1st attempt at target training

[Lesa1211]

Hello everyone. Ive been reading tons on target training and today was our 1st try. Didnt go as planned tho lol. Maybe some of you could help me out as far as where Im going wrong. So I put Kia on the perch about 10ft away from her cage. I show her the stick(she didnt look like she liked it too much), she touches, I click and give her the treat. That was the one and only time she did it. She flew away trying to get back to her cage. I brought her back to the perch several times and she kept trying to fly back to the cage. It didnt even seem like she was even noticing the stick anymore. I let her go back to the top of her cage where she wanted to be because I didnt want to stress her out.

Should I try in a different room? Im going to try in the morning before I give her breakfast so she's nice and hungry. Maybe she'll stay put for some treats lol. Any advice would be great!

 

[stephend]

I would definitely do it in a different room, and would also suggest ending the session with a command to go to the cage followed by a click and praise and maybe a treat.

 

[triordan]

you may also want to clip the wings just until she "gets it"

 

[Mozzie]

Yes it is easier to work with them and train them if their wings are clipped.

 

[lene1949]

Just want to make sure that you have charged the clicker... It's a good idea to 'charge' it, until the bird is sure what it's all about...

To charge the clicker, take your bird, clicker and treats to the training area - using a T-stand in a quiet room is good... Treats should be very small.. Take a handful of treats in one hand and the clicker in the other (put it behind your back - don't point the clicker at the bird).. Hold out a treat and as soon as the bird takes the treat, you click - then you start clicking, when the bird goes towards the treat and so on, until he knows that click = treat...

It's best to do your training before his meals...

If you have trouble with the bird flying away, you can do the training within the cage, using the same method to charge the clicker, and then put the target stick near his beak... (you may need to do a couple of charges first).. He'll be very likely to beak the stick, but if he doesn't, you can click for anything that get's him closer, like looking at it, taking a step towards it etc...

When you place the target stick, don't move it... Wait for your bird to move... If nothing happens try another few charges.

Eventually he'll go from the bottom left corner to the top right corner and everywhere in between to touch the stick...

You may have done all these things - this may just be useful for someone...

 

[Lesa1211]

No I havent tried this. Im really new to all of this. Just so I have this right,I click when I give her the treat then keep clicking even when she goes toward the treat? Thank you for your help.

 

[lene1949]

Yes, she needs to know that the click equals a treat... If you click you treat, always... Even if you accidentally click, while training her.

 

[RescueMe]

I would like to clarify that you should click once. Do not click repeatedly. One click equals one treat. As she reaches for the treat click so that she associates the treat with the click. Eventually you click first then treat. This marks the behavior that you want. The click is the "YES" when you are training.

 

[ewalker]

Can you target them to something else? Not just a stick, but for a baby that cannot fly.. Is there something else that they can target to?

 

[lene1949]

Once they have learned 'targeting' you can 'target' them anywhere... But you can't teach a bird to fly using this method... If it can't fly, it'll have to walk to the target.