Training your bird to do tricks

Training your bird to do tricks is a great way to bond with your bird. Trick no. 1 the retrieve. Learning the retrieve is the first building block to all of these tricks, in fact, it forms the basis of many other tricks too. The retrieve command involves teaching the bird to bring any object to your hand.

Teaching the retrieve can make all future tricks much quicker and easier to teach. If your bird has already learned some tricks this will make this much easier to teach.

Decide on a praise word and a reward to follow his best effort. Use "bring it to me" as a verbal command. Place your hand flat on top of the training table with your palm faced up. This will be your physical cue. Choose any plastic object your bird can easily pick up off the table.

Hold a seed or any treat in your hand and let the bird see it, put the treat next to the object and let the bird see it, the bird will go and get the treat. The next time put the treat under the object, the bird will have to lift the object to get the treat, do this only a few times.

Once your bird is able to move the object, start using the verbal command. Stretch your arm out and say "bring it to me" the bird will look for the treat and pick up the object. Slip your hand under it and the bird will drop the object into your hand. Praise the bird every time he does this.

After a couple times move your hand back a bit so the bird has to walk to put the object in your hand. Keep moving your hand back until the bird will walk to you to put the object in your hand. Then start using different things for your bird to Carry to you. Finally you can tell your bird to bring any thing to you!