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Originally Posted by SDavid
dancelady, I'm no expert but I think that before you can begin to train a bird it has to be tame. I mean it should not be afraid of you and should come to you and allow you to touch it without a problem. I think you should start with the taming process first. Your birds need to be relaxed around you or else they'll never focus on learning tricks. Instead they'll keep trying to get away from you.
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Logically it would seem so, but the beauty of clicker training is that you do NOT have to touch the animal in order for it to learn. The other thing about clicker training is that it empowers the animal and teaches it that there is an open line of non-stressful communication open between it and the trainer.
Clicker training silly parlour tricks offers some interesting side effects, too. Many unwanted/behaviour problems that occur tend to diminish in frequency and intensity as the animal is taught more and more behaviours. This is a well-known fact.
The main problem you have with an animal that is not tame is how to deliver the treat. With birds that are not happy taking a treat from your hand, you can sometimes use a small plastic measuring cup.
I highly advise joining the Yahoogroup "Bird-Click" that was mentioned before. Read the files for specific directions on how to start. It really does not matter if those birds are tame or not...as a matter of fact, if she clickertrains the birds FIRST she is likely to have an easier time getting them to accept touching and contact later, because she will be able to clicker train it into existence!