Parrot Training Secrets 1
1. Food and Water
Parrots don't generally think ahead and ration their food or water. You will notice many times that your bird may splash all of his or her water out of the cage cup. Th
en if not checked hourly by you, your bird may be out of water for a period of time. This is also true with the Seed container. They let it fall to the cage bottom. In most newer cages, the bird will be unable to get the seeds they drop as it falls through to a container at the bottom. Just think...in the wild they can get food and water anytime they need it. They just fly there! Remember your parrot is only a few generations from the this instinctive behavior and still has strong connection to it. Dogs on the other hand have been breed in captivity for literally thousands of years and their instinctive urge to survive is a bit different.
2. Sense of Belonging to a Flock - Communication Socialization
This can be one of the most mis-understood issues widely gone unchecked in society! Most Parrots are very vocal in the morning and the evening. This is how they communicate in the Wild and how they stay together as a Flock. In the morning they will call to other birds to listen if they survived through the night. In the evening, parrots DO THINK AHEAD and find a good roosting spot, or use their favorite location before it gets too dark! If they didn't do this in the wild they would surely perish by a predator.
A couple of key points to note: Birds understand there is safety in groups. They just don't go flying off by themselves and start squawking or singing in some unknown Tree. If they did,- A predator would surely be able to SINGLE them out and they would become a meal. So instincts are that if a parrot is all alone or not safe.....They don't make a sound! This is important to understand as your parrot may be all alone in your home! And calling attention to his location could mean disaster or DEATH!.
Many times you will find that your parrot talks or makes noises when you vacuum the carpet or run an appliance. Now you know the secret! They feel much safer with another noise in the room because the predator can not pinpoint their location! (on our CD #3 we have audio tracks of various appliances running so you can play the sounds for your bird) - Another key point here is to help make your bird feel SAFE.
Once your bird has confidence, he she can be a master communicator.
As we have learned from above, this element of communication is key to a parrots survival in the wild. The better a bird can communicate with the flock, the safer the bird will become and also fills the need for a belonging to a family. This is true with your parrot. Stimulate their growth by including them in family meetings in the home. You probably have noticed that when you have company over your bird may really start chattering and making sounds to get attention. It's just their way of communicating just like we do. It's a desperate need the bird must have in order to survive!
3. Replication - Bonding - Routines
Parrots are just like people! They have a need for a routine. In the wild, it's waking up in the morning, calling to the flock and checking on everyone, it maybe a quick snack at the end of the branch, then flying to the water hole with the flock and then to a favorite tree for communicating and eating. Afternoons are a bit quieter and may involve a quick nap aside their favorite loved one. Early evenings may include another trip for water then another meal and lot's of chatter as everyone settles down and finds a safe place to roost for the evening. Once night fall comes, the birds won't make a sound for fear of being targeted by a predator.
People tell us all the time how their bird attaches to one person in the family. This is an important instinct in the wild. While in their daily routine, having another bird with them at all times is important to watch for danger as well as filling the bonding socialization need. Soon after this bonding completes, the birds may have a nest and begin the replication process. Without a strong need for replication, any animals, insects or humans would become extinct.
The lesson here is simply to have a routine with your parrot! Train him or her daily at the same time. - The mornings work best for some as the parrot may talk more then and may work better on an empty stomach for treats. Whatever works best for you, just be sure to do it every day.
One last thing about the routine. Imagine you were a parrot (or a four year old) and your parents just left you alone for four days by yourself in the house ( while on a trip or vacation). - How would you feel? Lost? Scared? Happy they came home? Mad from being locked up in a cage with no exercise? Keep in mind your parrot thinks just like a four year old does! Just imagine the mental stress.
I am proud of you! You made it through Newsletter #2. Now that you have these basics down it's time to have a bit of fun! The next newsletter will come to you in another three days. Practice what you have learned today because this will be the basis of everything we do with our parrots!
Quick training tip!
Choose 1 track and play your Feathered Phonics Audio CD for 15-30 minutes at the same time every day!
Again, thank you for reading our newsletters. Remember everyone has his or own opinion on bird training. The above is our own generalized common sense approach. For more information on the subject be sure to visit your local pet shop and ask for advice
Parrots don't generally think ahead and ration their food or water. You will notice many times that your bird may splash all of his or her water out of the cage cup. Th
en if not checked hourly by you, your bird may be out of water for a period of time. This is also true with the Seed container. They let it fall to the cage bottom. In most newer cages, the bird will be unable to get the seeds they drop as it falls through to a container at the bottom. Just think...in the wild they can get food and water anytime they need it. They just fly there! Remember your parrot is only a few generations from the this instinctive behavior and still has strong connection to it. Dogs on the other hand have been breed in captivity for literally thousands of years and their instinctive urge to survive is a bit different.
