best age to start training

[baa waa]

hiya guys!iv had elvis for few weeks now and hes settling in loverly as some of you may know! hes loving and cuddly still but also starting to feel his feet a little and try his luck!! im wondering when is the best age and time to begin training properly? i say up everytime i get him out or pik him up and down when returning him but he is a baby and jus dont seem to understand anything jus yet so i dont want to try 2 early and lose his baby time!

[GoDiego]

I'm not sure if there is a minimum time to start training a bird, as I am pretty new to all this myself. However, I would think that training can start from a very young age just by getting him used to being touched in certain places. Whilst he is cuddly why not do some simple training that may help for any future vet visits. Like lifting his wings and touching his feet. This training to him could be incorporated into your cuddles but will get him not only used to being handled and touched but also will help him to be much more calmer when having a check up at the vets. You could also get him used to a clicker, so that he understands what it is for. Just click and treat so that he learns that when he hears that clicking sound there is a treat to follow and will also help to start to get him more engaged into future training.

[Spinner]

I am of the opinion that you don't have to explicitly "train" a bird.

 

You don't say how old Elvis is, but be patient. Training really starts out as a set of consistent behaviours by you. For example, you mention saying "up" whenever you pick him up - that's perfect. As you do more with Elvis, such as when you provide food, couple a word with each action. If you're consistent and do this every time as you do with "up", then over time the training will happen.

 

Beaker says "what's for lunch" and "there you go" when the food goes into the cup. He didn't just come up with those words himself.

 

Another example - you can "train" Elvis to not climb up on your head by gently blocking his path every time he wants up, along with a gentle "no." Consistently doing this over time, and you will have "trained" Elvis to not climb on your head. More importantly, picking a consistent set of words such as "no" and "good bird!" goes a long way. In gently saying no when Elvis tries to climb on your head is training him to understand "no" as a cue for not doing an action (such as head-climbing), and you open hand as a physical cue for not doing something. In fact, I have found the physical cues to be stronger than the verbal ones.

 

So, take your time, interact with Elvis consistently, and don't explicitly train - just interact.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Spinner

[baa waa]

elvis is around 14 weeks now spinner!! hes still very cuddly at the minute aswell which im dreading when it disappears lol !! love my night time baby cuddles