Parrot training is an important step in raising and caring for any parrot that is going to be a pet in the home. Training your parrot can be as basic as teaching to whistle and step up or down or as complicated as talking and poop on command training.
Parrots are very intelligent and social creatures and need plenty of stimulation to keep them active and to prevent boredom. Parrots are very fun pets to have and raise if they are understood and their needs are met., not all species are suitable for everyone or every situation. Many parrots can be loud and destructive if not properly housed. Choosing a species is a very important step in owning a parrot and should be thought out thoroughly.
Most bird owners begin to look into parrot training to correct behavioral problems after they have begun. It is very important to begin training a parrot as young as possible so as to raise a well adjusted and behaved pet. When a parrot is older the training will become harder as bad habits will have been established, but with work and persistence these can be overcome.
Some of the behavioral problems that are often encountered and need to be corrected through parrot training include biting, screaming, feather picking, chewing and jealously. Many times the parrot owner wishes to teach their bird new behaviors such as stepping up on command to make handling the bird safer and easier. Teaching a parrot to talk is another example of a behavior that can be taught to your bird to make owning a parrot more enjoyable and rewarding.
Training your parrot will help to strengthen the bond between you and your bird. By spending the time needed for the training sessions and providing proper rewards the bird will become more cooperative and attached to you as a handler, the bird will also be kept busy and will focus its attention on you and the learning that will help to prevent problem like screaming and feather picking.
Parrot Training basics are too always keep it positive, always reinforce good behavior with a reward and ignore bad behavior. Rewards can be a favorite treat or toy to play with, or a simple praise and affection. It is very important to never punish for negative behavior, the bird will see this as attention as reward and this will reinforce the negative behavior.
Points to remember:
Train only when relaxed so you don’t get frustrated
Keep training sessions short so the bird does not lose interest
Use a favorite reward sparingly and not every time alternate with praise only
End sessions on a positive note.
A good starting point is to teach the up command, let the bird come out of the cage on its own and gradually move a perch towards his feet. After some time he will eventually start to step up. When the bird is comfortable a hand can be tried very slowly. A reminder that before any out of cage time the birds wings should always be properly clipped for its safety.