2. Sense of Belonging to a Flock - Communication Socialization
This can be one of the most mis-understood issues widely gone unchecked in society! Most Parrots are very vocal in the morning and the evening. This is how they communicate in the Wild and how they stay together as a Flock. In the morning they will call to other birds to listen if they survived through the night. In the evening, parrots DO THINK AHEAD and find a good roosting spot, or use their favorite location before it gets too dark! If they didn't do this in the wild they would surely perish by a predator.
A couple of key points to note: Birds understand there is safety in groups. They just don't go flying off by themselves and start squawking or singing in some unknown Tree. If they did,- A predator would surely be able to SINGLE them out and they would become a meal. So instincts are that if a parrot is all alone or not safe.....They don't make a sound! This is important to understand as your parrot may be all alone in your home! And calling attention to his location could mean disaster or DEATH!.
Many times you will find that your parrot talks or makes noises when you vacuum the carpet or run an appliance. Now you know the secret! They feel much safer with another noise in the room because the predator can not pinpoint their location! (on our CD #3 we have audio tracks of various appliances running so you can play the sounds for your bird) - Another key point here is to help make your bird feel SAFE.
Once your bird has confidence, he she can be a master communicator.
As we have learned from above, this element of communication is key to a parrots survival in the wild. The better a bird can communicate with the flock, the safer the bird will become and also fills the need for a belonging to a family. This is true with your parrot. Stimulate their growth by including them in family meetings in the home. You probably have noticed that when you have company over your bird may really start chattering and making sounds to get attention. It's just their way of communicating just like we do. It's a desperate need the bird must have in order to survive!
3. Replication - Bonding - Routines
Parrots are just like people! They have a need for a routine. In the wild, it's waking up in the morning, calling to the flock and checking on everyone, it maybe a quick snack at the end of the branch, then flying to the water hole with the flock and then to a favorite tree for communicating and eating. Afternoons are a bit quieter and may involve a quick nap aside their favorite loved one. Early evenings may include another trip for water then another meal and lot's of chatter as everyone settles down and finds a safe place to roost for the evening. Once night fall comes, the birds won't make a sound for fear of being targeted by a predator.
People tell us all the time how their bird attaches to one person in the family. This is an important instinct in the wild. While in their daily routine, having another bird with them at all times is important to watch for danger as well as filling the bonding socialization need. Soon after this bonding completes, the birds may have a nest and begin the replication process. Without a strong need for replication, any animals, insects or humans would become extinct.
The lesson here is simply to have a routine with your parrot! Train him or her daily at the same time. - The mornings work best for some as the parrot may talk more then and may work better on an empty stomach for treats. Whatever works best for you, just be sure to do it every day.
One last thing about the routine. Imagine you were a parrot (or a four year old) and your parents just left you alone for four days by yourself in the house ( while on a trip or vacation). - How would you feel? Lost? Scared? Happy they came home? Mad from being locked up in a cage with no exercise? Keep in mind your parrot thinks just like a four year old does! Just imagine the mental stress.
I am proud of you! You made it through Newsletter #2. Now that you have these basics down it's time to have a bit of fun! The next newsletter will come to you in another three days. Practice what you have learned today because this will be the basis of everything we do with our parrots!
Quick training tip!
Choose 1 track and play your Feathered Phonics Audio CD for 15-30 minutes at the same time every day!
Again, thank you for reading our newsletters. Remember everyone has his or own opinion on bird training. The above is our own generalized common sense approach. For more information on the subject be sure to visit your local pet shop and ask for advice
Parrot Training Secrets 2
It seems that my (enable sarcasm) favorite internet bird trainers (sarcasm off … for now) have discovered two new and powerful techniques that we professionals have been hiding because we purposely use words they can’t understand, or more accurately that they claim the average parrot owner doesn’t understand. While this new “secret” is flawed on so many levels it does inspire me to write about variable reinforcement and jackpots, the two techniques revealed.
Before addressing the two techniques I want to speak to the claim that those of us who promote a science based approach to training do so by presenting complex and hard to understand terms. In fact what we present and promote is an almost profoundly simple foundation technique that goes by the name of functional analysis. I know it starts to sound like “they” are correct, it sounds really complicated. In truth it is quite simple, I agree that initially some of the terms may sound complicated but their meanings are clear. And that is the point really; behavior science enables trainers of all skill levels to communicate clearly using a common language. To learn more about this read my article “ABCs … a Training Tool“on the subject and also the articles that are referenced in it and discover the power of these techniques that have been researched and proven during the more than 100 year history of behavior science. These are not flashy phrases unique to one marketing focused outlet; they are the language of training spoken by true professionals in the human behavior science and animal training fields.
