Parrot Training for New Parrot Owners
It's not difficult at all to get started with training your pet parrot. You can start by teaching your bird a few basics, and this is true whether your pet has been with you a few days or a few years. One of the best ways to get started with training your parrot is to teach it to step up to your hand on command. How the step-up command works is that your bird should step onto your hand without hesitation whenever you give it that particular command.
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So why is teaching step-up important to you and your parrot? For one, it allows you to remove your bird easily from its cage. It also helps when trying to remove the bird from a shoulder - either your own or someone else's. Some parrots will try to bite when being removed from a shoulder, but this is less of an issue with a bird that is well-trained to step up. You can imagine how helpful it would be to have a bird that willingly and easily steps up just in case your bird would ever escape and fly away by accident. You also want a parrot that knows how to cooperate with you, and the step-up command accomplishes that goal. As you can see, the step-up command is useful for several good reasons which is why many behaviorists suggest teaching it first.
Step-up Training
For many parrots, the step-up command is one of the easiest to learn, especially if you are working with a young bird. First, slowly move your finger so that it is in front of your bird's feet and in a regular voice say the words "step up." Your parrot won't know what "step up" means at first, so you might need to press your finger gently against it's lower breast area so that it feels a little off balance. Usually this will cause the bird to step onto your finger rather than be pushed backwards. Be sure to enthusiastically praise your bird when he steps up correctly. Next, continue to practice step-up a few more times by asking your bird to step up from one finger to the other. This is called "laddering" for obvious reasons.
My Bird Still Won't Step Up
Some birds grab a hold of the perch and won't let go for anything. It would be interesting to know what is going on behind those intelligent eyes at times like these. Whatever they are thinking, here's the best way to handle it. Continue holding your one hand in front of the bird as before, but with your other hand, you want to move behind the bird so that it looks like you are about to pick your bird up from behind. What this does is it gives the parrot a choice of stepping up or being picked up from behind, something that most birds do not enjoy. Nearly one hundred percent of the time, the bird will wisely choose to step up. Always remember to enthusiastically praise your bird when it does the correct behavior.
Practice Makes Perfect
It is highly recommended that you continue to work with your bird on a regular basis. It's really best to practice every day at the beginning. Even after the bird has this command down, you should reinforce the behavior with occasional practice sessions throughout its life. It takes a little discipline on your part, but step-up practice can be fun and rewarding for both you and your bird if you let it. And just think - you are now on the path to becoming an expert at parrot training.
