TONTO STEPS UP!

[Falconeer]

DEAR ALL,

 

I WILL TYPE THIS IN CAPS, SO PLEASE DON'T MIND. I AM SO FULL OF JOY AND EXCITEMENT CAUSE OF WHAT JUST HAPPENED.

 

TONTO, MY SECOND GRAY JUST STEPPED UP! THIS IS THANKS TO YOU ALL AND SPECIALLY JUDYGRAM. I WOULD LIKE TO TELL YOU ALL HOW I DID THIS, SO PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE CAN ALSO FOLLOW THESE STEPS:

 

1. JUDY TOLD ME TO BE THE BOSS AND SLOWLY BUT GENTLY PUSH MY HAND AGAINST THE BIRD'S FEET TILL HE STEPS UP.

 

2. I USED MY HAND BUT THE HE WOULD JUST CLING TO HIS PERCH. SO I BROUGHT A STICK. AS SOON AS HE CLIMBED THE STICK, I WALKED AWAY FROM THE PERCH, PRAISING IT.

 

3. I TURNED MY BACK TOWARDS THE PERCH, BLOCKING DIRECT ITS VIEW FROM TONTO AND THEN OFFERED HIM MY HAND TO STEP ON.

 

4. HE DID IT! MORE PRAISES!

 

5. I TOOK HIM TO MY BEDROOM, AS IT IS NIGHT AND I DID NOT WANT TO WAKE UP THE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH ALL THE GROWLING.

 

6. TONTO SAT ON MY HAND AND KEPT GROWLING WHILE I OFERED HIM TREATS THAT HE JUST THREW ON THE FLOOR.

 

7. I USED MY THUMB TO GRAB HIS LEFT FOOT SO HE WON'T RUN AWAY, BUT IT WAS A GENTLE TOUCH WITHO0UT MUCH PRESSURE.

 

I PLAN ON DOING THIS EXERCISE DAILY EVERY TWO HOURS AFTER I GET BACK FROM WORK.

 

I WOULD LOVE TO GET YOUR COMMENTS ON THIS AS I WOULD HATE TO MESS IT UP AFTER ACCOMPLISHING THIS IN THREE DAYS.

 

THANKS FOR READING ALL! JUDY: YOU ARE THE BEST! THANK YOU!

[Falconeer]

I think Tonto is mad at me his face is all fluffed up. will he know I meant no harm? Did I do it right? Should I do it again? Did I do it too soon?

[judygram]

Well you finally did it, see it wasn't so bad. Did you use a word command like step up? You should us a command and then he will know when he hears it in the future that this is what he should do. Did he bite you when you did that?

 

You need to repeat this until he is comfortable with doing it and remember to praise him when he does.

 

He needs to know you are boss and I don't think the fluffed up face is being mad at you, they fluff for other reasons. Don't question yourself so much, you are doing fine.

[Falconeer]

JUDYYYYYYYY! Yes, he did bite, but I do not call that real biting that's just holding my fingers a little hard. No bleeding I mean. But slightly painful.

 

Youhave no idea how much I need to group-hug this forum!!!!!!! I really wanna take a day off work and just play with him already.

[judygram]

Well he should quit that when he finds out it does him no good, no fear, just ignore the bites. They are painful but it goes with the territory when you have a grey.

 

You do what you want, but we like helping each other here and if we have helped you then we are happy about that, so celebrate any way you want to.

 

Now if we can figure out how to group hug on this forum, then I am the first in line.

[lovemyGreys]

Falconeer Well done, you have made great progress with Judy's help. As Judy said every time he step on your hand give him a command,( step up )& he will associate the two. As for biting i cant add anymore to what Judy has said,ignore it even tho it hurts sometimes

Keep up the training

[Talon]

That's great to hear Falconeer! Keep up the good work!

[Guest]

Falconeer: Very Good {Communicate-00020110}

[Falconeer]

Yesterday my new CAG stepped up pn my hand and was with me for about 15 minutes screaming a bit. today when I came from work, he won't come up and just scream so I grabbed his foot and finally he came. Lots of screaming.

Just now when I tried, he just goes really low, hides feet and screams real loud.

Should I wait a few more days? Maybe till we are friends?

[judygram]

No don't wait, get him to step up or you risk him taking charge of the situation, remember who is the parent and who is the child.

 

I don't really understand the screaming, Josey does not scream like that, she is relatively quiet, my sun conure is louder. Of course if you grab his feet before you get him to step up, no wonder he screams. Do not grab him anywhere, just put the hand in front of him and ask him to step up.

 

Maybe you need to give us a little more information to give you a proper answer. How about doing that.

[Guest]

Falconeer: he's very strong willed isn't he?

[Falconeer]

Judy,

I will try to do that, I was thinking of getting a glove. If I do it the way you say by just puting my hand there, he would not step up. So, should I give him time to become friends first so he behaves like he did in the shop?

[danmcq]

I would advise against using a Glove. It may really freak him out. Secondly, if he becomes used to the glove being on your hand, He most likely will not except your bare hand.

 

It sounds like grabbing his Feet has made him more fearful of your hand now. That's why his body language changed to a position of protecting his feet.

 

You may need to give him a little time to become comfortable with you and slowly over days, get him used to your hand being nearer and nearer to him posing no threat.

 

Once he is comfortable that your hand does not pose a threat, start Slowly and gently trying to get him to step up.

 

Have you tried using a perch to get him to step with your hand at the far end of the perch?

 

This method works well sometimes. Each time you have him step up on to the perch, grasp the perch a little closer over a period of time until he is stepping up with your hand almost touching his feet when he climbs on.

 

At this point, he should accept your hand alone, without the perch. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2007/09/05 14:39

[Falconeer]

Hey Dan, Yeah, I tried the perch thing. But then I toop him off the perch on my hand. That is the mistake I made, now he even hates the perch. I am going to take it slow now till he starts trusting me.