It never ceases to amuse me how these internet gurus have these mystery friends who stay in the shadows while feeding these illustrious trainers with all the secrets that the professionals don’t want you to know. This is in stark contrast to the true professionals who openly credit their sources; did I mention Dr Susan Friedman yet? Oh I guess not … but if I write about something that she taught me or that I read in one of her articles I promise I will. Anyway, back to a new strategy that is going to really change the way you train your birds … or maybe not. It is a new strategy that our gurus learned from a mystery marine mammal trainer. This new strategy is called “Random Rewards” and is the” rolls-off-your-tongue”, only used in one place name (we are told) for a technique called Variable Ratio Reinforcement Variety (VRRV) promoted by Sea World in several articles published online some time ago. The first mistake that our gurus make here is that there is nothing “random” about VRRV. There are a few variations of variable reinforcement strategies that have been studied and documented by behavior science however none of them have anything random about them at all. The second point is actually more important than a continuing misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the science and that is that for companion bird owners the best strategy is to use a one-to-one ratio of behavior to reinforcement. I say this because the strength of a behavior is directly related to the reinforcement it earns. Plus, why would you not reinforce the desired behavior? It is true that professional trainers sometimes “thin” the ratio of reinforcement as a means of getting a few more behavior repetitions in a session from an animal. However, I see no reason for a companion bird owner to need to do this and in doing so risk the behavior breaking down through poor execution of the reinforcement thinning.
The second strategy is the concept of the jackpot reinforcement and to my knowledge there is to date no solid research to support the assertion that jackpots are any more effective that “regular” reinforcement. There is certainly a belief by many animal trainers that jackpot reinforcement somehow strengthens the behavior it follows however, to date, there is no conclusive evidence or scientific study that supports this. Hopefully someday a researcher will get a research grant that permits this hypothesis to be tested rigorously in a scientific manner. Since we are talking science here I should clarify that “jackpot” in this context refers to the magnitude of the reinforcer being given. For example if you are delivering a small chip of almond as a reinforcer for a behavior and your bird does a really wonderful repetition of that behavior and you then give it half an almond, that is what is called a jackpot. It is said to be a “magnitude” reinforcer. Now, if instead of giving the bird half an almond you gave it a chip of its very favorite food, say a walnut, I suspect that would have an effect upon the future strength of the behavior, however this is not the generally accepted meaning of a jackpot.
So, once again the hype of newly invented or discovered strategies is really just reinvention, misunderstanding, and misrepresentation of the facts. The real principles of behavior and training are not difficult to understand and they are a common language for training professionals and companion animal owners alike. They are certainly not marketing hooks used only by the owners of the “secret sauce.”
If you would like your bird club or society to learn more aboout the ethical application of behavior science to bird training consider an introductory presentation. Take a look at my Behavior and Training web site for more information of write to me using the “speaking engagements” link at the top right of the page.
Sid.
Tags: Jackpots, parrot training, Random Rewards, Susan Friedman
Posted in Articles, Dr Susan Friedman, Ethics, Reinforcement, Sid Price, Training | No Comments »
Most Positive Least Intrusive Trainers
Friday, January 15th, 2010
Using only positive reinforcement seems like the right thing to do, however telling anyone that is what they should do is possibly setting them up for failure by taking tools off the table that in some circumstances may be required. The world is just not built that way; nor are animals “wired” to operate that way. Aversive stimuli abound in nature and all animals encounter them and learn to avoid them. What I would like to discuss here is a more practical, more achievable goal that will yield results without significantly adversely affecting the relationship between you and your bird.
If you visit my Behavior and Training web site you will notice that the banner for each page has a subtitle – “Where least intrusive becomes most effective,” that subtitle is so much more than simply a way to catch your attention, it is a reference to the most ethical way of choosing the strategy used for behavior change and training. The maxim “least intrusive” embodies important principles that as animal caretakers we should follow as closely as possible. Just as in the field of medicine the Hippocratic principle of doing no harm is the basis for the decisions our doctors make when they plan an intervention to correct health issues, we as animal caretakers should adopt a similar principle, that of choosing the least intrusive strategy for behavior change and training.
Those who have read my articles before may look at this proposed principle and recognize a construct. I can hear the questions now, “What does least intrusive look like?” If you are asking that question then you are well on the way to understanding behavior science. However, constructs are useful provided that they are defined and well understood by those who use them, so let’s take a closer look at our adage “least intrusive.”
Dr Susan Friedman published an article in GoodBird magazine in December 2009 that defined intrusiveness by these two criteria:
The level of social acceptability.
The degree to which the learner maintains control while the intervention is in effect.
While the level of social acceptability is a highly personal, ethical judgment, research shows that not only psychologists but also teachers, parents, and children place positive reinforcement strategies ahead of punishment based procedures when considering acceptability. In addition, punishment-based procedures have considerable fall-out, the subject of a future article.
Research into the effects of a learner’s control of outcomes shows that when control is removed and the ability to escape aversive stimuli is removed they give up trying to escape. This effect, known as learned helplessness, has been observed in a wide range of species and it often persists even when control is returned. To the greatest extent possible we must empower our birds to be able to use their behavior to control outcomes. This is the function of behavior, to operate on the environment to affect outcomes. A failure to recognize this and the removal of such control may result in one or more undesirable behaviors such as feather picking, unacceptable vocalizations, etc.
