Training is more effective if done before feeding. Getting your Cockatoo to mimic is less difficult than to get it to respond to you cognitively. Getting a bird to mimic is like making the bird learn by rote. It means constant mechanical repetition. For starters, try mono-syllable words. Birds that experience two-way communication pick up words faster. When you are attempting to get the bird to mimic you, it will say something. Repeat that something. This reinforces the feeling that it is indeed communicating with its flock, and that what you want it to say is a part of that communication vocabulary. Use associative words. The combination of action with intonation makes the bird focus better. For instance, you could hold up a nut as you intone "nut". Or you could hold up a grape as you say "grape". All About Training You may be able to get your bird to say its first word in a day or it may take months. How soon this happens, will depend on several factors. You can motivate the bird with words of affection and encouragement when it gets close to responding. When it actually intones (i.e., says) the word you want it to, you should reward it with its special treat. A treat is a training tool. It can be anything the bird especially loves. Only let it not be something that will eventually make the bird obese. As soon as the bird produces the desired result, reward it with words of affection and praise as you dig into your pocket for its reward. The bird should be able to associate praise, affection and reward with the desired behavior. A method some speech trainers consider more effective, is the use of a third participant. That is, another person other than you and the Cockatoo. The third person is preferably a child below ten years. All About Training The other things you will need are the same as in the earlier training regimen. The two of you can sit facing the bird which is on a T-stand. The trainer looks at the child, holds up a nut and says "nut" and the child responds saying "nut" and you reward the child by patting its head, saying affectionate and encouraging words, and actually give the nut to the child to eat. Now try the same with the bird. Since the bird is actually able to see the result of correct behavior, these trainers say the bird responds faster. Once you've succeeded in making the Cockatoo say its first word, training it to add to its vocabulary is less difficult. As we mentioned earlier, Cockatoos are not the best of talkers. So, don't set lofty targets either for yourself or the bird. However, some specimens are exceptions to the rule. If your bird proves to be one such exception you can train it to attain higher All About Training levels of performance. By this time, your bird and you will have a better working understanding and you will be able to evolve a training method that is best suited to both. Parroting and perseverance are inseparable. If you are not the patient type don't even think about any systematic approach to speech training. As you go along you may find that your bird has not said a word even after training for months. More often than not determination pays. |