macaw wont touch the target stick

[jadebw]

so i just rescued a green-wing macaw he's been with me for 3 weeks now and i started clicker training him but than he wont touch the target stick at all i was moving it all around and doing everything to get him interested in it i even inserted it into his beak and rewarded him because it was so frustrating and i really wanted to give him that damn treat he loves

 

[Safira]

3 weeks is not very long at all. Maybe find something else to work on, then go back to the target stick later? I find lifting a foot in a 'wave' is pretty easy. Or maybe getting him to stretch his wings? this is assuming he doesn't already do these tricks already.

 

[lene1949]

Maybe you can try to use something else for the target... it doesn't have to be a stick... You can use your hand, the end of a spoon, anything really that is not his toy.. It's only used for targeting...

If he's a bit shy, you can always treat just for him looking at the target, then keep upping your criteria, until he touches it.

Are you using a clicker or similar to mark the behaviour?

Have you charged the clicker, so he knows that the click means a treat?

Here's a website with step by step instructions to target training
Step-By-Step Bird Target Training

 

[andrea.faerie]

3 weeks is not very long at all. Maybe find something else to work on, then go back to the target stick later? I find lifting a foot in a 'wave' is pretty easy. Or maybe getting him to stretch his wings? this is assuming he doesn't already do these tricks already.

I'm working on training my fildren also with a clicker, it's going alright, but something specific I want to do is get them to stretch their wings!! Any suggestions on how to do that?!

 

[lene1949]

When they know what the click means, you can capture the behaviour as the bird stretches his wings, which means - while he doing it you click and then treat...

A lot of behaviours can be taught this way...

Once the bird knows that it gets a c/t for a behaviour, it'll start offering different behaviours, if the ones already taught don't pay off... of course if you ask for a specific behaviour you need to c/t..

An example: Put a box on the table. and let the bird play with it - you might see many behaviours, you'd like to capture, such as wings out, getting into the box, throwing things out of the box etc. etc.

When the bird really knows clicker training, the possibilities are endless...

ETA: I use a cue "wings" as well as a visual cue by holding out my arms...

 

[andrea.faerie]

Thanks so much! I'll try it. I've taught Lucy "yoga" (when she stretched one wing out and one leg out) and she'll do i on command sometimes, I did that without a clicker though haha thanks so much for the tip

 

[c3honey84]

You aren't supposed to start with your bird just touching the target. You reward him as he gets closer and closer, and then eventually he will touch it.