Parrot Training – Tips on Training a Crazy Out of Control Bird

Bird Training Help

Parrot Training is the first thing you need to do if you have a bird who seems out of control.Everybody loves a pretty parrot but if you’re bird is not properly trained it can easily become a nightmare for you and the whole family.

That’s why you must train your parrot. Let’s talk about your bird and why he’s crazy, or why you think he may be. Lets also examine what birds think about and what to do if you have a fearful bird.

My Parrot and me

Parrot training is simply the process of getting to know your bird and developing a relationship whereby your bird knows who’s the boss. Maintaining dominance over your bird is very important if you want to gain the trust and love you want from him.

All animals will take the dominant position if you let them so you can’t yield to your bird. You are the “head” flock member so you have to act like it. If you back down to a bird that lunges at you then you are yielding ground.

And, your training him TO lunge at you. Youre backing off and hes getting the response from you that he wants. All this does is re-enforce a negative behavior. Don’t do it pal.

When to Parrot Train

If at all possible, train your bird when he is a baby, don’t wait. This will make it easy to have a well rounded pet who doesn’t scream, bite and isn’t afraid of you or other people. Everybody loves a well behaved bird and by training him you will be able to enjoy him more and he will love you for it. Young birds are easier to train but you really can train a bird of any age as long as you have the fortitude.

Although young birds are easier to train you have to watch out and not allow them to develop a biting mentality. As young birds are weaned and discover the power of their beaks they will start nipping and biting down. Don’t allow it to become habit forming and don’t encourage this type of biting.

Parrot Psychology

Understanding how your bird thinks will help you in understanding why they do what they do. For instance, the reason parrots tend to get very loud at times is because it’s simply their method of talking to us.

Birds will also make a lot of noise if there basic needs are not met, this means water, food and of course a nice big cage. To help the process of training you need to make sure these essentials are in place, and that your bird is happy. Your bird will scream, shout and act up if he’s hungry, thirsty or afraid.

Parrot Training Procedure

All training is done through some form of repetition. This is the best way to get started. Before you get into advanced training you must have a bird that is not afraid of you. So spend time with him, sit by his cage and talk to him. You want a relaxed bird who’s not afraid or easily spooked.

If your bird is afraid of you then you have some work to do. First, approach him slowly and calmly. If he starts to show he’s afraid you need to stop. Simply stand still and don’t move, then back off. It’s important to let animals know their not going to be hurt. Believe it or not, this is training and it’s the first step. Repeat this first step over and over again and you will make progress.

In time you will get closer and eventually open up the cage. After that you will be ready for the next steip; the up and down command. Later you will move into more advanced training. Just take things slow. You have to start somewhere so the sooner you start the sooner your bird will take to you.

Train Your Bird Now

It’s not the end of the world if you think you have a bird that’s crazy. You can train any parrot or any bird, you just have to have a little patience. Just remember that birds are naturally loud because thats how they relate to each other.

But any bird who is scared will attempt to lunge and bite. Remembers why we parrot train, we do it to take control and stay dominant. It’s the only way to control bad bird behavior.

Training your bird allows you to acheive.

Trust
Dominance
Obedience
Affection

Parrots think like birds, that’s because they are birds, so it’s important that you realize this and work to gain the dominant position in the relationship. You have to gain your parrots trust first before you get his affection.

Discover the number one, most commonly made mistake that 95% of parrot owners make with their birds, that CAUSE them to bite you. Watch as professional animal trainer Chet Womach shows you how to avoid this mistake.

A talking parrot makes a wonderful pet. If you intend on purchasing a parrot and teach it to talk, it is best to do with a parrot that is about 2 months old. It is during the infancy stage that a parrot bonds well with its master. The requirement on your part is just patience. Like human babies, exposing baby parrots to words will instill in them an interest in talking. When exposed to words, baby parrots tend to recognize them fast even though they may not be ready to talk yet. But with your patience, they will be able to mimic words at the age of 4 months old.

Between 4 months to a year a parrot picks up words fast. It is during this time that you can really mould you bird into a talking parrot. They are most receptive before they are 1 year old. Beyond that, it may take a longer time to learn new words. So use this 1 year period to teach as many words as you can and discipline your bird to listen to your command. However, if you pick an older bird that has very little socializing with humans, you may end up with a parrot that may refuse to learn to talk at all. But that should not be a deterrent in keeping parrots if your desire is to keep parrots as pets. A parrot that talks is just a plus factor.

Male parrots are better talkers than female parrots, and more receptive too. However, it is almost impossible to tell the sexes of parrots apart before you purchase one. You may need to see a vet to determine that as a surgical procedure or a blood test is often required.

The best time to teach your parrot to talk is early in the morning or late in the evening. In the wild, birds are more active during these times and are at their noisiest as they gather to eat and squeak at each other. Take advantage of this natural phenomenon to entice your parrot to talk and utter new words.

As with training other animals, positive reinforcement by giving a reward works best. Identify your parrot’s favorite food and use it as a reward for getting the right word. When this is practiced continuously, your parrot will look forward to such training sessions and respond positively.

Switch off the TV, radio and try to remove all sound distractions such as wind-chimes and sounds from other pets in the house. Take charge of the situation and let the bird know that you are in command. Speak the word in a loud and clear voice and give a reasonable amount of pause before you repeat the word again. Use facial expressions or hand gestures to give more meaning to the word. Parrots that you see dancing on youtube videos is the result of their owners using action with words.

Learning the first word is usually the hardest. It gets easier over time until the parrot reaches an age when it just stops learning and you will know that the window learning period has closed. But again, it doesn’t mean that your parrot will not learn talking at all, as different parrots adapt differently.

Teaching a parrot to talk is lots of fun, especially when the parrot has built a vocabulary of words that are funny and cheeky. A talking parrot is always the life of the party and it also makes a great companion too as it has a very long lifespan.