Made a mistake with Largo

[Kjarva]

Hi all, everything has been going great with my GCC Largo recently but today I think I might have made a huge mistake and I don't know how easy it will be to repair the damage

We've been working on getting him used to his aviator harness and today was the first time we got it on and had a proper jaunt outside with it. He seemed to enjoy himself while he was out and only occasionally remembered to try to bite at the harness. Once we got back home and took it off however was another story. He now seems to hate me all over again, runs away from my hands and seems to have lost all trust with me.

Has anyone else screwed up this big and got any suggestions?

Thanks

 

[DebsFlock]

I think this is a common pitfall with harness training. I'd give it a day or two before deciding if it was really damaging. In the mean time, I'd leave him alone for a bit, and then approach him as you did when you first got him for a while.

He may just have gotten over-excited. How long ago was the outing?

 

[Kjarva]

about 4-5 hours ago, he may be tired from all the excitement as well. I guess I'll need to wait until tomorrow to see just how bad it is

 

[MikeyTN]

Have you allow time to get used to the harness before you put it on him to take him out? There's steps to take, not just put on and go type of deal. Did you use treats? Watch some videos on Youtube, there's how to videos posted there.

 

[BreannPearlLang]

I know exactly how you feel... one day at a time with our fids!!!
I had no problem flightsuiting my gcc but then out of nowhere she started hating it! I stopped, assuming maybe it was a blood feather problem making her sore... but now shes right back to not minding it at all

 

[Kjarva]

Have you allow time to get used to the harness before you put it on him to take him out? There's steps to take, not just put on and go type of deal. Did you use treats? Watch some videos on Youtube, there's how to videos posted there.

Yup I did. The damage seems pretty severe, he will take treats from my fingers but if he spots my hand inching towards him, he runs. I must have hurt him somehow yesterday and now we're right back where we started.

I'm absolutely distraught and no idea how I can convince him to trust me again. Even if it means burning the harness and him never seeing it again

 

[kc_y0]

It may have been a little full on for him perhaps. How long did you have the harness on him and how long was he out? Was there any stress with getting it on/taking it off? When I introduced Audrey to the harness we started in small outings of 5-10 minutes. Getting it off was a little stressful as she would start to panic and I was worried she would become scared of the harness, but it all worked out okay. Just give him a couple of days break from the harness, try to offer him treats and win him back with sweet talk hehe. Also it might be a good idea to leave the harness around so he can see it, maybe just in the same room he is in.
If it makes you feel any better I do remember Audrey being quiet for the rest of the day after her first harness experience. But I think the main thing with using a harness is to make sure you have the birds trust first. How long have you had your bird for? It could have also been a little too soon in the relationship if he is a new family member.

 

[Kjarva]

It appears that the damage might not be irreparable. I went right the way back to the things I did with him when I first got him home - he's still fairly wary of me BUT we did some target training this afternoon and he is now hopping onto my hand again. Hopefully he will get over it with time, at least he does seem to want to trust me, he just doesn't after yesterday.

I think I might just forget all about the harness idea and maybe try to properly flight train him at a later point.

 

[DebsFlock]

You might also try a different harness style. I think the aviator is probably best if you intend for the bird to fly with the harness on, but the proper size for a GCC has a head loop SO small, it makes ME nervous. I'd rather have something easier to loosen, with a quick release. But I only intend harness to be a safety measure with a trimmed bird outside, not a leash per se.

 

[greenbutterfly81]

Probably just a little too long outside that go. I would suggest keeping the outside jaunts to 5-10 minutes at a time for a while before diving in like that again. Its a big world out there and it can be very intimidating. You don't want him terrified every time you take him out.

I'm planning on harness training my sun as well. From everything I have seen on harness training, it is best to do small outside sessions for a while at first (once you get to the point that they are completely okay with the harness). Start back at square one with him, he'll come around once he learns that its not as scary as he thought.

 

[Kjarva]

I think it might have been the restrictiveness of the head loop that really terrified him. It was fine to get on but a real struggle to get off and that I think was maybe what caused the freak out / loss of trust.

All appears to be forgiven today though, just 5 minutes ago he was inside his cage, preening the ends of my fingers

 

[Mudkips]

He's just a baby, so everything will be forgiven and forgotten.
Don't give up on the harness, and remember to keep paying attention to his body language. He may grow to like it!

 

[Kjarva]

I might do mudkips but I really do think that the headloop on the aviator is just too small for him. It wasn't the getting it on that was the problem, it was getting it off. I might look into one of the other harnesses to see if they fit better.