train and very proficient. The tonal qualities and pronunciation may differ between these species but overall they are the more popular birds among bird lovers.

These birds can live for many years and bring much joy and companionship to you as you build their vocabulary and work on their tonal quality. Parrots may take in more words and be able to retain them as they have a stronger memory than the others.

Train your bird to talk every morning before you take off the cage cover. Repeat a word or phrase over and over again and make it a ritual. Your bird will be able to concentrate on the sounds in the dark and will try to respond to you with the same sound it hears. Do this also at different times of the day and especially during feeding time or when giving it its favorite tidbit. When the bird gets used to this, it will use the same sounds to get your attention while you are out sight when it is hungry or needs attention. When you hear this, reply back with the same words as affirmations, but do not approach the cage. When the bird tries to make a different expression, add in other words and phrases. This indicates that your bird is ready to learn new words to add into its vocabulary.

You can also use a recording to train your bird to talk or mimic sounds. Most bird parks use these method as a form of training as different bird trainer has different tonality or pronunciation. Make a recording on tape or CD and use words and phrases with clarity. If you do not have a good voice, ask someone you know to do it for you, or purchase a CD from a bird shop. Play the recording at different times of the day as this will surely have a great impact on your bird.

If you are making your own recording, do not put too many words and phrases in it as the bird has a small brain capacity. Ever heard of the phrase “bird brain” that is used so often on people? Expose your bird to a few words and phrases at a time and be patient about this. Your bird, if a parrot, can live beyond forty years, so what do you have to lose? If you intend to introduce new words and phrases, do this on another recording on tape or CD, and incorporate the older words in this new recording as well as a form of revision. This works very well in keeping the previous words permanently in your bird’s vocabulary.

Azmi Adnan is a writer and a bird enthusiast. Visit his website at http://www.power-to-live.com/parrot.html and learn more about developing a life-long relationship with your birds.

Article Source: Azmi Adnan

There are three species of parrots that talk well, and the Eclectus parrot is one of them. In fact, it is believed that the Eclectus parrot is the best talker of all talking birds. He has the ability to repeat words and phrases, sing entire songs, and do a variety of sound effects.

One of the nicest things about the sound of an Eclectus parrot talking is that the males sound very masculine, and the females sound very feminine. The sound effects are very interesting because these birds actually imitate sounds that they hear and enjoy hearing. Potential sound imitations include doorbells, phones, microwaves, and running water.

As stated, the Eclectus parrot will build a wide variety of words and phrases, as well as songs. You will enjoy talking with your parrot, and it is essential that you talk often. You must repeat yourself over and over when you are teaching your Eclectus parrot to talk. Some people have tried using tapes that repeat and such, but this doesn’t seem to work. It requires human interaction. When you are talking to your parrot, make sure that you are speaking in a clear, calm manner.

It is important that when you are training your parrot to talk, that only one person is around the bird, and that only one person is talking. Otherwise, the Eclectus parrot may become nervous, and at best, he will become confused.

The best thing to start with is your bird’s name. You need to repeat his name often, and make sure that he kind of gets the idea that you are referring to him. Repeat his name often when you are hand feeding him. Remember that the bird has a short attention span, so don’t plan to spend hours at a time talking to your bird. Instead, plan fifteen minute training sessions, but settle for five or ten minute sessions if your bird seems to lose interest quickly.

Experts advise that you should give the bird an easy name that has the ee sound with hard consonant sounds, such as Peter. Once your parrot has learned his name, and says it, you can move on to other words and phrases. Remember that the more you talk to your bird, the faster he will learn to speak.

While repetition is important, it can also bore your Eclectus parrot quickly. Repeat the word or phrase repeatedly during one training session, but then wait a while between sessions. Also, once your parrot is getting the hang of talking, and he has learned a few words or phrases, you should still use repetition, repeating the same word or phrase in a single training session, but at the next session, use a different word or phrase so that the parrot doesn’t become bored with the sessions.

Finally, realize that Eclectus parrots are much like small children. They repeat what they hear – even if it isn’t heard during an ‘official training session.’ Therefore, if you don’t want your bird repeating certain things, just as you wouldn’t say things you don’t want repeated around a small child, don’t say those things around the bird.

By Zevs Borealis

If you have any interest in training your parrot to take food from your mouth or ring a little bell, you can! Bird training is no longer regulated to the professionals. Taking the time to train your pet parrot will be rewarding for both of you. It’s a way to communicate and your relationship is sure to improve regardless of how good it already is. So if you’re ready to get “clicking,” let’s look at what it’s all about. 

What is ‘Clicker Training’?

