stepping up (re:kay question)

[Guest briansmum]

kay wrote:

I have tried the step up method, but only managed to get him to step off once, then Ollie flies off and lands on the top of the cupboard where I have a job to reach him, any suggestions?

 

kay posted the above in another thread, i thought it better to start a new thread about this particular subject.

 

hi kay, you need to work persistantly with "step up" it is probably the most vital thing you ever need to teach your bird. i would suggest taking him to another room where there are no heights you cannot reach him and practice stepping up. if he flies off go to him and try again, don't give up.

 

i believe from the cage is a good place to start because he will learn quicker he does not get to come out until he steps up nicely. theres no point trying to teach him to step up if he thinks you are going to put him away or take him from somewhere he wants to be he's smart

 

just do it over and over, repetition is the key. is he biting, or just not stepping up? if he is not biting you then it should be easily remedied. like i said just keep asking him and then making a huge fuss about it when he does it. bird like fuss, they particularly like fuss about them.

 

when you do eventually have him on your hand try pinching his toes gently with your thumb so if he tries to fly he can't. it doesn't hurt him although he won't like it, he will eventually get the picture that he is to sit nicely until you give him the signal to fly or put him where you want him to be.

 

this is what i have done and when i let my grey out i say "you coming out? on your perch" and he sits patiently, then i open the door, offer him my hand and say "step up" which he does and he sits on my hand, we say hi and have kisses before i put my hand out and say "off you go" and he flies to wherever he wants to be. <br><br>Post edited by: xxbeccyxx, at: 2007/08/25 13:09

[lovemyGreys]

beccy excellent advice & totally agree " step up " is the most vital command a grey should learn.

 

 

 

kay When mine fly off out of reach i turn my back & ignore them,i start talking to myself most times curiosity gets the better of them & they fly back on command.

Dont let ollie see that it bothers you,turn away from him & he will come down,The more you try to get him down it will turn into a battle of willpower,

 

As beccy has said a gentle amount of pressure with your thumb over his toes will restrain him, i do this with all 3 of my greys when it comes to bedtime, they learn to accept it & it doesnt hurt them, it just stops them from flying off.

[judygram]

Very good post, Beccy, you are doing an excellent job with this room.

 

I agree that stepping up is the most important thing to teach your grey to do and certainly the first thing. Beccy explains it well and Lovemygreys post is an excellent one also. If you take their advice you should have no problem with this simple task.

[kay]

Hi

 

Thank you for your advise, will try this out and let you know how I get on.

 

Thanks again

[Falconeer]

Kay, I am in the same position as you and guess what, I just got my CAG on the 1st of this month. Any progress so far?

[greylover]

Yes i always say it to chico and now he knows what it means and he step's up on my hand.Then i say step down and he step's down .Tho it take's a while to make your bird learn it.

[Jane08]

We did exactly what Beccy has mentioned doing. He couldn't come out of his cage until he would step up. He soon learnt it was not fun to be in the cage and does it everytime now. It's too hard if he is out of the cage because of the flying off to a high height thing. I now tell him to get down form there you know you are not allowed up there. He then immediately flies down.

[CursingLlama]

Hello kay, I would just like to point out as with any training it is key that you finish each training session on a successful note. After your bird steps up give him his praise then move on to something else for the moment, This way it doesn't help to re-enforce behavior other than intended. Read this technique somewhere and I agree entirely. Hope it helps

[Guest briansmum]

hi jane, i am glad you have been able to him to step up. i really do think out of the cage is the best way. i did with brian from day one and it has got to the point now where he doesn't like to come out of his cage unless he is asked. i opened his door today and the phone rang so i left the room, when i came back he was still sat on his perch waiting :lol:

 

also CL is right, always praise your bird for doing something good and limit training sessions. never focuss on the same thing for too long at once, even stepping up, because they will lose interest and become bored of the task at hand.

[Dave007]

Best place for a ( notice that word You is not used) person to start is from the floor in a quiet area. It might jump off and won't hurt itself if it's only 10/12 inches from ground. It's easy to repeat over and over without the worry of jumping off a cage. As the bird gets more confident, the person can go higher and higher. Also, it's very difficult for a bird to fly straight up from the floor when trying to get away.

Dave

 

Attention--Chief MOD is presently reviewing reply for any errors in presentation. "Control tower, over and out".

[Guest briansmum]

it is not difficult for a bird to fly straight up from the floor, they can take off like fighter jets if they want to. mine frequently does. if i am playing or training on the floor with him and he's had enough or something in the garden spooks him (patio doors) he's off. there would have been no way i could have gotten him to learn to step up from the floor. if your bird is not flighted and quite happy to sit still for you and not run away then yes the floor is the safest place to start.

 

also i said from IN the cage not ON it