Shaping is a wonderful tool to teach any single behaviour without force. Since some parrots have a strong fear response to hands I thought it would be useful to show how to shape stepping up onto a hand held perch.
Before we can even begin shaping the step up we may have to introduce our parrot to the hand held perch using systematic desensitisation.
Systematic desensitisation is gradually exposing the parrot to the perch (or any other fear eliciting stimulus) in tiny steps. We only move to the next step when the parrot shows calm behaviour. So, for example, we may walk slowly into the room with the perch. The parrot shows calm behaviour. We approach a few more steps. The parrot shows calm behaviour. If at any time the parrot shows a mild fear response, we stop and back off a little until the parrot shows calm body language again. We don’t want to provoke anything stronger than a very mild response. I’m not going to suggest a time frame as we go as fast or as slow as our parrot is comfortable with. Our aim is to eventually be close enough to begin shaping the step up.
Ollie the Orange-winged Amazon used to be fearful of this perch…
Now that we have successfully desensitised our parrot to the perch, let’s shape the step up. Again we take our cue from the parrot – we go as fast or as slow as he leads us.
First we should be clear about our goal behaviour and what we intend to use as our reinforcer - see additional info on reinforcers here:
https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/reinforcement.21179/
Goal behaviour: Step up onto a hand held perch
Reinforcer: Pieces of cashew (because they are one of Ollie's favourite treats)
We are going to reinforce each successful step with a piece of cashew.
Approximations:
These are a series of tiny steps or approximations towards the final goal behaviour. Listed 1 - 7 are examples of the behaviours we are looking to reinforce and in brackets our response. Our parrot may skip a few of these steps or he might need them all:
1: Bird looks at perch (yay – treat!)
2: Bird turns body towards perch (treat!)
3: Bird takes one step towards perch (treat!)
4: Bird takes second step towards perch (treat!)
5: Bird lifts one foot towards perch (treat!)
6: Bird places that foot on the perch (treat!)
7: Bird lifts other foot and places it on the perch (treat!)
Only the last behaviour in the chain of behaviours is reinforced ie. once the bird achieves steps 1 and 2, only step 2 is reinforced. Then once steps 1, 2 and 3 are completed only step 3 is reinforced, etc. The bird might move very quickly through the steps or he might get stuck on one, in which case we would go back to the last one he did correctly, and then work back up using smaller steps. Wherever we decide to end the training, we always end on a successful approximation. Only train in short bursts.
At the beginning showing the bird the treat may help to kick start the behaviour. Bear in mind that this is a bribe or lure and should be faded out as quickly as possible by beginning to hide it in our hand.
As soon as the bird is perching, we immediately put him down again. That way he is in control and he will begin to trust us.
Steps 1 - 7 can also be done another way, by free feeding. The bird eats broken up treats or seed out of our hand, and as we move the feeder hand (or cup) up our arm or along the perch, he will follow. Again it’s like a dance… one step forward, maybe a step or two back, then forward again. The parrot begins to pair good things (food) with the arm or perch he is stepping onto.
Then we might want to increase the length of time the bird remains on the perch and/or we might want to start moving the perch. The next steps might be…
Bird grips perch as it moves a centimeter (treat! And let him step down again)
Bird grips perch as it moves two centimeters (treat! And let him to step down again)
Etc…
I taught Ollie to step up from inside his cage as he was cage bound for the first 1.5 years of living with me. I used desensitisation to get him used to the perch and me. After shaping the step up, I very gradually brought him towards the cage door and then through the door. Then a few steps away from the cage. Next I began turning a semi circle to briefly block his view of the cage and back again. The whole process took months – perhaps as much as a year, since back then he would only take a huge palm nut from me. Because he could only have one palm nut a day I could only ask for one approximation a day. After 1.5 years of very brief training per day he suddenly flew out of his cage and landed on some hanging toys the other side of the room. It happened to be Christmas day and the best present I could have! His world became a bigger and more enriching place from that moment on.
