Ian J. H. Duncan and Penny Hawkins (eds.)Animal WelfareThe Welfare of Domestic Fowl and Other Captive Birds10.1007/978-90-481-3650-6_4© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010
4. Training Companion Birds
(1)
The Pet Parrot Consultancy, Axbridge, BS26 2WD, UK
Abstract
The purpose of training companion birds is to ensure good, effective communication between the bird and his/her keeper. Trained birds have a much better relationship with their human carers, since mutual understanding is greatly improved. Trained birds can also spend far more time out of their cages than untrained birds since they pose fewer problems for the keeper. The more time a bird can spend out of the cage, the more opportunities there are for better quality environmental stimulation. Another advantage of basic training is that any behavioural problems that develop can be corrected far more easily in trained pet birds than in untrained ones. This chapter aims to provide some basic guidance and an overview of good practice relating to the approach to training companion birds, although the same principles can be applied to training birds in other contexts. It is partly written in the form of direct instructions for purposes of clarity.
4.1 Introduction
The purpose of training companion birds is to ensure good, effective communication between the bird and his/her keeper. Trained birds have a much better relationship with their human carers, since mutual understanding is greatly improved. Trained birds can also spend far more time out of their cages than untrained birds since they pose fewer problems for the keeper. The more time a bird can spend out of the cage, the more opportunities there are for better quality environmental stimulation. Another advantage of basic training is that any behavioural problems that develop can be corrected far more easily in trained pet birds than in untrained ones. This chapter aims to provide some basic guidance and an overview of good practice relating to the approach to training companion birds, although the same principles can be applied to training birds in other contexts. It is partly written in the form of direct instructions for purposes of clarity. For further information and guidance, see Glendell (2007) and Friedman (2006, 2009).
Training methods should be based on the accepted scientific principles of applied behaviour analysis (ABA) and in particular, positive reinforcement and shaping techniques. Positive reinforcement means providing the bird with an incentive (a reward) for performing the behaviour in question. Shaping is where any approximation of the behaviour in question is rewarded during training, but the bird is asked to perform progressively better approximations to the desired behaviour as the training develops. The reward offered is determined by knowing what the particular bird already likes. Rewards can be food treats, a favourite toy to play with, verbal praise or, with parrots, having their head scratched for a few seconds. It is vital that the keeper/trainer first finds out which reward(s) the bird is already motivated to work for, before starting any training programme.
The success and ability to train birds depends on a range of factors. Although birds can be trained at any age, the bird’s past experiences with people, degree of tameness and whether s/he was hand-reared, parent-reared or part parent-reared are all factors that can affect the ease with which individuals can be trained. The bird keeper or trainer’s knowledge of training techniques and bird behaviour is also of considerable importance. Trainers need to understand the importance of avoiding all forms of punishment and indeed admonishing of birds; such methods are counter-productive and tend to cause further behavioural problems. Negative reinforcement should also be avoided. Negative reinforcement is where a bird is subjected to unpleasant or harmful actions, until it obeys the request. For example, chasing a nervous or fearful bird around a room until it “obeys” a request to step up onto the hand.
On no account should a bird be punished for any bad behaviour. Punishment has no place in companion bird care. Even unintentional punishment and verbal reprimands can have seriously adverse effects on birds and must be avoided. “Bad” (unwanted) behaviour should always be corrected using non-threatening behaviour modification techniques based on applied behaviour analysis, as mentioned earlier. For example, although some birds may bite sometimes, such a problem is not usually difficult to overcome through training. Once, through training, a bird has agreed to accept the basic requests detailed below, biting can be addressed by the trainer simply leaving the room if s/he or anyone else is bitten hard. On no account should biting result in the bird being placed back into the cage, as this can induce further serious problems. Once a bird who has bonded to a person realises that that person will deny the bird their company for a few minutes because of the biting, the bird then has the incentive to cease biting.
