Encouraging new words?

[MagicalMerlin]

Merlin, my B&G, yells "HELP!" all the time. Well, as long as he's in his cage, he's yelling HELP! so I'll take him out. I wait until he is calm and not yelling to take him out.

Today was especially bad. I walked outside several times and I could hear him outside screaming HELP! I'm worried the neighbors that don't know I got a macaw are going to be concerned I've kidnapped some woman who is screaming help constantly!

I've been trying to say to him the phrases he knows, like "hello Merlin" "whats up, bird?" Things like that, he knows a handful of full phrases. Is that the right way to do it? I have been ignoring his cries for HELP! Then I've been saying the things he knows to try to work around the helps.

We're not even going to talk about why or how he picked up the word HELP! He came with that one, he also came with the "the bird is loose" whenever he sees a towel. I feel like he had a turbulent life before he got here.

Is there a proper way to discourage words? I feel like HELP! isn't the "right" thing to yell!

Thanks!

 

[Kiwibird]

Better go let the neighbors know if they hear "help" it's the bird and if you actually need help, you'll just holler "macaw! macaw!" instead lol.

Theres not real way to make them forget something they know how to say, but just not reacting to discourage while giving extra attention or treats to phrases you'd like him to say helps. We've been trying to discourage the f-you one since we got him. Kiwi came knowing the phrase, and uses it in context. We try to ignore it (though sometimes a little snicker is unavoidable because he says it with such seriousness).

 

[MagicalMerlin]

I feel like F-you would be better than help! I'd take that one, its a little less alarming! And kudos for you for not laughing each time!

I have been trying to reward him for the other phrases, that aren't help!

Today, was all day, HELP! I waited until he was quiet, then worked on some clicker training, the beginning steps. I also tried working on target training, when he was quiet.
I still think hes associating HELP with me coming to train. This just feels like a nightmare!

Who teaches a bird to say HELP?! Or who says HELP enough that he learns how to mimic it?

I'm going to start saying F-You when he says help, change it up a bit!
I kid, I kid.

 

[GraciesMom]

LOL ok that tickled my funny bone
Kiwis dead on. Erasing a favorite word or saying. Ugh!

You could try repeating a word over and over as you approach similar to him repeating help help help. Gracie's is cmere and boy oh boy she says it all day & to everything. She'll be on one perch and start telling her toys to cmere rather then going.
Maybe if it's upbeat enough and he associates that word with out time he'll mix it up

 

[psychocircus91]

When he was taught the word "help," I assume it was said to him loud and excitably. When you try to teach him a new word/phrase, say it with a ton of enthusiasm, over the top excitement.

 

[MagicalMerlin]

Those are great ideas! The new words we work on, I will say them really enthusiastically!

Would "out" be a good one? Out and Help are similar phonetically...if you're a macaw. Maybe OUT! could be better than HELP!

I feel like I should print up some post cards for my neighbors(who are trying to sell their house, so for their realtor and prospective buyers) that says..."We have a macaw who screams HELP more often than not. We promise its only a bird! Come and see him, hes beautiful!" Just like what Kiwi said! Send a warning to everyone around.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Hi and yes who does teach their parrot to shout 'help' in all seriousness? Just over say it with "hello"," hello Merlin", the more new words they learn the old ones get pushed down the line and are used less in my experience except for the odd time. Be careful of who you notify so as not to put Merlin at risk.

 

[ChrisDooley]

I would try to yell back HELLO enthusiastically ever time the bird says HELP. Really only 1 letter difference.

My bird does scream HELLO when he's excited or scared. It is accompanied by hiding its head under it's wing for a second. It's funny except when I catch it directly in the ear when I'm near the cage.

When I first adopted my Macaw and it was lunging and threatening I would look at it and say "What!?" which it picked up immediately. Also pretty funny. I put the bird on his bath perch and he looks back and me and yells "What!?"

Otherwise he mumbles "Love you" when he wants out of his cage. Or sometimes "Step up" in a couple of different voices. (male and female)

I have been repeating "Big Bird" and "Good Bird" to him as well but he doesn't seem interested in saying those.

I had a Cockatoo that once got me in trouble at a rest stop. He was yelling "COME BACK" from the back of a travel trailer. A lady was a few digits from calling the cops when I told her it was a bird.

CD

 

[MagicalMerlin]

I've been trying to yell Hello! to him today. Hello and Hello Merlin! Today has been less HELP!

So these are my thoughts about the things he can say. He was clearly someones loved bird, because he does know how to say "wanna take a bath?" when he walks into the bathroom, or when he sees a towel.
But sometimes when he sees a towel he sometimes says "the bird is loose" or "the bird is out". He will say "the bird is out" when hes on top of his cage. I fold my clothes in my bedroom where he is, thats why there are so many towels. LOL

These things lead me to believe, he went from his loving home, to someone who wasn't ready to own a macaw, especially a young-ish one. So when they would see him they would yell "the bird is loose/out" and grab a towel, or someone was really scared of him (he does lunge at hands and feet) and they would yell HELP! for someone else in the house to come assist getting him back into the cage.
He doesn't yell it when hes out of the cage, only when he wants to come out. So maybe he was trapped at one point?
When hes out and playing, he says things like "whats up, bird?" "hello, Merlin" "whats up, Merlin?" They seem to be much happier phrases.

How many times saying something does it take for them to get it? I assume like with children, some words are easier to form than others.