14 Aug Teach Your Parrot To Play Alone
Today, I’m thrilled to share with you a detailed recap of our recent live training session featuring Rosie, our spirited parrot, who never fails to enlighten us with her dynamic responses. This session was particularly focused on the art of shaping behaviors—a core technique in parrot training that every enthusiast or trainer should master.
Understanding Shaping with Parrots
Shaping is all about reinforcing incremental steps towards a larger behavior. During our session, we started with simple behaviors that Rosie was already familiar with, adding layers of complexity gradually. The aim was not just to rehearse known tricks but to enhance Rosie’s reliability and adaptability in performing these behaviors under varying conditions.
Fluency and Saliency in Training
Effective communication between trainer and parrot is crucial. Fluency in training refers to Rosie’s ability to perform behaviors accurately and consistently, while saliency pertains to how clear and distinct my cues are. Throughout the session, I focused reinforcing Rosie for consistently for small approximations towards reinforceable behaviors, thus sharpening our communication.
Encountering and Adapting to Unexpected Behaviors
Live sessions are always unpredictable, and Rosie did throw a few surprises our way! This aspect of training is invaluable as it teaches us to adapt our strategies on the fly. Observing how I modify my approach in response to Rosie’s unexpected behaviors could serve as a great learning tool for your own training endeavors.
The Concept of Degrees of Freedom
One of the highlights of our session was exploring the concept of degrees of freedom. This approach allows Rosie multiple ways to achieve a goal, enhancing her problem-solving skills and autonomy. It embodies true choice in training, offering Rosie the opportunity to decide how she wants to engage, which in turn makes the learning process more enriching for her.
Concluding Thoughts and Takeaways
Every training session, no matter its ups and downs, is packed with insights. Rosie’s varying levels of engagement and our adjustments provided us with deep dives into the practical aspects of parrot training.
Inspired to learn more about the nuances of parrot behavior and training? Be sure to dive into our 3 part Parrot Foundations Workshop inside the Avian Behavior Lab! We have so many courses for parrot owners of all levels. Join the Lab FREE for 2 weeks and explore our expansive course library and live trainings!