- Hey guys, and welcome to a Masterclass video.
I know you guys like these because they're super educational
and Dave's awesome because he leads these
and makes them super educational.
So, today's video is about a green-wing
and Nicole, the green-wing's owner,
actually really wants to eventually free fly
her green-wing someday,
so we get to work on flight training, Dave's favorite.
And, also she wants to work
on the relationship between, is it Marvin?
I think this green-wing's name is Marvin, and her husband.
So, that is something that, although we definitely address
and we give them some tools,
that's something that we can't 100% make happen
in a two hour class.
And so we do send them with some homework,
but I think you guys will find a lot
of this really valuable.
(intense music)
(Marvin squawking)
(Nicole laughing)
(Marvin squawking)
- [Dave] Why don't you look at your mom's hand?
(Jamieleigh laughing)
All right. (laughing)
(Marvin squawking)
- He's gotta check everything out.
- [Dave] Might wanna warm him up real quick,
something easy, yeah.
(Marvin squawking)
(button clicking)
- Awesome. - [Marvin] Love you.
- [Jamieleigh] Is he saying, "step up"?
What's he saying? - Love you.
- [Jamieleigh] Oh! (laughing)
- I don't say step up to him, so.
- I was way off.
(Jamieleigh and Nicole laughing)
(Marvin squawking)
- Do you wanna do a little one?
Come on.
(Marvin squawking)
- Love you. (button clicking)
- 'Cause we were getting short flights in Florida, right?
So he was still partially clipped?
- Yeah.
- Okay.
- [Jamieleigh] He was super clipped, I felt like.
- Marvin.
(button clicking) (wings flapping)
- [Dave] Nice.
- Yeah, looks a lot better. - I don't know if you
did that on purpose,
but you went to the perfect recall, where you clicked,
as he left the perch within one to two seconds.
- Okay.
- So, if you're trying to fix his response time,
you do that from whatever distance
he's most likely to fly to you from.
It's funny, this is like a typical green-wing problem.
- [Jamieleigh] I know.
- So, you'll want to treat him on the perch next time.
So, quick when he lands and treat him on the perch.
- Okay, yeah that's what we normally do.
- I don't have any treats on me or I'd help ya.
(Marvin squawking)
- Marvin.
- [Dave] Now it's one 1,000, two, so he missed it.
No treat, no click, so go ahead and reset him.
(Marvin squawking)
All right.
- Marvin.
- [Dave] 1,001, 1,002,
1,003, 1,004.
Okay.
Sooo, let's go ahead and reset, so hang on.
(Jamieleigh laughing)
Okay, so we just give him a second.
Now this time we have to get him to do it.
So do it at whatever distance you know he is going to come.
- [Nicole] Okay.
- And even if you call slightly after he left, that's fine.
Just make sure that he, make sure this one's a good one.
- [Nicole] Okay.
Marvin. (button clicking)
- Okay, cool, treat him here, yep.
- [Spectator] So you click, when is the ideal click-
- This is like free flight specific.
We're trying to fix his recall hesitation.
So, instead of waiting five seconds,
he'll start to come within one to two seconds.
- Marvin. (button clicking)
- Yeah, see how much faster that was?
'Cause we allowed failure,
and then we showed him what we want.
- [Nicole] Marvin.
- [Dave] One 1,000, two 1,000, three, no click.
(button clicking)
- Ope, it's all right- - Aww.
- You clicked so you owe it to him.
So go ahead and treat him on the perch, use the elbows.
Is he doing it?
(Dave and Jamieleigh laughing)
They're the worst with this.
It is definitely a green-wing thing,
so don't feel too isolated in that.
- [Jamieleigh] Yeah.
- [Dave] All of our green-wing clients
have the same issue with them.
Call.
- [Nicole] Marvin.
- [Dave] 1,001, 1,002, 1,003, no click.
- [Jamieleigh] 1,000 suck, come on!
- [Dave] Yeah, so we'll just turn around for sec.
Give him a minute.
- [Jamieleigh] I almost wonder
if he'd do better going further.
- [Dave] I'm thinking further as well, yeah.
- [Jamieleigh] I think like take
four or five steps that way.
- [Nicole] Marvin.
- [Dave] 1,001, 1,002, 1,003, so no click.
(wings flapping)
What treats are you using?
- [Nicole] Some nuts.
- [Dave] Why don't you grab a grape for now?
I know that goes against what you told you earlier.
We're switching intentions.
- Marvin. (button clicking)
- [Jamieleigh] Oh, look who decided to join the party.
