WOAH! Sorry, didn't see this until now! Here's how to step up train a bird:
1. First, teach the bird to readily accept treats from your fingers.
2. Clicker train the bird. Look it up on google. Make sure they master this before step 3.
3. Target train the bird. Again, google it. Have them master it.
4. Target them around their cage a few times. Now that they're in the mind frame for training, hold a perch in your left hand, while you hold the clicker, target stick, and treat in your right hand (see how the Parrot Wizard holds things in his hand). Target the bird onto the perch (use the "touch"/"target" cue) by holding the target stick above the handheld perch, in such a way the bird has to step onto the perch to reach the target stick. When they get onto the perch and touch the target, click, then reward. Repeat this several times. DO NOT FORCE THEM TO STEP UP. If they don't feel comfortable with stepping onto the perch yet, just spend a couple more sessions targeting them around their cage while holding the perch in your left hand. While targeting them around, have them move towards the perch and away from it. Never target them closer to it than they're comfortable with. Just slowly work them closer and closer to the perch, but SLOWLY.
5. Once they've stepped up somewhat reliably several times, tell them "step up" while targeting them onto the perch, rather than saying "touch." As soon as the bird steps onto the perch, click, take away the target stick, and reward. At this stage, we're phasing out the target stick and introducing the new verbal cue ("step up"). We want to still target the bird onto the perch, but click and reward before they have a chance to poke the target stick. Repeat this several times.
6. Quit using the target stick. Hold the perch in front of the bird and say "step up". At this point, they should step up readily. If the bird's a bit unsure, show them that you have a treat for them if they step up. When they step up, click, and give them a jackpot. Practice having them step up, and target them off the perch, around their cage, step back onto the perch, etc. You don't want the bird to become annoyed or bored by not changing things up.
7. Eventually, you can ask them to step up onto your forearm. Even though he's a small bird, Noah wouldn't step onto my finger, but wanted to step onto my forearm. If the bird feels more comfortable with your finger, then ask them to step up onto your finger.
I know most people have been taught to force their birds to step up by pushing their finger into their bird's tummy, but that's a bad method. Instead of teaching the bird to step up because good things happen (i.e., praise and treats), they learn to step up because upsetting things happen until they step up in order to escape. Imagine you're a tiny bird, and this huge predator pushes their giant finger into your tummy. You don't want them touching your tummy, and it feels bad and you think you might fall because you're losing your balance. You indicate to them using body language that you don't like what they're doing and that they're too close to you, but they ignore you. You try to scurry away, but they keep pushing their giant finger into your tummy, making you almost fall over. You can't get away, they won't listen, and you're about to fall off your perch, so you step onto their scary finger so you don't fall. Suddenly, they're excited and shoving food in your face. You take it, but jump off their finger right away.
Finally, they aren't poking you, and you have yummy food, but you don't like their finger. It was trying to push you over, and it kept following you while you tried to run away. Wait, here it comes again! They're saying something, and now they're pushing their finger into your tummy, trying to make you lose your balance!
Okay, you get the idea. At no point is the bird a willing participant in this. What they learn from this is that they can either step up and get a treat, or be harassed by a finger. It's like giving someone the option to be paid $20 to watch the movie "Forzen" on repeat for 6 hours, or they can choose to get no money and have their car keyed. Sure, they might "choose" to watch Frozen, but they didn't really have a choice. With my method, using targeting, the bird can choose whether or not they want to step up. Heck, they can choose whether or not they want to even practice targeting! If they don't feel like target practice at the moment, DON'T FORCE THEM. Try again ten minutes from now. If they want to practice targeting, but don't want to step onto the perch, DON'T FORCE THEM. Basically they have two options: (a) do something fun and get yummy food, or (b) stay in their cage and do whatever it is that they find more enjoyable than eating treats and doing fun activities. If they choose the latter option, they can always change their minds and go with option A when they're in the mood.
The parrot is the one who decides when and what they want to do. It is the guardian's responsibility to make the parrot want to participate. How? By using targeting, a hands off method of training. The target stick is seen as a completely positive thing. When the bird touches the target stick, they get a treat, guaranteed. At no point does the target stick hit the bird, push the bird, or do anything scary. The only reason the stick is ever near the bird is because the bird chooses to approach it. And once the bird learns they get treats when they touch the target stick, they'll be more than eager to touch the target stick. How else do we make the bird want to participate? By letting the parrot know that the parrot is the one in control! If the parrot wants to train, then they'll participate! If not, they'll probably be more than willing in a few minutes if you give them a few minutes before asking again whether they want to train. And when they decide they'll train with you, it's your duty to keep things interesting. At no point should the parrot feel like they're being forced to do things they aren't comfortable with.
Anyways, I think I'll actually make a video of me and Noah to teach new parrot guardians on how to train a bird. He's the first bird I've ever trained, and I use a reward-based, force-free method. He decides what his rewards are. He decides what tricks he wants to do. He decides how often he needs to receive a treat. Basically, he dictates the training session, and I respect his wishes. A lot of people will say you have to force a bird to step up even if they don't want to, in order to show who's boss. This is wrong. Never have I forced Noah to step up. Even if he's in the middle of raiding the treat container, I can ask him to step up (note that I ask him, rather than command him), and he will. He doesn't ignore me, run away, or threaten to bite. He just steps up. He could've kept eating the sunflower seeds. At no point would I have grabbed him or pushed my finger into his tummy. Most people would have thought he'd choose to keep eating the sunflower seeds rather than step up for me, especially since he knows I'm not going to force him to "obey". The reason he steps up 9 out of 10 times the first time I ask him to is because I let him choose. If he does step up, he knows he'll get to do tons of fun stuff with me, like preen, play in the water, fly, train, eat, cuddle, etc.
