desensitizing

[Tashalee]

I'm wondering if anyone has any input on desensitizing their parrots. I have a 7 month old white capped pionus Crispin. He's very tame, consistently listens with the "up" command and very sweet natured. I know he's just a baby so I want to keep on top of his training. What should one do to desensitize to touch? It seems there's a fine line. I don't want to irritate and stress him out, yet I want him to be used to having his wings and feet touched etc. Also I purchased the aviator harness and was working with him recently. At first he was great about me slipping it on. It was taking it off he didn't like as it puts him off balance. Today I went to slip it on and he lunged and bit me. This is the first time he's ever done this (and I'm sure it won't be the last;). I told him "no bite" and gave him a "time out" for a few minutes and tried again...same thing happened. So eventually I just held the harness next to him while I gave him scritches. He eventually calmed down but was clearly stressed (shaking) when near the harness. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Scritch]

Sounds like you need to take a few steps backwards when it comes to the harness. Get him used to just being near it, again, before trying to put it on. Meanwhile get him used to having his wings lifted and body being put off balance, without the harness in the vicinity, so he gets comfortable with those feelings and also doesn't link them specifically with the harness.

With Lolo, rather than worry about desensitizing her to being pushed off balance, I just desensitized her to me holding her steady with one hand. For her, that was faster and more comfortable than being pushed off balance. For other birds who don't like being held under a hand, it may go the other way.

Have you read much or looked into clicker-training? To be honest I *just* started it with my birds (like barely), but I've been working with my dogs for a while and I think it's great for this sort of thing. The animal learns to equate the sound of the click with "that's right, you did right and good things happen" and then you can click whenever the animal does something you like -- for instance, calming down in the presence of the harness. It's a lot more direct for them than just praise. A couple of other people here have more experience with clicker-training birds, and there's a yahoo group and stuff online too.

Beyond that, just take things slow. Look for signals of comfort before moving onto the next step. For instance, if you want to get him used to having his wings touched/lifted, start with simply touching them lightly, with lots of praise and encouragement. Praise him (or click him) when he shows signs of being comfortable with this. When that's easy for both of you, move onto touching beneath his wings, or touching them for longer periods, or slightly lifting them, then lifting them farther, etc. Slow but sure, work on one step before moving onto the next. If he gets to a point where he seems really uncomfortable, take a step or two backwards before moving forward again.

Best not to get bitten, of course, for several reasons, but mostly because you don't want him to feel that's the only way he can communicate his discomfort to you. Look for the signals *before* the bite. If you move slow enough, you should be able to see when he begins to get uncomfortable, and since you shouldn't be moving beyond his comfort zone, anyway, you should never push him to the point where he feels he has to bite. Bites are almost always a result of moving too fast, missing the bird's signals and pushing the bird to the point where he feels he has no choice.

Besides looking for the bird's communications to you, I also find it helps to talk to the bird, explain what I'm doing. My fiance used to look at me funny when I put the harness on Lolo, it goes kind of like this -- "Hey Lolo, good birdy, good girl, I'm gonna put the harness on you, see the harness? don't you wanna go outside? We're just gonna start with this loop here, it goes over your head, I'm gonna put it over your head, right over your head just like that! Now I gotta put this loop over your wing..." etc. etc.... I might sound like a dope, but I truly believe she's learned to understand parts of what I'm saying and mentally and physically prepares for what I'm telling her I'm going to do.

There definitely IS a fine line. The goal is to stay on the "comfortable" side of that line, but also constantly, slowly nudge it forward.

All of this should be not just comfortable, but also fun for the bird. He needs to be getting something out of it, too. That's another reason I like clicker-training -- the whole thing is based on getting the animal to WANT to do what you want him to do, only if he wants to do it. But training should be about that, anyway, whatever method you choose. So pull out some of his favorite treats and be prepared to gush the praise.

[LovelySydney]

I agree with Scritch, you are moving too fast for Crispin. The biting is a sign that he DOES NOT like what you are trying to get him to do. The things with parrots and birds in general is that you need to move at their pace, otherwise the process can be very slow because no trust is being built. I advise to take this process with the harness slowly. Build trust with your bird, let him get used to being around you and having you around him and touching him. If he gives you any signs that he does not want you to touch him than DONT. My conure is a little lover but if he makes his little noise and does a wing flap I know he doesnt want me trying to pet him and I respect that by stopping. Over time you two will bond and he will know that you arent trying to hurt him and he will start to trust you and then I would start to introduce the harness. These things just take time & patience - I know it can get frustrating but in the end when you are able to use the harness and you have that wonderful bond with your bird where they trust what you are doing it is completely worth it!!

[jenseits]

One thing I just read in another thread that I like a lot is: "The point is not to get the harness on your bird quickly, but to get it on your bird every time for the rest of its life" (paraphrasing)... that really sums up the challenge nicely. You don't want to get the harness onto Crispin at the cost of making him hate it. Take a few steps back and figure out how to make it REALLY FUN for him. If he's not enjoying it, back off.

If you want to see someone clicker training a wc pionus to accept a harness, you might enjoy this series of videos: YouTube - BungeesMom's Channel (type "sparky harness" into the search box). Obviously this would not be the first thing you work on with the clicker though.

Good luck.
(I have a white capped pi too!)

[Tashalee]

Thank you so much everyone. Your advice is very helpful! I'll put the harness away and start very very slow this time. I realized after reading all your remarks that I can be impatient. I'm so excited about having this beautiful loving bird that I overlook this. We have years together to build our relationship and trust must come first! Thanks again, I have renewed confidence;)

[Tashalee]

Thanks for the link to the video's by the way! Very helpful:D