(Spectator and Jamieleigh laughing)
So go, yeah, thank you.
If he looks like he wants to fly to you at any point,
let him and catch him and treat him.
(Marvin squawking)
- So, one of the differences there is
you also went way closer.
- [Nicole] Yeah.
- So, I think what that's telling me,
you probably use the lower value treats
at a closer distance.
- [Nicole] Okay.
- So, perfect recall is just to get that speed fixed.
- Marvin. (button clicking)
- Nice.
And actually with the grapes,
I would switch to this variable reinforcement
where he never knows if he's gonna get a grape,
but in his mind, he thinks he might.
- Okay.
- At this point I had to have Jamie stop the camera
because when we get deep into flight training,
I don't want people to misuse it.
And so that is why we have individual coaching
for flight training specifically,
so we can walk people through
all the different things that happen.
It's not a cookie cutter and we shouldn't ever put it
in a book because that would be irresponsible,
'cause there's too many variables.
So, uh-
- So, we did a lot more than you saw,
um, but now we're gonna jump
to the part in the video where we actually work
on the relationship between Marvin and John.
- [Dave] With that, so actually let's do a quick target
from the cage with him.
- Okay.
- And just, I want to see what you naturally do,
and then I may be able to shape it to fix it.
- Okay.
- But your only direction is do a target
and make sure that it is gentle
and you're capturing the emotional state
that you want to see more of.
- Okay.
- So, babe, what is the number one question
we get asked here at Bird Tricks?
- Ah, if I had to say, the number one question
we get asked here at Bird Tricks,
it is, "What do I do after my bird bites me?"
- I thought you were gonna make up
something totally not bird related.
I'm really proud of you for sticking on point. (laughing)
I was like, "He was gonna say something super inappropriate"
and then you didn't!
- No.
- Keeping it professional.
- I don't know why you punched me for that, but.
- Look at us, look at us man! - Ahh!
(both laughing)
Good job.
(both laughing)
(Jamieleigh screaming)
- Or the third time he bit,
I'm gonna put him on the island in the kitchen
where there's nothing for him to chew on or whatever.
Plan what those next three reactions are, the consequence,
to break whatever habit might be there.
'Cause he may have learned just because of human nature
that he bites you and she comes and rescues him.
Right, well cool.
He's just gonna bite you to come get his favorite person.
Right, so whatever that habit could be,
the best way to break it is to change that
with intention before it happens.
- [Nicole] Are you getting through all right?
(button clicking)
- [Dave] Perfect, couldn't have done it better.
So, couple things that you did there
is you have the stick just far enough
that he couldn't reach with his lower mandible.
So, what they can do is they can extend the upper mandible,
right, and if they're smushed against the cage bars,
they can only go so far.
So, upper mandible comes out.
They can't manipulate that lower one
when the upper's extended that far.
So, then the next thing it happens,
they stick their tongue out to try to touch the stick.
It is really difficult for a bird to be pissed off
while going, "Uh." (laughing)
Right? - [John] Yeah.
- So it's what we call an incompatible behavior.
And, so you are naturally capturing that calm,
we'll almost say emotionless,
at least there's not a heightened state
when they're just touching with their tongue.
That's what we want more of.
So, if you do that and you get five excellent, perfect reps
then you are going to start to associate yourself,
like we said earlier with like, "Oh, hey, John's coming.
I get to be fluffy, I'm calm.
I touch the stick with my tongue
and I get my favorite treat
and I don't get it from anybody else.
I don't know why,
but he's the only one that gave me grapes.
He's the only one that gets me."
- Right. - [Dave] Right?
And that's gonna start to associate it where
he's gonna look forward to your interactions.
- Okay, cool.
- [Dave] I feel good with that, do you?
- [Jamieleigh] Yeah, I feel like you guys understand
what we're giving you, so like go take to home
and put to use, 'cause this is definitely a long term-
- Yeah.
Okay, so with Marvin, I'm gonna work on the Velcro bird
and we're gonna kind of split that.
So where we're gonna feed him together,
probably just for dinner, but,
and then he's gonna do some training hands off,
just to get him confident with him.
He's only gonna use the high value treat,
which for Marvin are grapes.
And I'll just use, you know, the other ones that he likes.
I think that was it, right?
- Yes, yeah, just me spending more time with him,
doing more training with him.
- Yeah.
- Awesome. - [Dave] And capturing calm!
Capturing calm! - And capturing calm.
- So spontaneous of you guys! (all laughing)
Marvin's like, "Whaat?"
- [Jamieleigh] Alrighty then. (intense music)