STOP NAGGING, STOP IT, STOP, STOP NAGGING, NO NAGGING, STOP, STOP IT, NO, NO, NO NAGGING, BAD BIRDOWNER, BAD, NO NAGGING! (etc. etc. and so on).

Yes quite an annoying intro to this article. Hopefully you made it through the subtitle and are still willing to read on. There is a point to that intro. No, I didn't repeat myself over and over so that you would remember what I said. In fact, I would bet that most of you quit reading after the third or forth 'stop' and skipped ahead to the rest of the article. Why? Because it was annoying, pointless, a little confusing and certainly not worth paying attention to.

If you didn't like that intro, why should your bird pay attention to you when you do the same thing to him or her? We see people use the equivalent to this form of training all of the time. It doesn't work with us. It doesn't work with kids. It doesn't work with dogs. It most certainly doesn't work with birds.

Nagging vs. Reinforcing

How to Train Without Nagging

1. Warning or Prep Command
   ''Do you want to step up?'' or ''Get ready to step up'' etc.
   
   This is said as you approach the bird and or you begin to assume the posture necessary to pick the bird up (presenting your finger, hand or arm). It can be preceded by or even replaced with saying the bird's name.

2. The Command
   ''STEP UP'', ''UP'' etc.

   This is said firmly with confidence and the same way every time. As it is said you move so that the bird can easily step up on to you.

   If this works then skip step 3 and go to step 4.

3. Enforced Command
   ''STEP UP'', ''UP'' etc.

   As the command is repeated push against his chest until he must step up. For stubborn birds place your hand on their back, pick them up or use some other method to physically force them to step up. (If you are unable or unwilling to do this then do not attempt to pick up an untrained bird without help from someone who is.)

4. Praise/ Reinforcing command
   ''Good bird'', ''Good Step Up'' etc.

   This is said softly or ''exaggeratedly'' happy in a praising voice possibly with the bird's name, a treat or some sort of physical reward. (To avoid over use of the bird's name it should only be used once or twice in a series of commands and never as a command itself.)

   That was a very specific example but it can be modified to work in almost every situation. Think about that method compared to the following example:

   Birdowner wants his bird to leave the top of her cage and step onto his hand. He walks to the cage, says ''Hi Tweety'' and sticks out his finger. Tweety continues playing. ''Tweety,'' he says, ''come here.'' The finger is wiggled and pointed. ''Tweety!'' ''Tweety step up.'' At this point Tweety is tired of the babbling idiot that is pestering her and decides to give her own command. ''Tweety NO! No biting. Bad girl! Now you stop that,'' he says as Tweety finishes her near miss lunging bite at his quickly pulled away finger. Tweety goes back to playing, happy that order has been restored. Birdowner, his spirit broken, prepares to leave. In a last ditch effort to save face and put a positive spin on the episode he says, ''Fine then, Tweety, if you don't want to step up you can just stay there alone.'' As birdowner leaves Tweety thinks, ''Step up? If he had wanted me to step up, why didn't he say so?''

   Silly as that seems it is a fairly accurate description of what happens in many situations. ''Tweety'' will soon be confused over what is wanted of her and why ''Birdowner'' doesn't play with her anymore. She will also probably become a worse and worse biter over time. No clear command was given. Her name was used over and over in a meaningless way. And no enforcement or explanation was given to show her what was wanted. Even if Tweety has stepped up before in similar situations she still may test Birdowner or may even be unsure of exactly what is wanted of her.

Tough Love

Many people feel that forcing a bird to do something is mean and that they should be allowed to do what they want. It is true that forcing a bird to do unreasonable things or constantly pestering it is bad. But not teaching the bird basic rules and commands and not giving him or her the tools they need to interact with people properly is much worse. As most experienced parents will tell you a child who knows and understands the rules is much happier than a child with no rules.

Because of birds' intelligence, the fact that they aren't domesticated and that they are ruled by their emotions first and their brain second it is even more important for them to have a firm and loving environment with constantly reinforced rules. Often times the best intending owners think they can simply show their bird love and it will be the perfect pet. Showing love to your bird is essential but without training and rules it is meaningless.

Nagging is not training. Usually nagging happens when a bird owner is not putting enough thought into his or her interaction with the bird. Often they assume that the bird didn't hear them or wasn't paying attention. Though this may be true from time to time, in general your bird is very aware of everything you say or do. As you work with your bird keep the two different examples above in mind and try to follow these basic guidelines:

1. Use Commands or Key Words for everything you can.
2. Be consistent. Every one must use the same words in every situation.
3. Don't over use the bird's name. Use their name to get their attention not as a command.
4. 'No' is not a command. 'No Biting' is a command.
5. Don't repeat a command without also helping your bird to understand what it means.
6. Always praise your bird when he reacts properly to a command. There should be roughly twice as much positive as negative in any training session.
7. Never show anger or be aggressive with your bird.
8. Always be in charge and know exactly what the rules are.
9. If you are having a problem with any situation ask for assistance from an experienced bird person.
10. Relax and have fun. Just because you are stuck being the rule enforcer doesn't mean you and your bird can't have a lot of fun within the rules.

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Additional Behavior articles:

• The Importance of Cage Dominance
• Merlin vs. His Hormones: One Bird's Story
• Can That Bird Talk?
• Parrots and Noise
• Ambient Learning and Birds
• ''Maul'' Your Bird
• One Method of Introducing New Things
• Scooter See, Scooter Do!
• Checking the "Status Quo"

• All Articles
• Introduction to Parrot Island
• General Care of Pet Birds
• Safety Articles
• Diet and Nutrition
• Veterinary Health
• Special Interest
• Species Specific
• Recommended Reading