Before we can even begin shaping the step up we may have to introduce our parrot to the hand held perch using systematic desensitisation.
Systematic desensitisation is gradually exposing the parrot to the perch (or any other fear eliciting stimulus) in tiny steps. We only move to the next step when the parrot shows calm behaviour. So, for example, we may walk slowly into the room with the perch. The parrot shows calm behaviour. We approach a few more steps. The parrot shows calm behaviour. If at any time the parrot shows a mild fear response, we stop and back off a little until the parrot shows calm body language again. We don’t want to provoke anything stronger than a very mild response. I’m not going to suggest a time frame as we go as fast or as slow as our parrot is comfortable with. Our aim is to eventually be close enough to begin shaping the step up.
Ollie the Orange-winged Amazon used to be fearful of this perch…
Now that we have successfully desensitised our parrot to the perch, let’s shape the step up. Again we take our cue from the parrot – we go as fast or as slow as he leads us.
First we should be clear about our goal behaviour and what we intend to use as our reinforcer - see additional info on reinforcers here:
https://theparrotclub.co.uk/community/index.php?threads/reinforcement.21179/
Goal behaviour: Step up onto a hand held perch
Reinforcer: Pieces of cashew (because they are one of Ollie's favourite treats)
We are going to reinforce each successful step with a piece of cashew.
Approximations:
These are a series of tiny steps or approximations towards the final goal behaviour. Listed 1 - 7 are examples of the behaviours we are looking to reinforce and in brackets our response. Our parrot may skip a few of these steps or he might need them all:
1: Bird looks at perch (yay – treat!)
2: Bird turns body towards perch (treat!)
3: Bird takes one step towards perch (treat!)
4: Bird takes second step towards perch (treat!)
5: Bird lifts one foot towards perch (treat!)
6: Bird places that foot on the perch (treat!)
7: Bird lifts other foot and places it on the perch (treat!)
Only the last behaviour in the chain of behaviours is reinforced ie. once the bird achieves steps 1 and 2, only step 2 is reinforced. Then once steps 1, 2 and 3 are completed only step 3 is reinforced, etc. The bird might move very quickly through the steps or he might get stuck on one, in which case we would go back to the last one he did correctly, and then work back up using smaller steps. Wherever we decide to end the training, we always end on a successful approximation. Only train in short bursts.
At the beginning showing the bird the treat may help to kick start the behaviour. Bear in mind that this is a bribe or lure and should be faded out as quickly as possible by beginning to hide it in our hand.
As soon as the bird is perching, we immediately put him down again. That way he is in control and he will begin to trust us.
Steps 1 - 7 can also be done another way, by free feeding. The bird eats broken up treats or seed out of our hand, and as we move the feeder hand (or cup) up our arm or along the perch, he will follow. Again it’s like a dance… one step forward, maybe a step or two back, then forward again. The parrot begins to pair good things (food) with the arm or perch he is stepping onto.
Then we might want to increase the length of time the bird remains on the perch and/or we might want to start moving the perch. The next steps might be…
Bird grips perch as it moves a centimeter (treat! And let him step down again)
Bird grips perch as it moves two centimeters (treat! And let him to step down again)
Etc…
I taught Ollie to step up from inside his cage as he was cage bound for the first 1.5 years of living with me. I used desensitisation to get him used to the perch and me. After shaping the step up, I very gradually brought him towards the cage door and then through the door. Then a few steps away from the cage. Next I began turning a semi circle to briefly block his view of the cage and back again. The whole process took months – perhaps as much as a year, since back then he would only take a huge palm nut from me. Because he could only have one palm nut a day I could only ask for one approximation a day. After 1.5 years of very brief training per day he suddenly flew out of his cage and landed on some hanging toys the other side of the room. It happened to be Christmas day and the best present I could have! His world became a bigger and more enriching place from that moment on.
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