Clicker training parrots ~ How to end a training session the right way

Now you're probably thinking to yourself, there's a right way to end a training session!? Well don't be too alarmed, because there really is

Okay I'm going to give you a scenario and Clyde, my OWA, will be my example yet again (note this didn't actually happen)

Clyde already knows how to step up and we have started on recall training. Clyde recalls twice brilliantly but on the third try he isn't successful and is unsure. I end the training session because I fear he's stressed and I put him back in his cage and leave him be

You're doing it wrong Daisy! Here's how it should look...

Clyde recalls twice brilliantly but on the third try he isn't successful and is unsure. I ask him to step up and give him a reward. He is then put back into his cage 

See what I did? I curbed his anxiety by changing what trick I was asking him to do

If you end your session on a bad note, your bird won't want to work for you. S/he'll be thinking 'what was the point in that? I didn't get anything out of it!'. If you change your tactics and end on something good then your bird will feel rewarded and will be more comfortable the next time you have a session. Make sure you end on something your bird knows and is good at!

Another thing I would like to add here is that you should not keep your training sessions longer than a couple of minutes. If you push your bird s/he won't respond as well to training as quite frankly, it becomes a bore. You can have short sharp training sessions throughout the day. I recommend doing one before the morning meal and before their evening meal. Keep it engaging and fun

Blue throated macaw recalling free at Loro Parque

Clicker training parrots ~ Charging the clicker

One of my pet peeves when training any animal is people rushing into clicker training. The most important thing to do is never push your animal! A really valuable aspect when you're clicker training is to charge the clicker. Charging the clicker basically means to give the clicker itself value, make the animal want to work with it. I'm going to be talking here about starting from scratch, a completely hands off bird. I will be using my orange winged Amazon parrot, Clyde, as an example throughout. Clyde was a rehome who came to me after he had 5 homes in 2 months, goodness knows how many he had had before then! He has plucked severely and gained a lot of fear towards people. You could see how badly he wanted to be a part of the family but didn't quite know how to get there. Through clicker training we managed to come very far

Giving the clicker value is simple. Food, toys, cuddles etc. Whatever it is that your bird desires the most! 

By now you should already know what your birds favourite food is and I hope you found out through reading the previous blog post. What you're going to do is you're going to get a shallow dish and fill it with more than enough treats for a training session*. Have your bird on top of his/her cage or stand or whatever. Click your clicker and offer them the bowl swiftly (but not too quick so you startle them). If you've been sticking to a feeding regime, you should have little trouble getting them to eat from the dish. Do it again. Click and treat. If you're using fuss or toys then use them in the same way

* Only make your training sessions about 2-3 minutes long. Your bird will lose interest if you make them work at the same thing for too long *

Clyde working for some dehydrated papaya

The idea is that the bird will associate the click with getting a treat. A good way to see if your bird has gotten the hang of it is to click but don't give them a treat. If they're anticipating it, or looking for it, then you know you can move on to the next step. If your bird isn't overly interested yet then don't be too disheartened. Keep it up and they will eventually catch on. The clicker is a valuable tool!


Your bird should be becoming more and more confident taking food from the bowl for a reward so as long as you feel they are ready you can take it up a notch. Show the bowl with the food in, but click and slowly offer the bird a treat from between your fingers. It may take a long time to pick up on but eventually your bird will trust you enough to take the plunge if they're really wanting that treat!

Will do anything for a sunflower seed!

In the next blog post I will be introducing target training, as well as writing separate blog posts on how to end a training session and how to get a fearful bird out of their cage 

How food routines can help train your parrot

It might seem a little strange to think that giving your bird a new routine with their food would help with their training, but honestly, it isn't! If you have a bird who is food motivated (i.e doesn't prefer cuddles or toys as a treat) then you have an excellent motive to build a relationship on

Training helps bridge the gap between humans and birds and allows us to develop bonds through trust and positive re-enforcement. A bird who is full of food that they eat every day isn't going to want to work for the same food, are they? First things first, you need to get your bird into a feeding routine. Many bird owners will just feed their birds ad-lib. They just fill the bowl back up when it is empty. Sadly, people who don't do their research tend to think that all seeds or all pellets is acceptable. It isn't. If you try to feed your birds a natural diet, like myself, then you won't be using pellets anyway, but as most people do I will try and include them into a diet plan

For a bird who is fed a completely fresh and natural diet then you will want to feed them all of their fresh produce in the morning when they're most hungry and again in the afternoon/early evening (before dark). If you feed seeds then make sure you feed them on that last feed so they are not trying to digest them all day while you're trying to work with them! For your food treats you're going to want to use seeds (such as hemp), nuts (not peanuts!) and fruits. Smaller parrots usually appreciate some finely chopped up apple or millet, larger birds will love a halved grape! You want something that can be eaten quickly so you don't make your training session last any longer than it should do. You want to keep 'um keen! If you don't feed an all fresh diet then again, feed your birds the fresh foods in the morning. On the evening feed your pellets. Fill up your bowl and watch how many they eat (seriously, stand there and count them) so you know your birds limit. If they eat only 10, give them 10 the next day. If they eat all of those then add some more and see how much more they eat. Do that until you find their perfect balance. Birds won't eat any more than they already need. Be aware though that fresh foods spoil fast so in hot weather you may want to make the portions smaller but more frequent throughout the day. Ideally fresh food should be available all day long so that they do not go hunrgy

Save your fruits, berries, nuts and seeds for training treats

While you're figuring out this new diet plan for them, you need to be weighing them as often as they will allow. If they're a hands on bird then just get them to step up on to their scales every morning after they've had their morning poop. If you have a hands off bird then you need to make this as stress free as possible. If they can get into their carrier without too much worry then weigh the carrier first and add the bird to it. When you've got the weight off the bird and the carrier, subtract the weight of the carrier and there is your birds weight! It's quite simple. It's important to keep an eye on their weight though so it doesn't fluctuate too much. Obviously an over-weight seed junkie parrot is going to probably lose some weight if you can get them eating healthier, but they shouldn't be losing too much too soon. You do not want to starve your bird to make them work with you

Cutting down on the 'treat' foods your bird is most likely already getting in their diet can really help motivate them for a good training session. Remember. Keep them keen, keep the sessions short and stick to a good food routine!