Tips for training session success! Part 1

Prior preparation prevents poor performance! Proactive set up of your training environment is key to successful training sessions. Over two blog posts we will share our 5 top tips to help you get the most out of your training sessions!

Tip #1 - Choosing your training location!

Location! Location! Location! Where we choose to conduct a training session with our bird can have a huge impact on how well that session progresses! The right environment can mean lots of success in a short space of time, the wrong environment can lead to a stall in your training and frustration for you and your parrot!

Where you choose to work is going to depend on a number of factors this includes your birds prior learning history, if you are teaching a brand new behaviour or working on an already well versed behaviour, how confident they are in different spaces, how they cope with distractions etc.

For this post we are going to focus on setting up for a bird who has not had a lot of prior training and is learning new behaviours.

Your ideal learning environment would include the following:

• A familiar / comfortable space - work in a location they have been to many times and feel safe in.

• A quiet, low traffic area - avoid areas where family / housemates may come and go during the session or where loud TVs / music is playing. This is not just less distracting for your bird, but also for you.

• No windows, or windows with blinds/curtains - even if your bird is not fearful of other birds / animals / humans passing by this can be very distracting in the early stages.

• An area away from other birds / pets kept in the home - other birds/pets in the home can be disturbing during a session, the exception to this is birds who become distressed if they are taken away from their friends ie: cockatiels often cannot be moved to a different space from their conspecifics.

Once your bird has become familiar with the training game and has a few behaviours under their feathers, you can start to move into new and gradually more distracting environments. This is a great way to generalise their training when they are ready for it!

Tip #2 - Choose the right training stand/station!

Not all training stands are created equal! Choosing the correct stand / station for the job is important.

You want to take into consideration factors such as what behaviour you are training, your training location, your individual birds preferences / comfort and how it effects your movement / access.

Many training stands that are sold for the purpose are often not appropriate in our experience. This is because they are usually too short, not providing enough sideways movement room. This can be very limiting when working on behaviours such as step up, target training, harness training etc.

We have two main preferences for training stations:

1: A wide H or T stand that allows for your bird to move side to side. Ideally this stand is approx 0.5 - 1.0m in length, with a non-slip surface such as timber. Your stand should be around chest height as this is generally the most comfortable height for you to work at. T or H stands are perfect for working on most foundation behaviours, recall, tricks such as spin/ wave, harness training and more!

2: A flat, stable surface such as a kitchen bench or table covered with non-slip substrates such as a towel / fleece for your bird to walk around on. Flat surfaces such as tables are perfect for working on behaviours such as crate training as it allows your bird to easily walk in and out of the crate, as well as behaviours such as fetch/give, banking coins and others. This is also a good option for birds who have issues with grip, balance or coordination.

Why do we prefer larger spaces? It allows us to better assess our parrots responses to novel stimuli in the environment, as well as giving them control over how close they approach an object or human they may be concerned about. They are less likely to feel cornered/boxed it and therefore are usually more comfortable.

What to avoid:

• Overly small / narrow stands

• Using a complex playstand (eg: Javawood stands don't make good training stations)

• A stand with lots of toys or other distractions

• A stand that is too high, this limits your ability to move and work comfortably with your bird

• Unstable stands that may move or wobble when your bird is on them.

We hope these tips help you set up your training sessions for success! Part Two of this blog post series with our final 3 tips will be available next week! Make sure you sign up for notifications so you don't miss out!