Macaws:
Red Shouldered (Hahn's) Macaw
Severe Macaw
Blue And Gold Macaw
Blue Throated Macaw
Military Macaw
Red Fronted Macaw
Scarlet Macaw
Green Winged Macaw
Hyacinth Macaw
The seminar was an outstanding chance to present to parrot owners the application of taming/training to have well behaved companion parrots. I was able to discuss and demonstrate endless interesting topics without constraint.
The 5 hour seminar opened with a bird show. Dressed as the Parrot Wizard, I entered from the back of the room and paced around the anxious crowd with a Senegal Parrot on my hand. I made a few laps of the room showing off this bird before setting it down and calling Kili and Truman to the front of the room. They swooped over everyone's heads and landed on my outstretched arms. The birds performed their extensive repertoire of tricks without much hesitation and Truman thrilled everyone with his Boomerang flights. I walked around the audience with the parrots so they could see some of the tricks close up or volunteer to assist with them.
After the parrot tricks show, I disrobed and began the seminar. I talked about a lot of advanced trick training and answered questions specific to trick training. I explained the process of teaching many tricks that I haven't made online tutorials for such as play dead, ring toss, slide, and boomerang. Then I went on to demonstrate how easily I can harness my parrots and explained the entire training process. I finished the first half of the seminar by explaining why taming/training is so important for companion parrots beyond just amusement.
During the intermission, audience members got to meet Kili & Truman in person. I was not prepared for such a flood of fans and couldn't control the endless outreach of hands toward the birds. Yet they were unbothered and just dealt with it. Their extensive socialization was really paying off. The parrots stepped on hands and posed for pictures while I answered numerous questions.
The second half began with a special introduction by avian veterinarian Dr. Todd Driggers. He discussed the importance of training for a parrot's psychological well being and compared the idle parrot's life to unemployment. I was very pleased to have the full support of a highly respected vet in the Phoenix Valley. I hope this helped convince people of the necessity to follow my training approach. And if for no other reason, then for the health of their companion parrots.
Then came the best part of the Seminar. I went back to basics, using rescue parrots for the demonstrations. While I had sufficient confidence in my guys to perform, it was entirely unknown how the inexperienced rescue parrots would behave. Luckily, they were very cooperative and were able to demonstrate a week's worth of training progress in front of a live audience for the first time ever.
I worked with an untrained rescue Cockatiel. By the time of the seminar, the only experience he had was a week's worth of target training in the cage. I had never taken him out of his cage until the Seminar. In front of a huge live audience I targeted him around in his cage, then eventually onto my hand, and then out of the cage entirely. This was the first time he had come out of the cage in his known history. I showed everyone how I was teaching him to target for anyone and not just me by having audience members come up and succeed in doing the same.
Next I worked with two rescue Senegal Parrots (a male and a female). Again, only demonstrating a week's worth of training progress, I was able to show how I taught one of them to turn around and the other to be grabbed. Audience members got to interact with these recently wild rescue birds as well as see training improvement before their very eyes. I wrapped up the seminar with a discussion about motivation and how to get parrots to willingly cooperate with us.
What you may find interesting is that I performed the entire seminar without planning it out. All I had was a basic idea of the general topics I wanted to cover and the performance but otherwise I winged it entirely. Even the opening show was chosen at random as I went. The only thing that was previously choreographed was the opening entrance and flight recalls. This keeps my birds on their zygodactyl toes and presents a genuine presentation of their skills. They don't just remember a routine, they can perform any of their tricks as requested.
The biggest reason I could not plan my talk in advance was because, the week leading up to the show was so extensive that I could not predict how much the rescue birds would learn nor what I would learn from them. I wanted to give my audience my freshest and most complete outlook on parrot behavior so I let the experience of training 8 rescue parrots during the preceding week drive my seminar. Being unprepared worked in my favor. It gave me the chance to jump around from topic to topic without constraint. I allowed the audience to help me steer the course of discussion and make sure their curiosities were foremost answered. I was able to get audience participation, answer questions, and share countless anecdotes about specific parrot themes. I think this collective mayhem will just keep you captivated and entertained despite the substantial duration of this video series.
It may seem strange that the seminar and DVDs begin with the most advanced stuff and then work their way back. However, this was mainly done to maintain the order of the parrots involved. You see, Kili & Truman were the highlight of the opening act so I wanted to make the most use of them in the first segment. This is why we focused on demonstrating flight, harness, and advanced trick training in the first half. Since the rescue parrots weren't used until the second half, I saved all the basics and fundamentals for then. For the same reasons, the DVDs begin with advanced results and then return to how to teach them.