I hope that by reading the definition of least intrusive you will recognize that the effectiveness of a strategy is simply not enough. The intrusiveness of the procedure must also be considered. To guide us and to set a standard by which we can judge our techniques Dr Susan Friedman has proposed a hierarchy of procedural alternatives. Below you will see a graphic that shows the strategy hierarchy proposed by Dr Friedman in an article that was first published in GoodBird magazine (Vol 4-1; Winter 2009) that this article is based upon and rather than repeat or paraphrase her information here I strongly encourage you all to read “What’s wrong with this picture? Effectiveness is not enough.”
Intervention Hierarchy - Copyright Friedman 2008
To return to the original theme of this article, the statement that only positive reinforcement should be used, I would like to change this. Rather than adopting what may well prove to be an impossible or even impractical goal we should set ourselves up for success with our birds with the goal of maintaining the highest possible ratio of positive reinforcement strategies to other more intrusive strategies. Certainly, when considering a strategy for behavior change we should start at the top of the above hierarchy and only proceed to a lower level when we have exhausted the options at the current level. Also note that before we begin to consider positive reinforcement strategies we have two levels of intervention available to us. Attempting to apply a positive reinforcement strategy to address a behavioral issue that has medical/physical roots does not make sense, nor does it address the needs of the bird.
In applying the least invasive strategy we will begin to build what Steve Martin calls a “trust account” with our birds in his article “It’s about relationships.” Our goal is to make the maximum number of deposits into that trust account using the strategies from the top of the hierarchy down to positive reinforcement. By keeping these deposits high in number our occasional need and application of lower level strategies will make withdrawals from that account but should nowhere near deplete the account. So let’s not be “Positive Reinforcement Trainers” let’s be “Most Positive, Least Intrusive Trainers.” Our birds will really appreciate it!
Sid.
Tags: constructs, Least intrusive, Most positive, operant conditioning, parrot training, Susan Friedman
Posted in Dr Susan Friedman, Ethics, punishment, Reinforcement, Sid Price, Steve Martin, Training | No Comments »
Train your Parrot to Scream
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
While the title of this article is a little “tongue-in-check” I do want to discuss how people train their birds to scream and also how at least one internet marketer suggests you do that … although they actually claimed the method would stop screaming, “… in a few days” of course.
I received a number of free “training” newsletters from an internet source this last week. One of them offered a way to stop your parrot screaming. Loud vocalizations are indeed a common behavioral issue for companion parrot owners so I read with interest. The advice started out quite well by suggesting one keeps a journal to indentify the times when the bird was vocalizing loudly. This is good advice and is for sure the first step in any attempt to modify that behavior. However, having started out so well and identified that the example bird screamed when someone was in the kitchen the following advice was then offered:
To solve this problem you can keep the pet near the kitchen and when he starts to scream throw a little bit[e to] him and keep him happy.
Hmm, now let me see what just happened; the bird started making noise so the owner gave him some food … sounds like the potential for positive reinforcement to me and that means that the probable future behavior is that the bird will scream when the owner is in the kitchen. So, if you want to train your bird to scream I think this is a very good technique.
Now, my guess is that the reason you are reading this is because what you really want is to have your bird not scream loudly, too much. I say too much because it is a fact that parrots can be loud, all parrots can be loud. It is simply a part of their nature and from time to time even the quietest bird may get a little “out of control” vocally. To get started trying to control this, just like the example above, we need to identify when the noise occurs. For example, if it is when you leave the room the noise may be your bird making a contact call. This is the function of the behavior; the need to make contact with the rest of the flock. Stopping this behavior is one of the most difficult things to do and can take a very long time. In fact if your goal is to stop the contact call you may be wasting your time trying! Probably not what you wanted to read right? However there is hope …
As I said the behavior has a function (making contact) so the best strategy is to try to replace the loud noises with a more acceptable vocalization for the function of contact. This is not something that can be done overnight, it takes time and patience on the part of the owner. Start by choosing a vocalization already used by your bird, one that is not so loud or high energy as the scream. Every time you hear the chosen vocalization reinforce it by responding in kind if you are out of the room or by offering a treat if you are near your bird. When the loud noise occurs ignore it, do not respond and for sure do not enter the room. What we are trying to do is to make the new sound more rewarding than the old sound. The old sound may never go away; indeed it may resurge from time to time, however by keeping the reinforcement for the “good” sound high we can hopefully keep it at the top of your bird’s preferred list of contact calls.
As you can imagine when we bring home a new young bird it is very important that we are aware of how we may easily train him to be a loud, obnoxious adult. Should your new bird start making a loud noise be careful how you respond.
Tossing a treat may well make him go quiet at that moment … however when he sees you near the treat jar …
When you are on the phone and he makes noise … hand over a treat and the phone may become the cue for making noise in the future.
