How did you go about harness training?

[Psittaciformes]

I'm trying to get Kiwiberry to wear her harness.
She's been interacting with it for quite some time now, be it on her boing or on my shoulder or when we're playing. I've been trying to put it on my hand when we cuddle as well, but she usually just starts nibbling on the harness, so I have to put it down.

The problem I'm having is getting it over her head, I'm just trying to let it touch her beak or top of the head for a couple of seconds. Even when I'm not trying to touch her with it and just raise it slightly higher than her, she'll reach and grab.
How did you go about this? I think it'll be the hardest step, and to get her not to play with or nibble on it while wearing it.

 

[strudel]

I didn't get that far with it, but I watched videos and got somewhere putting a cashew on the other side of it and didn't try to put it on her, but got her to put her head through it to get the cashew.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etKRisR7vgo"]Tips to Harness Train a Parrot - GoodBirdInc.com - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Psittaciformes]

I tried putting a sunflower seed on the other side, she tries to either go around or over the harness ... I really should find a better treat for Kiwiberry, she gets way too excited by sunflower seeds.
It's kinda hard with the petite size harness too, not much to work with as far as the head section goes.

 

[strudel]

she tries to either go around or over the harness ...

Start by putting your fingers through the head-hole while holding it up, and gradually moving back (might take a long time), working up to her putting her head through. Start on "her" side and try to entice her through to "your" side. Move your hand in the line through the hole, show her where you want her to come from and to.

So, just start feeding while the harness is there, moving closer to the harness gradually until she'll take the seed through the head-hole. Sunflower seed might not be best because they've got to take the shell off it. Stuff all cut up really small so that you can keep it coming was the best for me. When I say cashews, I mean little crumbs of cashew. I cut it all up fine. If you keep it coming, they don't try to go around or under or over, they can see where it's coming from and they'll focus on the source. At least with a greedy guts like mine she will. She did overcome her reticence to let it go over her neck.

EDIT: oh and as for the small head hole, try it with the wing hole to start with. The idea is to get them to let it on their neck. Even use a ribbon or something to train them to let stuff over the back of their neck. I think the man in the video showed that, the aviator man??

 

[Ann333]

Lol i tried Harness training and gave up... for now. He hated it and ive had him for such a short time i didnt want to damage his trust in me. I just use my travel cage to take him outside. Let is know if you make progress and how you went about it. Good luck!

 

[Minimaker]

Yeah I bought one for Tazzy too, and I can well imagine how well this is going to go when I try to put it on him. He's still not letting me touch him much with my fingers without trying to nip. He doesn't trust fingers, but he'll sit on my shoulder and arm. This is why I was too afraid to get a rescue macaw instead of a baby. It can be a real challenge to know how to approach and handle a bird who's older and has been put through the ringer already. Tazzy has trust issues from previous owners and I'm paying for what they did to him. At eight years old, will I ever be able to get really close to him enough to do these things? I hope so I know he likes me because he wants me on and off and will freak out if I leave the room. He also has little fits when he wants up on me until I go pick him up. But cuddle or pet? Nope. Don't even try it.

 

[Psittaciformes]

Strudel; I did try it with the wing holes but decided to go back to the head hole since that's what's actually gonna be going over her head, but I guess the smart thing to do would be to do it with the wing holes again, thank you!

I'm not sure if he showed that, I can't remember. Doesn't ring a bell.

Ann; I think you'd be alright if you make it into a game and don't make the sessions too long.
By the way, did you sex Pumpkin yet?

Mini; That's really sad, but at least he has a good home now, just keep working with him and maybe leave the harness for now?

 

[Ann333]

Yeah I was trying to make it fun. I'll try again. and we sent off the feather sample on Friday so they probably won't get them until Monday or tuesday. Hopefully I can check the results online next week!

 

[strudel]

Some ideas.

Try to stop trying to get a harness on him. Forget about the harness. Forget about putting it on the bird.

Do what the bird lady said. Break it down (and down, and down, and down if you have to). Just concentrate on the part you need to do first. If he won't let the harness near him, put it further away. Feed, feed, feed. Bring the harness an inch closer. etc etc etc.

Think in terms of months or years, and not days or weeks. (no, it shouldn't take years, but changing thinking changes the pressure on everybody, you relax, the bird doesn't pick up your unexpressed "stop being a pain and put this thing on so we can get outside and PLAY!!!" vibe and stops not wanting anything to do with the crazy person with their torture apparatus. They'll be quite happy to sit there with a harness nearby and eat nuts, what's the problem with that?)

Be patient. Very, very patient. Very patient. Very. Don't move onto the next step until the bird is absolutely rock solid calm with the first one. It's monumentally boring for us but it's the only way to do it.

As for the wing holes vs the head hole thing, my galah totally freaked when I put the head thing on her too soon. She'd accept the bigger bit on her neck and after a while then she let the head thing go on. Baby steps. Also, I practised by putting my fingers around her neck (which is kind of strange, but it's similar to having the head thing go over) and touching her in the ways you need to. Lifting the wing, touching under the tummy.

Also, practise yourself how you are going to do it without fumbling and messing about, so that your actions are smooth. (it's like getting a bridle on a horse, they don't freak out if you look like you know what you're doing and just do it competently). Everything YOU do impacts what response you get, so take all the pressure off, stop expecting "results" (as in getting the thing on) instead of just a positive response to today's/this week's/this month's little baby step in the process.

The video I linked to is Barbara Heidenreich showing the steps on a bird that's been trained already, not on a bird that has never seen a harness. They want a short video, there's no point putting 45 hours (or whatever) of a bird eating a nut on youtube. Don't think your bird's abnormal because it isn't sitting there like a professional trainer's animal in a video. It IS normal to be freaked out. (Imagine if somebody wanted to put a collar and leash on YOU, would you just let them? Would you let a stranger do it, without any idea what they were up to?). They can't rationalise that we mean them no harm, they have to be conditioned not to react to it. Conditioning takes time. And patience.

(which is why my bird isn't wearing a harness yet. )