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With clicker training, you can use reinforcer you want. What does your bird respond to best? My amazon responds best to food, the caiques respond best to petting, etc. So, the amazon gets a special treat, and the caiques get a headscratch and verbal praise. Does it work? Yup.
Like mentioned, clicker training is simply a bridging tool- the sound of the click is the bridge between action and behavior. Does it have to be a commercially available clicker? Nope. It can be a well known phrase- good bird, good, etc. It can be the snap of a finger, the click from the top of a pen. With clicker training, once the bridge is established and the bird understands what he/she is being reinforced for, you can reinforce the behavior using the clicker, then start weaning off using the clicker.
Sound hard? I've watched Barbara Heindenrich teach a caique turn around on command, using clicker training methods and the word 'good' in place of the click, in 5 minutes.
Clicker training is positive reinforcement, which is why the methods are so effective.
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