Most birds kept as “pets” are highly social species adapted to living in the company of their own kind. Such birds have an elaborate “language” of behavioural signals to ensure social cohesion and minimise aggressive encounters. While the “language” is different for each species, closely related species have a similar repertoire and similar behavioural signals. Birds kept in a domestic situation can be divided into two types. First, those kept as “aviary” birds who are generally housed outdoors in the company of their own kind within an aviary. Second, those kept as companion animals, usually indoors with the bird using a cage. Since aviary birds will have the company of their own kind, provided they are given suitable space and an aviary that encourages them to perform most of their normal daily behaviours, it is not suggested that they be required to perform any particular behaviours. It is only birds being kept as companion animals who should be asked to accept some basic requests or “commands” from their keepers. This is quite easy to achieve with all Psittacines and some other species including canaries and mynah birds.
4.2 Training Psittacines
If a companion parrot is to socialise well and be comfortable with people, it is imperative that the owner and anyone else in the household who wants to interact with the bird can communication effectively with him/her. This is essential for the parrot’s mental well-being and relationship with the human “family”. The purpose of training is in effect to establish basic, two-way communication between the trainer and the bird; much the same as when training a companion dog. This training ensures good “control” of the bird who can be asked to do (or not do) several things on request. Trained birds can, of course, be out of their cages for long periods since they pose fewer “problems” than untrained birds with respect to control, acceptable behaviour and returning to the cage. Training also ensures that the bird remains tame and allows the owner to introduce new items and resources such as toys, foods and new people far more easily. Good training therefore enriches birds’ lives, since it facilitates new experiences.
4.2.1 Pros and Cons of Imprinting
Parrots and passerines are not usually susceptible to full (irreversible) reproductive imprinting (in the true sense of the word). However, many other birds including all pigeons become imprinted on to the first moving object they see and touch when they are nestlings; this, of course, is usually their parents. When nestling pigeons are hand-reared, they usually develop as true human-imprinted birds and have an irreversible “bond” to humans for the rest of their lives. Parrots raised solely by humans, (i.e. having no contact with their natural parents) tend to develop behavioural problems, but these are not seen until the birds mature at 2–5 years old (depending on the species). Passerines initially display a “bond” that is similar to that in truly imprinted species, but which can change throughout their lives depending on the experiences that they have with humans and other species. Birds who have been hand-reared will certainly be tame, even fearless of humans. This has implications for training, in that bold or even aggressive birds, though easier to train than nervous ones, can cause problems with aggression once they mature. Parrots and passerines who have been wholly or partly parent-raised tend to be more wary of humans. Though still quite tame by default, they tend to have far fewer behavioural problems than hand-reared birds and show a better degree of independence. Given a suitable environment in which to live, they invariably socialise appropriately with birds of their own species.
4.2.2 Gaining the Confidence of Nervous Birds
Nervous, fearful birds may have a deep-seated mistrust of people. They are liable to be stressed by anyone making a close approach, showing their hands, standing in front of them or staring at them. Many birds have a real fear of people wearing hats, or black or dark clothing, so anyone who needs to approach them including the birds’ trainers should be dressed in bland, neutral coloured clothes. Nervous birds cannot be trained until they are tame and reasonably comfortable in the company of people.
Flightlessness (usually due to) can cause many birds to be very fearful, since they are denied their most basic “escape” reflex action of defensive flying. These birds should have flight restored without any delay wherever possible. This can be effected by a specialist bird vet repairing the clipped wings by “imping” on feathers moulted from another bird of the same species. Alternatively, most of the clipped remains of the flight feathers can be removed from the wing completely, which induces immediate regrowth of feathers. Parrots’ feathers grow at three to four mm per day, so most species will have complete new feathers within four to six weeks of the damaged or clipped feathers being pulled out. Both these procedures are done under general anaesthetic.
The taming process uses the same principles of rewarding “desired” behaviours as in more formal training sessions. However, progress with nervous birds will usually be very slow. Initially, it helps to ensure that nervous birds have a perch in their cage that is higher than human eye-level. This will reduce their fear of people when they come close. It will also help to avoid looking directly at the bird. Another tactic to help nervous birds habituate to humans is for the trainer to simply sit down below the cage and eat some food in front of the bird. Most birds are highly social and perform many activities as a group, so birds can be reassured by seeing other people (or birds) eating. However it is important that this process be carried out at a pace with which the bird is comfortable.
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