I hope you can buy a set of DVDs from the Seminar so you too can feel like you were there and learn everything the audience got to experience. While you don't get the same interactive experience as a live seminar, a major benefit of the DVD is that you can watch it in smaller spans and rewatch parts of interest.
Like the seminar, the DVDs are really meant to be purchased in a 2 part series. However, for people who only want a specific disc, they are also available separately. It is possible to watch the 2nd video alone for learning basics of parrot taming & training or to watch the 1st video alone to enjoy the show and discussion of advanced tricks, flight, and harness. However, I would really like to encourage everyone to just buy the 2 disc set to see the entire Seminar start to finish. Individual DVDs can be purchased for $19.99 + s/h or the entire set for $29.99 plus the same price of shipping as a single DVD. The combo is like buying one DVD and getting the second for half price and free shipping.
I have some really great news to share with everyone. First off, I taught Kili a new trick that will just blow your mind away. Probably the cutest thing she has done to date. Second, I am making a live performance in June that I would like to invite anyone in the Arizona area to attend.
Kili, Truman, and I are going to fly my airplane out to Arizona in June. We'll fly the plane in shifts. I have determined that flying by airline would be extremely difficult to impossible with two parrots without checking them in and there is no way I would do that to them. So instead, we're going to fly my Mooney M20J 201 there in the course of two days with a stop enroute. We'll be sharing photos, videos, and tales of our cross country flying voyage with you on the blog.
In Arizona, there is much for us to do. I will be working with rescue parrots at one private rescue and then visiting some of the other prominent rescues in the region. Then at the culmination of all this training effort, the trained parrot duo and I will be giving a bird show and seminar on June 23 from 1-6PM at the Grace Inn Phoenix hotel. We will start with a live demonstration of the parrots' tricks and flight. Afterward I'll be giving a talk about establishing well behaved companion parrots through behavior management. Then I'll jump into the details of taming and training. Hopefully I'll be able to bring a parrot from one of the rescues in and do a live demonstration of beginning the training process. The venue isn't huge so I really urge everyone who really wants to go to purchase your tickets in advance. Tickets are $35 now but will be $45 at the door if there are even any seats left. Profits from ticket sales will benefit the Arizona Exotic Bird Rescue so it should be not only an interesting experience but also a good cause! We've been seeking corporate sponsors to help make tickets more affordable to the public. You can purchase tickets online and get complete details about the event here:
Now onto Kili's new trick! Incredible this only took a few days to teach her, yet it employs several different skills. Don't think for a second that this can be taught to a parrot from scratch so quickly, Kili is just such a veteran of trick training that it comes easily to her. Yet incredibly she still retains all the old ones. So here is Kili's new trick:
I taught Kili a new trick in just a matter of a few training sessions. I haven't taught her a new trick in a while. The last trick she learned was pressing a lever to initiate the rube goldberg. However, she has not forgotten how to learn new tricks and is as good as ever picking them up. My main problem is running out of good tricks to teach her and a lack of motivation on my part rather than Kili hitting a limit to how much she can learn.
The greatest challenge was to teach Kili to push the puck rather than pick it up and fetch it. Of course naturally she is inclined to pick up whatever she says to fetch it to where it has to go since so many tricks involve fetching something. But nothing the clicker couldn't solve. This is definitely a place where it was make or break to have a clicker to train. So to all the clicker deniers out there, you are missing out on a tool that facilitates learning where difficult behaviors are required.
To teach the trick I started with targeting her to just touch the puck, click, and reward. Once she knew that she had to do something with the puck, she began trying to pick it up. Well I don't want her to pick it up ever. So if she managed to pick it up entirely I would ignore Kili. Instead, I tried to click when she was just beginning to lift it and inadvertently pushing it forward a little in the process. Thus I trained her that for this trick she didn't have to lift but just push. Then we increased the distance further and further until you have the air hockey trick you see here.
The biggest problem is if Kili begins pushing the puck but isn't exactly lined up straight. Then it always ends up being pushed into a corner and she gets stuck there. She has already learned to make small corrections (pay attention for this in the video, it's quite interesting) but still cannot make substantial turns to line up with the goal if not going in a straight line. This I cannot teach her and she simply has to learn herself through trial and error. We'll keep practicing. Ideally the purpose is to have Kili be able to start with the puck anywhere on the board and be able to maneuver it to the goal.
