The very first thing to teach the birds as soon as you bring
them home is the step up command. The command not only establishes your
authority over the birds but also makes then respect and obey you as their own
parents. So here is the best way of teaching your birds the step up command
without forcing them:
Create the Ideal
Atmosphere
One of the most important factors to consider before you
start the training is the atmosphere. A natural atmosphere will make the bird
look at you as a "familiar" being that belongs to its habitat. So if
you are going to teach him a step up command, make sure to keep some greenery
around so that it can remind the bird if his own natural environment. You can
also choose either to buy a readymade nest from the market or make one and
place the bird there. The birds are good at relating the things. So if you will
teach the bird the step up command while it is inside the nest, it will look at
you as a guardian or parent figure with good intentions. Hence it will dispel
its fears.
Keep Sessions Short
The birds are small and delicate beings and stressing them
too much will only make the matters more complicated. It will also engender
hostility in the birds and they will eventually stop obeying you. So it is
highly recommendable to keep the sessions short enough to be bearable by the
birds. A maximum of 15 minutes is an ideal time for a single session.
Tip:
Though many people begin with short sessions they keep on increasing the time
as the training progresses. It is a wrong approach. 15 minutes is the ideally
maximum time that a session should take. Increasing the time period will only
make the bird tired. On the contrary it is recommended to decrease the session
period to, say, 5 or 8 minutes as a "reward" for the birds who are
fast learners.
Ideal Interaction
One of the major mistake made by many bird adopters is wrong
way of initial interacting. During its initial days the bird looks at you as a
Big Alien being. So if you will try to touch the bird's back or feathers, it
will further increase its fears and the bird might attack in its self defense.
Hence the very first impression is negative.
It will also affect the future relationship or bond between
you and the birdie negatively. So the ideal way is to first communicate with
the bird. The bird might not understand the words you speak but it will start
recognizing your voice. After that you can start caressing its cage. The act of
caressing is understood by many beings including birds. So it will make them
further acquainted with you. Then you can start feeding them, first feed them
by placing small bowls inside the cage and then, gradually try to feed them
with the hands. Now you are doing all the acts that their natural parents would
do: caring, feeding and giving them a comfortable habitat. Now you can start
the step up training.
The Training
Now you can hold the treat in one
hand while the other hand used for stepping up. It will convey the message to
the bird that if it has to get the treat it needs to step up on the hand. But
the hesitant bird will not instantly perch on your finger. Repeating the act
will make it attracted to the treat and it will finally come closer. As soon as
it comes close to your step up finger allow it to eat a little amount of the
treat. Continue with the same command for several days. It will help in
increasing the trust factor. Once the bird starts trusting you , you can them
take your finger a little closer and lightly touch the front part of the bird.
It will convey the message to step up. As soon as the bird perches on your
finger, you should issue a single word command "Up". Initially each
time the bird perches on your finger you should try to swing it, caress it or
give it a sumptuous treat. It will help it to take the command positively.
Conclusion
Stepping up is the foundational command that establishes the
initial relation between you and the bird. Hence you need to be overcautious
while teaching it the step up command. There are different patterns in which
each bird learns according to its species. However the three basic things to
remember while teaching step up command are: be patient, reward reasonably and
keep sessions short.
0 comments:
Post a Comment