If you want the Cockatoo to come out of its cage, try coaxing it for a while. If it refuses to come out, shut the cage door and simply ignore the bird. The bird must learn that it must come out when asked to, or stay caged longer. Try again after some Training Exercises All About Training time. Ideally, the bird should interact with all members of the family with equal affection. To achieve this, all members of the family should interact with the bird on a daily basis, talking to it and petting it. During these interactions, it must be ensured that all members of the family use the same words, phrases, tools and techniques and indulge in similar activities. Inconsistency will confuse the bird. When you want to reprimand the bird words/phrases like "No", "Don't" can be used. And when its time to turn off the lights you could say, "Lights Out" or "bed time". Be consistent with such timings. There is no single method to train your Cockatoo but your training method and schedule should be altered to suit your bird's needs. There are many claims to say that one or the other method is better. Not all of them are true. The method that you will finally adopt Training Method All About Training will be the one that your pet more readily takes to. Whatever the method, remember that training will take a while. Promises of instant makeovers are to be viewed with suspicion. Time, patience and perseverance must be the key ingredients of any training method that you may adopt. To be able to come up with a training method and schedule best suited for your specific Cockatoo, you will have to consciously study its behavioral patterns. To do this, you will have to keep logs of the bird's behavior and modify training methods that complement the bird's innate nature. Training any pet is important, as an untrained bird is difficult and unpleasant. Training, not only disciplines your pet but also gives you a chance to bond and have fun with your pet. Training can be a very fulfilling experience and you can also get rid of nasty habits that your bird may have. Through training, your bird will learn some or all of the Why Train Your Cockatoo? All About Training following. And what is more important, it will make the big difference between an enjoyable family pet and a nuisance. Not to scream indiscriminately Not to bite Use a potty Mimic human speech Sing Whistle Skate The step up command is necessary to get your Cockatoo to climb onto and off your arm/shoulder and to come out of the cage. Choose the word you'd like your bird to associate the command with before you start training. Do not change this word. After Basic Discipline Step Up Command All About Training having learnt the command, if your bird doesn't listen to you give it a break, and try again after sometime. Use a firm "No" when your bird behaves inappropriately. Do not beg and plead, or your pet will start taking advantage of you. Keep a separate cage or crate in which you can put your bird when he or she behaves badly. This should be in any other room than the one in which the cage is normally kept. This shouldn't last for more than 10 minutes at a time. Your bird should be alone during the punishment period. To teach your bird to step down, place whatever you want him to step onto above his legs and follow the same procedure as when training him to step up. Don't forget to say, "step down" while trying to get him to step down. You will have to be consistent with the command. If you change it, you will confuse the bird. |