My Parrot Outsmarted Me During Training

[harrisonowen]

So I’ve been training my African Grey, Coco, for a few weeks now using basic commands and positive reinforcement. Everything was going smoothly—“step up,” “turn around,” and even “wave” were going great. But last week, something unexpected happened that showed me just how clever (and cheeky) parrots can be.


Coco had learned to mimic the sound of my phone’s alarm—the exact tone I use to end training sessions. During one session, just when I was about to reward him for completing a trick, he let out the alarm sound himself! I was so caught off guard, I laughed and ended the session without giving him the treat. The next day, he did it again—right before the treat! That’s when I realized he was using it as a shortcut to end the session and get his reward early.


It was hilarious but also a wake-up call that these birds really do observe and manipulate patterns. Since then, I’ve had to mix things up during training to stay one step ahead. Has anyone else had their parrot pull a fast one on them like this? I'd love to hear your stories!

 

[DonnaBudgie]

You should give him the treat for being such a big thinker (for a parrot)!

 

[rheashard2]

So I’ve been training my African Grey, Coco, for a few weeks now using basic commands and positive reinforcement. Everything was going smoothly—“step up,” “turn around,” and even “wave” were going great. But last week, something unexpected happened that showed me just how clever (and cheeky) parrots can be.


Coco had learned to mimic the sound of my phone’s alarm—the exact tone I use to end training sessions. During one session, just when I was about to reward him for completing a trick, he let out the alarm sound himself! I was so caught off guard, I laughed and ended the session without giving him the treat. The next day, he did it again—right before the treat! That’s when I realized he was using it as a shortcut to end the session and get his reward early.


It was hilarious but also a wake-up call that these birds really do observe and manipulate patterns. Since then, I’ve had to mix things up during training to stay one step ahead. Has anyone else had their parrot pull a fast one on them like this? I'd love to hear your stories!

Welcome to your CAG's world of  owner training! That's why I stopped clicker training my CAG! I'd get a click, told to 'step up girl...come on...now off' and more. Clicker is now a permanent resident in my junk drawer. Enjoy and have fun.

 

[wrench13]

As you might know by now, parrots are well acquainted with the concept of cheating! Salty tries to cheat when it comes to doing tricks and training all the time. IF there are 5 little rings he has to give me before he gets a treat, he will try and scoop up all 5 at once, in order to get his reward quicker. Stuff like that is a common occurrence in our training.