- The reason you would train the birds
to touch the stick is infinite.
There's so many reasons why, first and foremost,
it teaches a language that you now both communicate.
When I was 18, I toured China.
And I went to a restaurant,
and I'm trying to order an English.
And the Chinese waiters get mad at me,
because he's asking me things in Chinese,
were not communicating.
So I open up the menu and I point
to the Chow mein, ah, now we communicate.
The pointing to the pictures was
the only way we could both form of communication.
And that's what we're doing a training,
we're taking two different languages.
And we're saying this is how we can communicate.
So when he touches the stick,
it's a promise that if you can touch the stick,
I will give you the food that you just earned,
I'll give you the treat that you just earned
the highest value reward,
I guarantee you'll get that if you do this.
Now, that's one thing that you guys both speak
the same language on, the next thing will be,
you can use that stick to teach them the spin.
And that's a second trick where
now you both can speak that same language.
And you can build this vocabulary together through training.
And every new trick teaches trust.
And so it's a promise that when you touch a stick,
you're going to get your favorite treat.
It's a promise that, hey, if you're stuck in the tree,
and you're terrified,
all you have to do is come touch the stick.
Rather than I can't fly,
I can't fly and the bird can't come down.
He thinks I just touched a stick.
And we've saved a lot of people's birds from trees
the bird can't fly.
And it changed their mind into
like, Oh no, that's a promise I come down,
I touch the stick, I get a treat.
And so we can use it for so many things.
If he's really aggressive or hormonal,
you can use a stick to target him back into a cage.
It's it's basically the beginning
of a new language together.
And that is the foundation for trust and communication.
(upbeat music)
So you want to end the session on your terms.
But you also want to end it before he quits.
So you notice I said for people that learn
through just tell me what to do.
The challenge is, I need you
to think a step beyond just what to do.
So when I say just plan your your next five repetitions
and make them perfect.
That's your goal.
But you notice we got four.
Right? That's okay.
What that does is it makes you see
like after the third repetition, he wasn't really willing
to come over anymore.
But he still should be willing to take his favorite treat.
So let's make that one a little easy for him
and then end it.
The reason that that happened,
I think is there's a new environment.
There's just a lot going on, he is fearful.
He's overcoming a lot of new things.
And so at home, you might get those five reps here.
You might not, and that's okay.
But you want to make sure that you're looking
for his body language and let him communicate
in his language, that I don't really wanna
do any more training.
He tried telling us that by flying off the perch twice.
But he was willing to take the treats.
One of the times he flew off,
he still had the treat in his mouth, you know,
so he was definitely telling us in his language,
he didn't want to be there anymore.
Which means that we need to listen to that and respect it.
And through that we'll build trust.
So he doesn't think every time it comes out,
you're gonna force him to do 20 repetitions.
Because that's way down the road. He's not there yet.
- So every time you step up and give him a treat?
- For now.
- In this...
- Even I tell him like for the beginning,
they give him like a treat?
- Yeah.
so anything you want to see more of,
you'll give a treat for like that.
He put your arm on this side.
- Yeah.
- Ooh,
- Come about halfway down on the stick.
So previously,
- Like that?
- Yeah, exactly.
- Yeah, if you can video.
So one sec. here
- They're not click free.
So since we changed the dynamic of half the stick.
- Yeah,
- Go ahead and get halfway across.
Or quick. Finish the circle for the treat.
- Okay, so let's have that in the half circle.
- Yeah.
So get so get halfway
and we'll get the target...
(parrot clicks)
and...
Perfect.
- Do you see what am seeing its like what am doing
- Okay, so go ahead and back off.
We just allowed a failure.
This is really important.
So sometimes burns, burns will learn better
through a loud failure, just like with people
everything's always perfect
or like the the trophy for just showing up.
why are you gonna try to get first place?
Right?
So same kind of thing.
Yes, yes, yes.
All the way all the way in pause there.
(parrot clicks)
Perfect.
So because he lost his opportunity,
he's like, oh,
- What's gonna..
- I should work for that?
And then he tried much harder that time, right?
- Yeah.
- So because we're kind of fighting,
possibly losing him.
We've only been three reps, Let's end it four reps.
- Okay.
So we less one, right?
- I think so.
Just wait on his body language.
There are a lot of distractions there too,
that we push through.
So that's all helping to desensitize
(parrot clicks)
- That was awesome!
- I'll take a stick from so you're set up for success here.
- He's still eating
- Yeah,
- That was awesome.
- That's good
- So this time, I want you to verbally say,
do you want to step up?
And then offer your hand?
If he wants to great.
If he doesn't, then let's reassess.
- All right.
- But if you're asking that question,
you're going to be looking for his response,
which is really important.
(car engine roaring)
- You gonna step up?
(parrot clicks)
- And he didn't speak stepping up.
- That is good
- That was great.
So I'm just gonna give you a couple of quick cleanup notes.
So initially, it was full distance on the target stick.
Then the next one, we cut it down halfway.
- Yeah.
- But in preparation for having this be the cue.
I want you to put your finger here.
- Okay.
- And then the next time, it'll be like this,
and then the next time like this,
and then like this.
- Okay,
- And then we get rid of the stick.
Cool?
- Yeah.
- Awesome.
- All right.
(Upbeat music)