Now check out Kili's Air Hockey Trick video as narrated by Truman in the background:
This article tells you how you can teach your parrot the turn around trick on cue. The turn around trick, also called spin by others, is where the trainer shows a cue and the parrot does a 360 degree turn around on its perch. This is a very easy trick to teach and can be considered a beginner trick. Any parrot from a budgie to a macaw can learn this trick. The only requisites are that the parrot be tame and already target trained. If this is not the case or if you simply need a refresher, check the target training and taming article before continuing with turn around.
The turn around trick is taught by targeting the parrot in a circle. So the first thing to do is to refresh your parrot's memory by doing some targeting. Make sure your parrot is willing to turn its head toward the target stick and to follow the stick. Hold the target stick behind the parrot so that it makes a 180 degree turn to touch the target. If it is not doing this, you can try holding it at 90 degrees and then move back to 180 when the parrot begins to turn toward the stick. Of course promptly click and reward the parrot whenever it touches the target stick.
Next work on getting the parrot to turn 270 and then 360 degrees to touch the target stick. Get it started by holding the target stick just ahead of where it is reaching and continuing to turn the stick around the parrot so that it can follow. Keep the pace such that the parrot can keep up with the motion of the stick but does not have the chance to touch it before completing the 360 degree turn. Continue practicing the turn around target method until the parrot reliably turns around to follow the stick. However tempting it may be, don't lure the parrot around with a treat instead. The targeting method is more effective because it learns the behavior rather than just going where food is. At this point you can start saying "turn around" or whatever the cue will be. Also you can stop letting it touch the stick upon completion and just click/reward when it completes the turn. It is important that the click is when 360 degrees have been turned rather than too soon or the bird may not learn to turn all the way.
It is convenient to have the parrot on a perch and below you so that you can target it around in a circle from above. This later helps transition the cue as well. I do not recommend teaching this trick on a flat surface because it is harder to get a precise 360 degree turn. On a perch, turns have to be a half or full circle in order for the parrot to perch. For these reasons an adjustable height Parrot Training Perch is the ideal tool for training this trick.
The next stage is to switch the parrot from following the target stick around to following your finger around. Hold your index finger along the target stick to accomplish this. Start by holding it high on the stick but progressively hold it lower and lower so that less of the target stick is visible and your finger is more obvious. Eventually don't hold the stick at all and see if the parrot will follow your finger around instead. Once you can get your parrot to turn around by following your finger rather than using the target stick you are ready for the final step.
Now all that is left is to recede the finger turn and it will become the cue. Start by targeting the parrot around less and less with your finger so that it still completes the 360 turn. Move your finger 3/4 way around, then 1/2, 1/4, etc. From the inertia of previous training, the parrot should continue completing the 360 turn with less and less targeting with your finger. Eventually you should get to a point where just showing your finger in a vertical orientation. At this point it's just a matter of switching this motion into the cue which can be a twist or flick of the finger. Just keep practicing and gradually switching the finger target to the finger cue that will become the permanent cue.
As soon as the parrot has caught on to the trick, I recommend mixing it back with previously known tricks so that it does not forget those in favor of the newer one. Once the parrot has completely learned this trick on a perch, you can practice it on a flat surface as well. Here is a video of how I taught Truman the turn around trick in just two training sessions:
Here is another video about teaching a Blue and Gold Macaw to turn around. You'll see that the technique is exactly the same and very suitable for any sized parrot:
To commemorate posting my 200th video on youtube, I would like to host a small contest as a way to say thanks and give back to my loyal viewers and readers. At first I was just going to do it for a single clicker but I know how much fun it is to win so I decided to make three different ways to win a clicker to that more people could get one to start training their parrot. As an added bonus, a 25% off coupon for a single order of any products from my Parrot Wizard toy and training supply store is also included!
A clicker is very helpful for parrot training as it can be used as a consistent bridge and secondary reinforcer for trick training. If you are reading this blog, then chances are you've read all about clicker use in training in my articles and seen me use it in my videos. I give treats to my parrots for tricks more randomly but prefer to maintain the consistency of click for correct behavior every time. This way they learn to always do the right behaviors even if they aren't getting a treat for them because it is at least confirmed to them with a click.