By ignoring these loud vocalizations when the bird is young and by reinforcing acceptable communication we can hopefully avoid some of the really loud vocalizations in the future. The reinforcement of acceptable noises is really important; we need to give the bird a means of fulfilling the function of contact. If we simply try to stop the contact calls we are probably setting ourselves and our birds up for failure.
Sid.
Before addressing the two techniques I want to speak to the claim that those of us who promote a science based approach to training do so by presenting complex and hard to understand terms. In fact what we present and promote is an almost profoundly simple foundation technique that goes by the name of functional analysis. I know it starts to sound like “they” are correct, it sounds really complicated. In truth it is quite simple, I agree that initially some of the terms may sound complicated but their meanings are clear. And that is the point really; behavior science enables trainers of all skill levels to communicate clearly using a common language. To learn more about this read my article “ABCs … a Training Tool“on the subject and also the articles that are referenced in it and discover the power of these techniques that have been researched and proven during the more than 100 year history of behavior science. These are not flashy phrases unique to one marketing focused outlet; they are the language of training spoken by true professionals in the human behavior science and animal training fields.
It never ceases to amuse me how these internet gurus have these mystery friends who stay in the shadows while feeding these illustrious trainers with all the secrets that the professionals don’t want you to know. This is in stark contrast to the true professionals who openly credit their sources; did I mention Dr Susan Friedman yet? Oh I guess not … but if I write about something that she taught me or that I read in one of her articles I promise I will. Anyway, back to a new strategy that is going to really change the way you train your birds … or maybe not. It is a new strategy that our gurus learned from a mystery marine mammal trainer. This new strategy is called “Random Rewards” and is the” rolls-off-your-tongue”, only used in one place name (we are told) for a technique called Variable Ratio Reinforcement Variety (VRRV) promoted by Sea World in several articles published online some time ago. The first mistake that our gurus make here is that there is nothing “random” about VRRV. There are a few variations of variable reinforcement strategies that have been studied and documented by behavior science however none of them have anything random about them at all. The second point is actually more important than a continuing misunderstanding and misrepresentation of the science and that is that for companion bird owners the best strategy is to use a one-to-one ratio of behavior to reinforcement. I say this because the strength of a behavior is directly related to the reinforcement it earns. Plus, why would you not reinforce the desired behavior? It is true that professional trainers sometimes “thin” the ratio of reinforcement as a means of getting a few more behavior repetitions in a session from an animal. However, I see no reason for a companion bird owner to need to do this and in doing so risk the behavior breaking down through poor execution of the reinforcement thinning.
The second strategy is the concept of the jackpot reinforcement and to my knowledge there is to date no solid research to support the assertion that jackpots are any more effective that “regular” reinforcement. There is certainly a belief by many animal trainers that jackpot reinforcement somehow strengthens the behavior it follows however, to date, there is no conclusive evidence or scientific study that supports this. Hopefully someday a researcher will get a research grant that permits this hypothesis to be tested rigorously in a scientific manner. Since we are talking science here I should clarify that “jackpot” in this context refers to the magnitude of the reinforcer being given. For example if you are delivering a small chip of almond as a reinforcer for a behavior and your bird does a really wonderful repetition of that behavior and you then give it half an almond, that is what is called a jackpot. It is said to be a “magnitude” reinforcer. Now, if instead of giving the bird half an almond you gave it a chip of its very favorite food, say a walnut, I suspect that would have an effect upon the future strength of the behavior, however this is not the generally accepted meaning of a jackpot.
So, once again the hype of newly invented or discovered strategies is really just reinvention, misunderstanding, and misrepresentation of the facts. The real principles of behavior and training are not difficult to understand and they are a common language for training professionals and companion animal owners alike. They are certainly not marketing hooks used only by the owners of the “secret sauce.”
If you would like your bird club or society to learn more aboout the ethical application of behavior science to bird training consider an introductory presentation. Take a look at my Behavior and Training web site for more information of write to me using the “speaking engagements” link at the top right of the page.
Sid.
Tags: Jackpots, parrot training, Random Rewards, Susan Friedman
Posted in Articles, Dr Susan Friedman, Ethics, Reinforcement, Sid Price, Training | No Comments »
Most Positive Least Intrusive Trainers
Friday, January 15th, 2010
Using only positive reinforcement seems like the right thing to do, however telling anyone that is what they should do is possibly setting them up for failure by taking tools off the table that in some circumstances may be required. The world is just not built that way; nor are animals “wired” to operate that way. Aversive stimuli abound in nature and all animals encounter them and learn to avoid them. What I would like to discuss here is a more practical, more achievable goal that will yield results without significantly adversely affecting the relationship between you and your bird.
If you visit my Behavior and Training web site you will notice that the banner for each page has a subtitle – “Where least intrusive becomes most effective,” that subtitle is so much more than simply a way to catch your attention, it is a reference to the most ethical way of choosing the strategy used for behavior change and training. The maxim “least intrusive” embodies important principles that as animal caretakers we should follow as closely as possible. Just as in the field of medicine the Hippocratic principle of doing no harm is the basis for the decisions our doctors make when they plan an intervention to correct health issues, we as animal caretakers should adopt a similar principle, that of choosing the least intrusive strategy for behavior change and training.