Clicker training is a gentle way to communicate with your bird. Clicker training has been used to train all types of animals and has also proven successful for birds. Basically, you help your parrot understand what you want from it in a playful manner. Clicker training is never a punishment. If the parrot senses that when the clicker comes out, he or she’s in trouble, then you might as well forget about the training session. Clicker training always uses food as a reward since all animals see food as a good thing. So when your pet parrot sees that clicker, he or she should squawk with happiness knowing that a treat is soon to come!

The Parrot Behavior

First rule of clicker instruction is “The behavior.” Clicker trainers may wait for the behavior to happen naturally, lure, or form the behavior in small increments. When the preferred behavior occurs, the clicker trainer marks it with the clicker and rewards it. Undesired behaviors are overlooked or given a warning sign that means, “Try again.”

How Do I Clicker Train?

The goal as the trainer is to be the authority figure without complete domination. Your bird will then treat you with respect without fear. Bird owners realize that physical exercise is necessary for a happy and healthy bird, but so also is mental exercise. A Bird without mental exercise can get restless and uninterested. Birds are born problem solvers and clicker training helps stimulate their natural desire to figure things out. The additional bonus with training is that the more a parrot learns, the quicker he is able to learn even more!

Bridge: Communication between trainer and Parrot

When researching clicker training, you may see the term ‘bridge’ mentioned. A bridge is a training term that refers to the communication between the trainer and the parrot. The bridge is the signal that lets the bird know that he or she has correctly performed the task. This is what the “click” is. After the parrot hears the clicking noise, he knows that a treat is coming. It is important to give your parrot the treat immediately after the click noise so that he puts the click and reward together.

Food Reward

In regard to the food reward, you never want to use it as a deprivation or punishment. It is always a treat. Good treats to use are nuts and seeds. Your parrot will perform better if training commences before feeding time, but don’t over do it or your bird will resent you and will quit training.

Clicker Training – Should be Short and Fun

Just remember not to rush your parrot to learn faster than he or she is able to. Clicker training sessions must be short and fun. Keep the treats varied and you’ll be surprised at how responsive Polly becomes. Enjoy your training sessions and you are sure to see great results.

By: Zevs Borealis – This article is one of many featured at Parrotsite.com - A website dedicated to the world of Bird Lovers. Revolutionary Speech Training Method Will Change How Bird’s Learn To Talk. – Available for reprint on your ezine, website or ebook. You MUST agree NOT to make ANY changes to the article and the RESOURCE BOX MUST be included.

Article Source: Zevs Borealis

By Azmi Adnan

Keeping a bird as a pet can be interesting and rewarding, especially if your bird is from the parrot family that can live for many years. These birds can be easily tamed and trained to perform tricks or to talk and sing with amazing clarity. A tamed pet parrot can be your life-long companion and keep you company. Many pet parrot owners find joy training their birds to talk, and unlike your dog or cat, it can be very satisfying when your bird wishes you ‘good morning’.

But before you try to train your bird to talk, it is necessary to win its confidence first. This would be having your bird to get used to your presence and the presence of the all the people living with you in the house. It would be easier to tame a bird if it is two to six months old. Anything older than that would require a lot of patience on your part. Full-grown parrots can bite hard and injure you if you are not careful. Try not to make sudden moves that surprises your bird or it will defend itself through natural instincts.

Pet your bird by gently scratching its head for it to get used to you. Offer food from the other hand, such as nuts, celery, corn, raisin, and grapes. You should also offer your bird milk or fruit juice from a small cup. Don’t give your bird leftovers from your lunch or dinner, or junk food like burger meat, hotdog or high calorie cakes.

Use hunger as leverage when taming your bird. This method is widely used in bird parks around the world. When your bird has not been fed for a couple of hours, place the food on a dish near you and led the bird come to you for feeding. The bird would feel nervous at first, but once it gets used to this, it would be natural for the bird to come to you with confidence

If your bird is quite wild when you first purchased it, you could place the cage next to you when you go about doing your personal things such as reading, watching tv or writing. It would just be a matter of time before your bird get used to having your presence around. If your bird is big, you might want to rough around with it such as scratching its head and back. Protect yourself with gloves or a towel at first until it eventually recognises you as its master. Soon your bird will expect this kind of attention from people it is familiar with.

You would need to do a complete examination of your bird at least once a month and look out for abnormalities such as ingrown feather or toenails or a beak that needs trimming. Look out also for possible liver trouble in the form of swollen or dark abdomen. Wash the legs with warm water to get rid of encrusted droppings and apply Vaseline to soften the scales and kill scale lice.

With patience, you will have a great companion that keeps you company for years to come.

Azmi Adnan is a writer and a bird enthusiast. Visit his website at http://www.power-to-live.com/parrot.html and learn more about developing a life-long relationship with your birds.

Article Source: Azmi Adnan

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