should I be rewarding this??

[debbielabella]

with my dogs I am clear, you are rewarding the behavior that second. Past is past.

My grey.. as usual I think he is outsmarting me. He has a bad habit of chewing on the panelling. If I go over there and tell him to get down. He'll come so far as a cage top. I insist he comes over to the cage door at least, and there we are at a truce, he puts his head down and I pet him. Am I rewarding him for coming down from chewing the wall, or am I rewarding him for playing games with me? Right now I think he is punishing me for lack of seed in the dish.. ugh Greys!!

I called my daughter over so she could see him come over when I called him and he would not do it he froze in his tracks as soon as she entered the room. I tried to trick him and told her to go in the hallway but he would not come down after that! why can't he let me prove he will do as he's told (once in a while!)

[xafsmom]

Some would say, yes, you are rewarding it.

Others would tell you honestly... Greys are little aliens with MENSA IQ's. No matter what you do, he'll do what he wants anyway.

*nods*

[tielfan]

Clicker training advice for birds says to reward them within two seconds or it's too late. You have enough intervening distractions that your bird isn't likely to think you're rewarding him for chewing the wall. If you want to be sure, ignore him for a few seconds after he's down and then start delivering the play time and scritches. Make sure that the fun does NOT begin the moment he stops chewing.

[debbielabella]

Originally Posted by xafsmom

Others would tell you honestly... Greys are little aliens with MENSA IQ's. No matter what you do, he'll do what he wants anyway.
*nods*

so true!

I will celebrate then that he at least comes down when I tell him. It only took me 12 years to teach him that!!

[debbielabella]

Originally Posted by tielfan

Clicker training advice for birds says to reward them within two seconds or it's too late. You have enough intervening distractions that your bird isn't likely to think you're rewarding him for chewing the wall. If you want to be sure, ignore him for a few seconds after he's down and then start delivering the play time and scritches. Make sure that the fun does NOT begin the moment he stops chewing.

I have to tell him more than once to get him to come down from chewing the wall. I think he is rewarding me for getting all flustered by coming down for petting, he is training me to act like a child stomping my foot telling him come here!! Maybe we shouldn't leave the training books around the greys are reading them and using them on US!

[xafsmom]

I guarantee you that Greys associate things far longer than 2 seconds. They'll dredge it up and remind you of it weeks later.

*laughs*

[debbielabella]

that is so true!! they don't forget a thing. quietly observing us looking for our weaknesses quietly mocking us.. no wonder he's laughing all the time .. it's not WITH me!

[NotEnoughTime]

In behavioural training there is a thing called "chaining." See: SHAPING AND CHAINING

So - yes - you are rewarding him for chewing the panelling... The chain is: chew panel, called over, rewarded... One has to "break the chain" or, in other words, move to another behaviour in the chain - say "chew *this* stick", called over, rewarded...

[debbielabella]

I think he is rewarding me by accepting scritches so pleasantly. He likes this chain and wants it to continue because he can control when he gets pet. So I need to know when he wants to be pet and pet him first before he resorts to chewing the wall?

Shouldn't I still reward him for coming when he's called though? Or should I not call him when he's chewing. I guess I should stop him before he chews huh. Wow that could be tough. Guess I should just cover it with plexiglass and be done with it.

He's out of his cage all day when I'm home, which is most days. so it's difficult to watch him constantly. Plexiglass looks nice in the living room .. no?

Did I say that I'm embarrassed that he's better at training me than I am at training him?

[NotEnoughTime]

Originally Posted by debbielabella

Did I say that I'm embarrassed that he's better at training me than I am at training him?

Greys are smart (as said above). So I wouldn't be surprised at that.

He may not like it so much if you came over, got him, and put him in a cage for a short time after chewing the panelling - with *no* scritches... But also call him at other times for scritches - so that there is no association with chewing.

He will probably try to avoid you if he knows he is going in the cage though...

The 'P' in Parrot stands for Persistant... It will take a while...