Help me train her =]

[Doronxl7]

Hey guys =]

I"ve got 4 months old Congo African Grey (just posted thread at Introduction Room)

Someone can help me and explain me how can I train her for a basic tricks and "cool" tricks?

I did succeed something as I wrote at the Introduction Room.

"she never stood on human hands before. after less than 10 minutes of training her (yesterday) I succeed to make her come to my hand. not perfectly yet."

 

Thanks for the helpers =]

[JeffNOK]

I have no doubt greys can learn cool tricks, but for now I would focus on building your relationship and bonding with her. You have plenty of time for training after she gets settled. I would definitely just get to know her and build trust for the next several months before worrying about trick training.

[Brat Birds]

Right now the only 'training' she needs is to come to you and enjoy being with you. You can work a bit on having her step from one hand to the other. This helps them learn how to step up on command. Give her little treats when she does what you want, or give her lots of praise and love. Once you have established a good relationship with her you can begin to train her a bit more.

[Inara]

Hi, Doran. I really enjoyed your introduction post and the photos of your beautiful Annie. The most important thing in training your new companion is, as other wise folks have said, establishing trust and bonding with your bird. My recommendation would be to have Annie's early training focus on fun, bonding and safety. So coming to you, stepping onto your arm and/or hand, allowing you to touch her feet and gently look under her wings, return to her cage peacefully, and easily be handed off to other people would all be good things to start with. Use lots of praise with excitement in yourr voice and lots of teeny bits of treats.

 

She will let you know by her behaviors if she enjoys learning fun tricks by the way she responds to learning her day to day safety type things. You could also try just a very easy fun activity like gently tossing a small toy near her and rewarding her for moving towards you with it. Just like us humans, some of us love doing physical things, some of us enjoy more mental stimulation, and some of us are social talkers. You will eventually come to learn more about which Annie might be and then the important thing will be to help her develop those natural traits, and not to force her to become something that she is not.

 

There are many good books and also some fairly decent youtube videos out there. Just take it one step at a time, have fun with Annie, keep it playful, short, and always stop while annie is enjoying herself. What you do and/or do not do with her now will help her become a well adjusted, trusting, delightful, and happy companion.

Edited July 6, 2014 by Inara

[Doronxl7]

Hi, Doran. I really enjoyed your introduction post and the photos of your beautiful Annie. The most important thing in training your new companion is, as other wise folks have said, establishing trust and bonding with your bird. My recommendation would be to have Annie's early training focus on fun, bonding and safety. So coming to you, stepping onto your arm and/or hand, allowing you to touch her feet and gently look under her wings, return to her cage peacefully, and easily be handed off to other people would all be good things to start with. Use lots of praise with excitement in yourr voice and lots of teeny bits of treats.

 

She will let you know by her behaviors if she enjoys learning fun tricks by the way she responds to learning her day to day safety type things. You could also try just a very easy fun activity like gently tossing a small toy near her and rewarding her for moving towards you with it. Just like us humans, some of us love doing physical things, some of us enjoy more mental stimulation, and some of us are social talkers. You will eventually come to learn more about which Annie might be and then the important thing will be to help her develop those natural traits, and not to force her to become something that she is not.

 

There are many good books and also some fairly decent youtube videos out there. Just take it one step at a time, have fun with Annie, keep it playful, short, and always stop while annie is enjoying herself. What you do and/or do not do with her now will help her become a well adjusted, trusting, delightful, and happy companion.

 

Thanks, Can you give me tips how she'll let me pet and touch her under the wings?

She do let me pet her and putting down her head so I will pet her and like to cuddle but she doesn't allow me to touch or pet under the wings..

[Inara]

Hi Doron, it's natural for her to be hesitant about handling her wings so just start out very slowly and just think "baby steps," with everything you do with her. One little bit at a time. When you are holding her and petting her head and neck, try just very lightly resting your hand on her back so that the tips of your fingers touch the edge of one of her wings. Don't leave your hand there for very long, just for a second or two. Then a bit longer over time, and as you go along rather than just touching the edge of a wing, you can give it a tiny lift, as you also move your hand off of her back. Talk with her soothingly and add lots of praise. You don't need to pet her under her wings, you're just working toward getting her to lift her wings so you can see underneath, and to eventually become more comfortable with you touching her wings so that when she goes to the Vet, or if you need to examine a feather, she won't be completely freaked out.

 

Inara doesn't particularly enjoy my handling her wings, but I do it still a few times a week usually when she is very relaxed and we've had a play or flight session and then I follow it up with a nice little treat. By handling her feet over time, she now will let me file down her talons as well as file her beak. She actually enjoys this now, and will put her feet and beak into position on the side of her cage (in the same spot that she herself has chosen) for a light buffing.