Those who have read my articles before may look at this proposed principle and recognize a construct. I can hear the questions now, “What does least intrusive look like?” If you are asking that question then you are well on the way to understanding behavior science. However, constructs are useful provided that they are defined and well understood by those who use them, so let’s take a closer look at our adage “least intrusive.”
Dr Susan Friedman published an article in GoodBird magazine in December 2009 that defined intrusiveness by these two criteria:
The level of social acceptability.
The degree to which the learner maintains control while the intervention is in effect.
While the level of social acceptability is a highly personal, ethical judgment, research shows that not only psychologists but also teachers, parents, and children place positive reinforcement strategies ahead of punishment based procedures when considering acceptability. In addition, punishment-based procedures have considerable fall-out, the subject of a future article.
Research into the effects of a learner’s control of outcomes shows that when control is removed and the ability to escape aversive stimuli is removed they give up trying to escape. This effect, known as learned helplessness, has been observed in a wide range of species and it often persists even when control is returned. To the greatest extent possible we must empower our birds to be able to use their behavior to control outcomes. This is the function of behavior, to operate on the environment to affect outcomes. A failure to recognize this and the removal of such control may result in one or more undesirable behaviors such as feather picking, unacceptable vocalizations, etc.
I hope that by reading the definition of least intrusive you will recognize that the effectiveness of a strategy is simply not enough. The intrusiveness of the procedure must also be considered. To guide us and to set a standard by which we can judge our techniques Dr Susan Friedman has proposed a hierarchy of procedural alternatives. Below you will see a graphic that shows the strategy hierarchy proposed by Dr Friedman in an article that was first published in GoodBird magazine (Vol 4-1; Winter 2009) that this article is based upon and rather than repeat or paraphrase her information here I strongly encourage you all to read “What’s wrong with this picture? Effectiveness is not enough.”
Intervention Hierarchy - Copyright Friedman 2008
To return to the original theme of this article, the statement that only positive reinforcement should be used, I would like to change this. Rather than adopting what may well prove to be an impossible or even impractical goal we should set ourselves up for success with our birds with the goal of maintaining the highest possible ratio of positive reinforcement strategies to other more intrusive strategies. Certainly, when considering a strategy for behavior change we should start at the top of the above hierarchy and only proceed to a lower level when we have exhausted the options at the current level. Also note that before we begin to consider positive reinforcement strategies we have two levels of intervention available to us. Attempting to apply a positive reinforcement strategy to address a behavioral issue that has medical/physical roots does not make sense, nor does it address the needs of the bird.
In applying the least invasive strategy we will begin to build what Steve Martin calls a “trust account” with our birds in his article “It’s about relationships.” Our goal is to make the maximum number of deposits into that trust account using the strategies from the top of the hierarchy down to positive reinforcement. By keeping these deposits high in number our occasional need and application of lower level strategies will make withdrawals from that account but should nowhere near deplete the account. So let’s not be “Positive Reinforcement Trainers” let’s be “Most Positive, Least Intrusive Trainers.” Our birds will really appreciate it!
Sid.
Tags: constructs, Least intrusive, Most positive, operant conditioning, parrot training, Susan Friedman
Posted in Dr Susan Friedman, Ethics, punishment, Reinforcement, Sid Price, Steve Martin, Training | No Comments »
Train your Parrot to Scream
Sunday, June 7th, 2009
While the title of this article is a little “tongue-in-check” I do want to discuss how people train their birds to scream and also how at least one internet marketer suggests you do that … although they actually claimed the method would stop screaming, “… in a few days” of course.
I received a number of free “training” newsletters from an internet source this last week. One of them offered a way to stop your parrot screaming. Loud vocalizations are indeed a common behavioral issue for companion parrot owners so I read with interest. The advice started out quite well by suggesting one keeps a journal to indentify the times when the bird was vocalizing loudly. This is good advice and is for sure the first step in any attempt to modify that behavior. However, having started out so well and identified that the example bird screamed when someone was in the kitchen the following advice was then offered:
To solve this problem you can keep the pet near the kitchen and when he starts to scream throw a little bit[e to] him and keep him happy.
Hmm, now let me see what just happened; the bird started making noise so the owner gave him some food … sounds like the potential for positive reinforcement to me and that means that the probable future behavior is that the bird will scream when the owner is in the kitchen. So, if you want to train your bird to scream I think this is a very good technique.
