What is target training?

[DonnaBudgie]

I have only been a member of PF for six months. I frequently read references to "Target Training" but I have no idea what it is and how it can be used with a budgie, keeping in mind that my female budgie is not motivated by food treats. Rocky can take or leave millet (odd, I know) and she eats a full balanced diet consisting of chop, pellets, some seeds, and bird safe people food, like scrambled eggs. I'd love to train her but I don't know if she's trainable. I love her but (don't tell her I said this) she doesn't seem as smart as some other peoples birds, like Ona, who's brilliant!

 

[zERo]

Target training, a wonderful world! Lol!

Basically, I use a chopstick and whatever bird I’m working with at the time touches the end of it.
Your goal is for them to gently touch it and if they won’t, you hold it just in their range of reach so that only their upper mandible touches it.
At the moment they do, you click with a clicker and then deliver a treat.

It’s helpful for birds that aren’t comfortable with being picked up as you can target them to a new location.

My four budgies all target though Hedwig is still pretty hesitant to do so consistently.

Does Rocky have a lot of millet in her regular diet? That could be why she’s not motivated.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Target training, a wonderful world! Lol!

Basically, I use a chopstick and whatever bird I’m working with at the time touches the end of it.
Your goal is for them to gently touch it and if they won’t, you hold it just in their range of reach so that only their upper mandible touches it.
At the moment they do, you click with a clicker and then deliver a treat.

It’s helpful for birds that aren’t comfortable with being picked up as you can target them to a new location.

My four budgies all target though Hedwig is still pretty hesitant to do so consistently.

Does Rocky have a lot of millet in her regular diet? That could be why she’s not motivated.

She has very little millet in her diet. I've put a millet spray in her cage and she largely ignores it. She eats chop, Harrison's pellets (I weaned her onto them), a very small amount of seed that I mix myself (white millet, canary grass seed, oats groats, sunflower meat chips, and nyjer seed). Plus she eats small amounts of parrot safe people food like scrambled or hard boiled egg. She has a very healthy appetite, eats well, and likes to try new foods. She never seems hungry enough to "do anything" for a food reward. She's also fearless, quite stubborn, and she doesn't act like she knows what her name is because she doesn't come when called.

 

[Cottonoid]

Any training is really just a conversation establishing what you want in exchange for what they want.

In my Quaker's case, this could be any food item in the world, or just a "good boy!"

In my ARN's case, this is a vast mystery yet to be solved. He's not motivated enough by a treat to work through things he doesn't want to work through. Yet

 

[Vampiric_Conure]

You could also use some of your chop as a training treat, or pellets if they'll eat that.

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

I'm glad you asked this! I'm going to start target training with mine but wasn't sure where to start. Rocky is adorable as well btw

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

Target training, a wonderful world! Lol!

Basically, I use a chopstick and whatever bird I’m working with at the time touches the end of it.
Your goal is for them to gently touch it and if they won’t, you hold it just in their range of reach so that only their upper mandible touches it.
At the moment they do, you click with a clicker and then deliver a treat.

It’s helpful for birds that aren’t comfortable with being picked up as you can target them to a new location.

My four budgies all target though Hedwig is still pretty hesitant to do so consistently.

Does Rocky have a lot of millet in her regular diet? That could be why she’s not motivated.

If you don't mind me asking, are all of your birds target trained? And how on earth do you train them all? I have a similar flock setup to you but when I'm training I can only train the conures for any actual tricks as they all come to me when I have treats and the conures are so pushy that they scare away the budgies. My cockatiels get a small look in but not enough to train them before a conure will try and get their treats. It doesn't help that they're not all fully tame (most are rescues) and so often the budgies and cockatiels are left out. I tried training the conures first until they had enough but they will eat treats all day long and still eat more and I don't want them eating too many.

 

[zERo]

If you don't mind me asking, are all of your birds target trained? And how on earth do you train them all? I have a similar flock setup to you but when I'm training I can only train the conures for any actual tricks as they all come to me when I have treats and the conures are so pushy that they scare away the budgies. My cockatiels get a small look in but not enough to train them before a conure will try and get their treats. It doesn't help that they're not all fully tame (most are rescues) and so often the budgies and cockatiels are left out. I tried training the conures first until they had enough but they will eat treats all day long and still eat more and I don't want them eating too many.

Yep!
I can only imagine how hard it would be to train several birds at once! I’d be mauled! Lol!

Seriously though, I just take one bird out at a time, and train them for maybe 4-5 min. A piece. I should be more consistent, honestly, I don’t train daily :/

 

[Greenhouseparrots]

Yep!
I can only imagine how hard it would be to train several birds at once! I’d be mauled! Lol!

Seriously though, I just take one bird out at a time, and train them for maybe 4-5 min. A piece. I should be more consistent, honestly, I don’t train daily :/

Thank you! That makes sense! I think that's what I'll have to do. There's no way I'll be able to train them all every single day though, working full time and having a life as well as juggling all the care needs of the birds takes a lot of time! I'm also hoping to harness train them which is going to take a lot of time and effort but hopefully I can get into a routine with them.

It seems like your birds have a great life regardless of if they're trained every single day so don't beat yourself up about it

 

[zERo]

Thank you! That makes sense! I think that's what I'll have to do. There's no way I'll be able to train them all every single day though, working full time and having a life as well as juggling all the care needs of the birds takes a lot of time! I'm also hoping to harness train them which is going to take a lot of time and effort but hopefully I can get into a routine with them.

It seems like your birds have a great life regardless of if they're trained every single day so don't beat yourself up about it

I’d love to harness train my green cheek but he says no way! Lol!
I’m sure when you reach the point where you can easily put a harness on on if your birds, it will be so rewarding for you!

Aw! Thank you!

 

[wrench13]

Harness training is likely to be the single most hardest 'trick' you can teach a parrot, but likewise the most rewarding. I spent a year+ of daily training with Salty to accept a harness, and we still practice just putting it on and off almost every night during training sessions. We just went out on Sat for a few hours; he just sat on my knee and let me put it on him, no fuss, no muss, no kicking or biting. SO worth the time!