Tsali learns his email address

[Tsali]

So Tsali, my Congo African Grey companion, learned his phone #, which is actually my cell #. I was really proud of him and thought I was rather clever, that is, until hubby and oldest son pointed out that phone #'s change and that he really needed an email address.

NOW I feel like I have given Tsali an important tool so that he can help himself get home in case he ever flys the coop and ends up outside in a strange place. Surely if someone heard a bird shouting an email address from the top of a tree they would be curious enough to contact it

The first WHOOO you hear is Tsali. That is one of his "clicks" in his clicker-training. He has figured out that if he does the WHOOO he will get a treat. He also "rewards me" with the whooo when he is being silly and won't say his address and I say it for him. And yes, he still gets a treat

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i7R3_9su5o"]Tsali - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Scott]

That's pretty awesome, great voice!!

 

[Tsali]

Thank you, Scott. It took a looonnnnggg time for Tsali to figure it out. He is so very smart, but sometimes I think I expect way too much way too soon. He just turned two, so he is still a baby.

 

[BeatriceC]

Wow! Can I share that? That's amazing!

 

[Tsali]

Awww, thank you Beatrice. I think Tsali IS amazing. Please feel free to share.

 

[GaleriaGila]

That is wonderful!
And could be life-saving.
If an unwelcome admirer ever asks you for your phone number/email, you may have a problem there!
The Rb sings a "dot com" television jingle (Safe Auto... know that one?) but that won't help him much.
Bravo, Tsali!

 

[Terry57]

WOW! I could not love this any more!
May I share on my FB? This could make such a difference in so many lives.

 

[Tsali]

Gail, I'll be putting your theory to the test this summer when its warm enough to take Tsali on my walks. It will be interesting to see if he chooses to talk while on the footpath. If he shares too much info, I guess I'll just have to talk over him .

 

[Tsali]

Terry, you certainly have my permission to share. ANYTHING that will give other parrot owners ideas to help ensure their bird's safety should be shared.

Tsali is such a funny boy. As I was typing this reply he flew over, landed on my shoulder, looked at the computer screen and said in his very plain manly voice, "What you doing?". There was even the inflection that denoted that he was asking a question. He never ceases to amaze me.

 

[Scott]

Greys are so gifted, and like people some are exceptional! Given his young age, Tsali is capable of so much more!

 

[Sam.A]

This is brilliant! And a great form of ID should the unexpected happen. I love the voice!

You said it took a long time for him to learn it. How long did you practice with him before he got it? We have a 3-mo old who just learned to wolf whistle and now does it all day long, much to our delight

 

[Tsali]

Tsali started with a wolf whistle as well!

By the time I started working with Tsali on his phone #, he could already "answer" several questions and knew many words. I used the model technique that I read about in Dr. Irene Pepperbergs's work with Alex which was also recommended in bird training videos that I purchased.

I would grab another human (usually my husband), and with Tsali close by I would ask my "Human Bird", "What's your address", and the HB (Human Bird) would respond correctly. I would give the click, which in my case is an excited YEAH!, then give the HB a treat. I would also give Tsali a treat so that he would actually be part of the training session. I would also work directly with Tsali by asking him, "What's your address", I would say the address and give the YEAH and we would both get a treat.

After what seemed like an eternity, Tsali started saying part of the address, then more and more. Every tiny bit of progress was ALWAYS rewarded with excited YEAHS from me and a food treat.

Early on he learned to "answer" silly questions such as "what does a doggie say", but I wanted to teach him meaningful things.

We are now working on teaching him to ask for food/treats by name. I think that this is going to be a long slow process, 'cause we are using his favorite foods/treats and he gets really excited when he sees them.

 

[Sam.A]

Thank for your explanation! We plan to follow Dr. Pepperberg's model as well (I'm about halfway through her book), although our girl's still very young so we don't expect too much at this point. So at first you asked the question, you gave the reply, and you both got a treat. Interesting! It obviously worked well.

Do you feel the training videos were worth the purchase? If so, which ones did you get?

 

[Tsali]

ALWAYS expect too much, but NEVER get frustrated if something takes longer than expected. Training is simply two way communication. All participants learn from each other. Sometimes the most important thing you learn is that what you are doing isn't working and you need to try the teaching a different way.

Tsali is my first experience with a bird, but I have years of experience training dogs and horses, including wild mustangs. Much of what I learned applies to any living creature. Gain trust and don't violate that trust. Respect who you are working with. Successful training means that everyone involved wins something. When training, no one gets hurt. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - always end a training session on a positive note. That means stopping when something good happens rather than plowing on trying to make it happen again. Birds have unique challenges because they can simply fly away, so training sessions need to be very short and interesting to the bird.

Because I had zero experience with birds, I purchased a complete training "system" and spent hours and hours studying them before Tsali came home. Parts I felt were valuable and I use those parts. Some of the techniques I didn't agree with so I improvised. And sometimes you just have to be creative and come up with your own plan.

YOU are the best teacher for your bird. Just remember, if what you are doing isn't working, try something different. Teaching a bird to talk can take a long time, so be patient and have fun!

 

[itzjbean]

African Greys are SO smart!! Way to go, Tsali! I wish my dog could do that...

 

[Sam.A]

Following your lead, we registered MyGirlMango @ a popular email service (not typing it so we don't get spammed!), and when she's old enough to talk we'll attempt to teach it to her. I think this is a great thing to teach her and her email address will be handed off to our kids when they inherit her. It could be the one thing that gets a lost bird returned home.

 

[Tsali]

Way to go! Can't wait to hear Mango reciting her email address . One of my three skin kids will also inherit Tsali's email address along with our precious feathered son.

 

[Billdore]

LOL that's great who knows I'm 36 now maybe Timneh will be helping both of us get home when I get older!!!

 

[Anansi]

Just seeing this thread, and I am floored!!! Brilliant. Utterly brilliant and most impressive. And that's directed at teacher and student both.

Wow. Just... wow.

 

[Tsali]

Aww, thank you. Tsali IS a very smart bird.