Now, my guess is that the reason you are reading this is because what you really want is to have your bird not scream loudly, too much. I say too much because it is a fact that parrots can be loud, all parrots can be loud. It is simply a part of their nature and from time to time even the quietest bird may get a little “out of control” vocally. To get started trying to control this, just like the example above, we need to identify when the noise occurs. For example, if it is when you leave the room the noise may be your bird making a contact call. This is the function of the behavior; the need to make contact with the rest of the flock. Stopping this behavior is one of the most difficult things to do and can take a very long time. In fact if your goal is to stop the contact call you may be wasting your time trying! Probably not what you wanted to read right? However there is hope …
As I said the behavior has a function (making contact) so the best strategy is to try to replace the loud noises with a more acceptable vocalization for the function of contact. This is not something that can be done overnight, it takes time and patience on the part of the owner. Start by choosing a vocalization already used by your bird, one that is not so loud or high energy as the scream. Every time you hear the chosen vocalization reinforce it by responding in kind if you are out of the room or by offering a treat if you are near your bird. When the loud noise occurs ignore it, do not respond and for sure do not enter the room. What we are trying to do is to make the new sound more rewarding than the old sound. The old sound may never go away; indeed it may resurge from time to time, however by keeping the reinforcement for the “good” sound high we can hopefully keep it at the top of your bird’s preferred list of contact calls.
As you can imagine when we bring home a new young bird it is very important that we are aware of how we may easily train him to be a loud, obnoxious adult. Should your new bird start making a loud noise be careful how you respond.
Tossing a treat may well make him go quiet at that moment … however when he sees you near the treat jar …
When you are on the phone and he makes noise … hand over a treat and the phone may become the cue for making noise in the future.
By ignoring these loud vocalizations when the bird is young and by reinforcing acceptable communication we can hopefully avoid some of the really loud vocalizations in the future. The reinforcement of acceptable noises is really important; we need to give the bird a means of fulfilling the function of contact. If we simply try to stop the contact calls we are probably setting ourselves and our birds up for failure.
Sid.
Pigeon Training Methods From Hilsea Lofts
The question of training is largely a question of muscle and motion. Muscle develops or degenerates almost exactly in proportion to the amount of work they have to do. With a strong and vigorous constitution it is extrodinary to what degree muscle can be developed. But all excessive muscular development is slow work, and a big call on patience.
The feats of strong men which astound thier audience are all results of patients and persistent training over a course of years – not days or months, but years. In a similar manner, lack of exersize weakens any muscle or organ.
Motivation
To race well it’s important to care for the birds and motivate them. There are two things that we cant buy, these are ‘racing form’ and MOTIVATION. These are the differences between winning and loosing.
Watch your pigeons when sitting. They look a picture, full of bloom, the colour stands out on the feathers, the EYE FLASHES like a jewel and the wing looks as if it is glued to the body. You cannot get them better to do what you ask of them. You will know you have done your best to help them to win.
Selection
One of the keys to success is selection and it begins in the nest.
Any rough shelled or miss shaped eggs must be thrown away, when the youngsters are born there must be no problems. Tiny youngsters should not be given the chance to grow. If they dont have a good growth of feathers they have no future in the loft, if any pigeon does not perform well, get it out of your loft.
Good pigeons always have tight, elastic, springy muscles, silky feathering and must always be prize winners. Take care of your pigeons, be good to them but demand performance. There is nothingmore dillusioning than racing each week and never winning. The big question is, when selecting, what must I take into consideration?
Suitability
When selecting birds to mate I disregard their pedigree to a great extent and mate my birds according to what I think their suitability for each other is. The suitablity of two pigeons depends upon colour, shape, eye, feather and temprement. You need strain, blood, pedigre in a good pigon, but above all, you must breed to produce physique.
Breeding is one of the simplest parts of the game if you have a well ventilated loft, use good grain and common sense, but to succeed with the young you breed you must breed from strong, sound STOCK. Inbreeding, crossing and line breeding will all most always fail unless the parent STOCK is sound.
The pannier, steady training, racing, is the way the succesful fancier determines the soundness of his stock. He has no mercy for birds that fail time after time and come home crocked after a night out. The sound pigeon is not broken or affected by a night out. It quickley recovers strength, puts on weight.
The unsound pigeon is a different propersition. Afer a hard race or night out it is a miserable object for days and it takes weeks to recover from a really hard fly. When such a clear indication of unsoundness is shown the clever breeder does not waste time and energy breeding from such a bird.
Training with purpose
Training can be broken down into these three parts; exercise, schooling and training. Exercise is when you pick your birds and take them or send them for a toss to keep them trim. Schooling is teaching unraced pigeons to get used to the basket and homing after a journey away from the loft. Training is to train your pigeons to race home as fast as they can.
To exercise by basket without purpose can be very expensive and in most cases this can be done just as well at home. I start exercising and schooling my young birds from the age of 10 to 12 weeks old, starting from 3 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles until 3 weeks before the first young bird race and I always take some old birds with them as I dont expect the school boy to do a man’s job. 3 weeks before the first young bird race, I start training them from 20 miles in a group of 5 and then a group of 3 and 2′s twice a week. More if possible and no more taking old birds with them.
The tip of the week is to put speed into thier flight, so take your team to training in the mood to race home through nests, food or mates, in other words, anxious to return.
