The Four Golden Rules of Parrot Training - What to Do, and What to Avoid

Training a parrot seems at first like a daunting task. You may not know where or how to begin. You may even be a little afraid of your bird. Don't worry, it's normal to feel intimidated or overwhelmed. It's actually a very simple process, as long as you follow the four golden rules.

Build a trusting relationship. Trust is absolutely essential to parrot training. It takes time to build a trusting relationship, but the effort is well worth it. Spend time with your parrot each day, and house its cage in an area that you and your family frequent. When you first bring your bird home, don't try to rush things. Change is very upsetting to parrots, and it's important that you give it time to get used to its new surroundings before attempted to remove it from the cage. Be patient, and take things slowly until your parrot learns that you are safe and is comfortable stepping onto your outstretched finger.

Use positive reinforcement. Never, ever physically punish your parrot, raise your voice at it, or bang on its cage. That trusting relationship that you built up will go right out the window the first time that you frighten your bird, and you'll be back to square one. Rebuilding trust after it's lost is even more difficult, as your bird is now frightened of you, rather than just nervous about a new person. Instead, use positive reinforcement. Birds respond well to praise and treats. Praise them lavishly when they do something desirable, and use food as a reward.

Be consistent. Parrots learn through repetition. It's essential, when teaching a bird new tricks, that the same actions are repeated consistently. If you begin by speaking to your bird in a low, soothing tone of voice, continue to use that same tone each time you interact with it. If you follow a certain routine during training sessions, be sure to go about things the same way every time. When teaching a bird how to speak, continue to repeat the same words in the same way. This will keep your parrot motivated to succeed, and allow them to learn at a much quicker rate. Consider this: if you're learning a foreign language, can you pick it up with just one lesson? Certainly not. The same concept applies with speech training for parrots.

Don't give up! Most importantly, don't give up! It's a lengthy process, but it's very rewarding. By taking things slowly and showing patience and determination, you can train your feathered friend to do many things and have a very large vocabulary.