Now onto the ways to win. There will be 3 separate random drawings for a single winner from each of the following categories. This means you can win as many as 3 times or more likely just have a better chance of winning than if there were only one drawing.
1) Subscribe to the Trained Parrot blog. This is such a no brainer. Find the green box called "Subscribe to Blog" in the left hand column of any page on this site and enter your name and email. Be sure to use a valid email address or I won't be able to reach you in case you won. You can use your first or full name, but I will only mention by first name who the winners are on the site and then notify by email. Subscribing to the blog is a way of showing your support for the cause even if you don't want frequent emails about updates. You can manage you subscription and set it up for weekly updates about new blog posts or even opt out of receiving emails. Please limit 1 subscription per person.
2) "Like" the trained parrot facebook page. Simply log into facebook, visit this page, and click "like" to be a member of the trained parrot facebook community. Not only will you receive facebook notifications of new blog posts, but you will also get to hear funny stories and updates about the whereabouts of Kili & Truman that are not posted anywhere else.
If you already subscribed to the blog or liked the facebook page, there's no need to do it again! Everyone already signed up is automatically included in this contest as a thanks for your continued support.
3) Finally the last method is for owners of websites, blogs, and other web pages. Link to Trained Parrot Blog, The Parrot Forum, and/or Parrot Wizard websites from your page for a chance to win in this third drawing. You can improve your chances of winning by linking all three sites on a single site or linking my parrot sites from other websites you own. In other words, every link you make from every site counts as an additional "raffle ticket" toward winning. Limit 1 link per my parrot site on your page (one to each of the 3 sites I mentioned) but no limit to number of your own sites you can post these links on. Notify me of the sites you posted links on by entering them on this page. Feel free to submit as many times as you want as long as they are all valid and follow these guidelines. However, abusing the system could lead to disqualification.
Link to any one, two, or three of these sites you choose:
Keep in mind that it has to be your own site or page. Links from forums, social networks, and other people's pages will not be counted toward the contest because I don't want to encourage anyone to go spamming in attempt to win. However, if it is your own website, blog, or public page (something like myspace would be ok, but facebook wouldn't), then feel free to link to any one of those three sites you like or all three of them to triple your chances.
The contest duration will be one month and winners will be selected on July 6th. With people going away for summer vacations and such, I want to leave sufficient time for everyone to have a chance to participate.
As you can obviously tell, the purpose of this contest is to get the word out about my parrot training sites. I hope that the more people that can see them, the more owners will be equipped with the tools and knowledge to build a loving relationship with their parrot based on trust and positive reinforcement. Thank you for your support and good luck with the contest!
Here is the fine print about the contest rules. Everyone is welcome to participate, however, only winners in US or Canada are eligible to receive clicker and coupon as no cost. International winners would be responsible for paying international shipping for clicker if they choose to claim it. International winners are still eligible for 25% coupon but are responsible for the cost of international shipping for products. 25% Parrot Wizard coupon is for all products in a one time purchase (limit 10 products) and does not apply to shipping charges. Any abuse of the contest (such as same person signing up multiple times for same contest category or submitting illegitimate sites for links) could result in disqualification from winning. If winners in each category cannot be located within 7 days of contest completion, are ineligible, or turn down their prize, the contest will continue to be redrawn in that category until a winner can be rewarded. Winners will be responsible for providing me their shipping details by email to receive their prizes but can be assured their information will be kept private. I will only announce winners by their first name and will not disclose their email or further details without their permission. I would appreciate a photo and update of winners clicker training their parrot if possible to post on the blog as a follow up. The contest details should all go as stated above but since I haven't done this before and cannot foresee what kind of issues I could run into, I reserve the right to discontinue the contest or amend the rules at any time. Thanks for your understanding and for participating.
Trained Parrot is a blog about how to train tricks to all parrots and parakeets. Read about how I teach tricks to Truman the Brown Necked Cape Parrot including flight recall, shake, wave, nod, turn around, fetch, wings, and play dead. Learn how you can train tricks to your Parrot, Parrotlet, Parakeet, Lovebird, Cockatiel, Conure, African Grey, Amazon, Cockatoo or Macaw. This blog is better than books or DVDs because the information is real, live, and completely free of charge. If you want to know how to teach your parrot tricks then you will enjoy this free parrot training tutorial.
Trained Parrot site content Copyright 2010-2020 Michael Sazhin. Reproduction of text, images, or videos without prior permission prohibited. All rights reserved.
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