20 miles is far enough and at this stage, on the line of flight. Single-up, no circling and racing for home. Each one trying to catch the one in front, 20 pigeons can be got away in under ten minutes without joining up in the sky if you have got your team right, it is a fantastic sight at home end, when they arrive.
Start a Family
Put into your Loft 3 pairs of sprint to middle distance of the same strain, look for established strains that are known for winning as young birds in the first instance. Let this be your guide to a family that is easy to condition by exercise around the loft after the first 2 races.
Adapt a style of management that suites your time. Race them as they do 170 miles as a YB, 250 miles as a yearling and 400 miles and over as 2 year olds.
Feed good mixture at all times, change water as often as possible. Always keep your lofts clean and well ventilated. Dont purchase old pigeons, in years to come be strict on your selection. There is no place for the doubtfuls. Pair best to best, or daughter of your best cocks to your best cocks.
Make sure your birds have access to several types of grit, pickstones and minerals, especially during the breeding periods.
The feats of strong men which astound thier audience are all results of patients and persistent training over a course of years – not days or months, but years. In a similar manner, lack of exersize weakens any muscle or organ.
Motivation
To race well it’s important to care for the birds and motivate them. There are two things that we cant buy, these are ‘racing form’ and MOTIVATION. These are the differences between winning and loosing.
Watch your pigeons when sitting. They look a picture, full of bloom, the colour stands out on the feathers, the EYE FLASHES like a jewel and the wing looks as if it is glued to the body. You cannot get them better to do what you ask of them. You will know you have done your best to help them to win.
Selection
One of the keys to success is selection and it begins in the nest.
Any rough shelled or miss shaped eggs must be thrown away, when the youngsters are born there must be no problems. Tiny youngsters should not be given the chance to grow. If they dont have a good growth of feathers they have no future in the loft, if any pigeon does not perform well, get it out of your loft.
Good pigeons always have tight, elastic, springy muscles, silky feathering and must always be prize winners. Take care of your pigeons, be good to them but demand performance. There is nothingmore dillusioning than racing each week and never winning. The big question is, when selecting, what must I take into consideration?
Suitability
When selecting birds to mate I disregard their pedigree to a great extent and mate my birds according to what I think their suitability for each other is. The suitablity of two pigeons depends upon colour, shape, eye, feather and temprement. You need strain, blood, pedigre in a good pigon, but above all, you must breed to produce physique.
Breeding is one of the simplest parts of the game if you have a well ventilated loft, use good grain and common sense, but to succeed with the young you breed you must breed from strong, sound STOCK. Inbreeding, crossing and line breeding will all most always fail unless the parent STOCK is sound.
The pannier, steady training, racing, is the way the succesful fancier determines the soundness of his stock. He has no mercy for birds that fail time after time and come home crocked after a night out. The sound pigeon is not broken or affected by a night out. It quickley recovers strength, puts on weight.
The unsound pigeon is a different propersition. Afer a hard race or night out it is a miserable object for days and it takes weeks to recover from a really hard fly. When such a clear indication of unsoundness is shown the clever breeder does not waste time and energy breeding from such a bird.
Training with purpose
Training can be broken down into these three parts; exercise, schooling and training. Exercise is when you pick your birds and take them or send them for a toss to keep them trim. Schooling is teaching unraced pigeons to get used to the basket and homing after a journey away from the loft. Training is to train your pigeons to race home as fast as they can.
To exercise by basket without purpose can be very expensive and in most cases this can be done just as well at home. I start exercising and schooling my young birds from the age of 10 to 12 weeks old, starting from 3 miles, 5 miles, 10 miles until 3 weeks before the first young bird race and I always take some old birds with them as I dont expect the school boy to do a man’s job. 3 weeks before the first young bird race, I start training them from 20 miles in a group of 5 and then a group of 3 and 2′s twice a week. More if possible and no more taking old birds with them.
The tip of the week is to put speed into thier flight, so take your team to training in the mood to race home through nests, food or mates, in other words, anxious to return.
20 miles is far enough and at this stage, on the line of flight. Single-up, no circling and racing for home. Each one trying to catch the one in front, 20 pigeons can be got away in under ten minutes without joining up in the sky if you have got your team right, it is a fantastic sight at home end, when they arrive.
Start a Family
Put into your Loft 3 pairs of sprint to middle distance of the same strain, look for established strains that are known for winning as young birds in the first instance. Let this be your guide to a family that is easy to condition by exercise around the loft after the first 2 races.
Adapt a style of management that suites your time. Race them as they do 170 miles as a YB, 250 miles as a yearling and 400 miles and over as 2 year olds.
Feed good mixture at all times, change water as often as possible. Always keep your lofts clean and well ventilated. Dont purchase old pigeons, in years to come be strict on your selection. There is no place for the doubtfuls. Pair best to best, or daughter of your best cocks to your best cocks.
Make sure your birds have access to several types of grit, pickstones and minerals, especially during the breeding periods.