An Introduction to Positive Reinforcement Training and its Benefits By Barbara Heidenreich Good Bird Inc www.GoodBirdInc.

com Macaws on bicycles, cockatoos raising flags, conures snatching dollar notes from audience members. These are images that often come to mind when the word training is mentioned in con unction with !arrots. "hile it is true that training is res!onsible for those resulting entertaining tricks, this short list of beha#iors is a gross understatement of the endless !otential training with !ositi#e reinforcement affords a#ian s!ecies in our care. Training is sim!ly teaching. "hen we train an animal with !ositi#e reinforcement we gi#e it information on what it can do to earn desired outcomes. "hat beha#iors we choose to teach are limitless. In addition to training birds for entertainment, we can use this form of communication to address beha#ior !roblems, to manage birds on e$hibit, to teach birds to coo!erate in their own medical care and%or to allow us to facilitate ca!ti#e breeding !ractices. Training is Science Based &lthough training birds in general is not a new conce!t to a#ian enthusiasts, understanding the science behind training is ust recently gaining momentum. The science behind training is called beha#ior analysis. This science focuses on how organisms learn. &nd truly we are all students of this science on a daily basis whether we are conscious of our a!!lication of its !rinci!les or not. 'urrent trends in animal training choose to focus on using elements of this science that focus on kind and gentle strategies to create desired beha#ior and reduce undesired beha#ior. This includes a#oiding the use of a#ersi#e (!ositi#e) !unishment and negati#e reinforcement. In its !lace, trainers learn the art and skill of a!!lying !ositi#e reinforcement to gain coo!eration. (See definition of terms in side bar) Side bar Positive Reinforcement: The !resentation of a stimulus following a beha#ior that ser#es to maintain or increase the fre*uency of the beha#ior. &nother name for !ositi#e reinforcement is reward training. +ositi#e reinforcers tend to be #alued or !leasant stimuli. To get !ositi#e reinforcers, learners often enthusiastically e$ceed the minimum effort necessary to gain them. ,ecommendedNegative Reinforcement: The remo#al of a stimulus following a beha#ior that ser#es to maintain or increase the fre*uency of the beha#ior. &nother name for negati#e reinforcement is esca!e%a#oidance training. .egati#e reinforcers tend to be a#ersi#e or un!leasant stimuli. To a#oid negati#e reinforcers, learners often only work to the le#el necessary to a#oid them. .ot recommended-

Punishment: The !resentation of an a#ersi#e stimulus, or remo#al of a !ositi#e reinforcer, that ser#es to decrease or suppress the fre*uency of the beha#ior. The use of !unishment tends to !roduce detrimental side effects such as counter aggression, esca!e beha#ior, a!athy and fear. &lso, !unishment doesn/t teach the learner what to do to earn !ositi#e reinforcement. .ot ,ecommended0ne of the benefits of #iewing beha#ior and learning from a scientific a!!roach is that we can a#oid the !itfalls of relying on anecdotal information and%or anthro!omor!hic inter!retations of beha#ior. In addition as a recogni1ed science, the information belongs to e#eryone. .o single indi#idual has ownershi! of the methods or !rinci!les. They are a#ailable for each and e#eryone one of us to learn and a!!ly. By understanding the science we are able to remo#e misconce!tions and erroneous inter!retations of beha#ior. The science also teaches us that e#en innate beha#iors are modifiable. &nd most im!ortantly we learn to create and modify beha#ior with kinder and gentler methods. This allows reduction in stress, trust building bonds with caretakers, the a#oidance of learned aggressi#e beha#iors and the many other drawbacks often associated when a#ersi#e strategies are used to influence beha#ior. The Potential of Positive Reinforcement Training In many ways the !arrot community is still in its infancy as it identifies the !otential formali1ed training !rograms ha#e to #astly im!ro#e a#ian care and management !ractices. +ositi#e reinforcement training has long been a !art of the management and care of s!ecies such as ca!ti#e whales and dol!hins. 2og training has made tremendous changes in the last ten years towards focusing on !ositi#e reinforcement training. "hile this highly effecti#e and far kinder method of influencing animal beha#ior is ready and waiting to be e$!loited to its fullest in the a#ian community, a mo#ement of !ositi#e reinforcement training de#otees has been working hard to s!read the word to !arrot enthusiasts around the world. "hat these su!!orters ha#e learned is that !ositi#e reinforcement training dis!els many common misconce!tions that currently e$ist about !arrots. .o longer do they belie#e that getting bit by their !arrot is ine#itable, no longer do they worry if their bird is !erched higher than chest le#el, no longer do they assume their !arrot will misbeha#e with strangers, and so on. They ha#e learned that by a!!lying !ositi#e reinforcement training strategies, they can teach their bird to eagerly !resent almost any beha#ior they can imagine. +ositi#e reinforcement trainers commonly teach their birds to #oluntarily !resent the following !ractical and useful beha#iors. Step up onto the hand Step up onto the hand of other people Enter a kennel or other travel container Play in a towel Step onto a scale Go back into the cage

Stay on desired play stands or cages nteract without aggressive behavior with other birds +ositi#e reinforcement trainers often also train beha#iors that may seem focused on entertainment. Howe#er they also ser#e a #ery real function of building trust and enriching their birds li#es. These include the following !ouching a target "ave with a foot "ave with a wing Stretch wings out Nod #yes$ Shake head #no$ !urn around Retrieve an ob%ect !alk on cue Many of these seemingly im!ractical beha#iors are also easily sha!ed into medical beha#iors such allowing nail trims or cli!!ing feathers without restraint. 3ome 1oological facilities ha#e trained !arrots to allow the following medical beha#iors without restraint &'ideo of which can be seen at Parrot (ehavior and !raining "orkshops presented by the author) )ll over tactile e*am +loacal sampling +hoanal sampling ,ltrasound Radiograph +loacal temperature reading Nebuli-ation .asking for anesthesia (lood draws In addition to !ro#iding the tools to train no#el beha#iors, understanding the !rinci!les of beha#ior analysis gi#es !arrot enthusiasts the foundation needed to address beha#ior !roblems. Beha#ior !roblems such as biting, screaming, bonding to one !erson, fear of lea#ing the cage and feather destructi#e beha#ior are many times the result of a !arrot learning what to do to create an en#ironment that works for the bird. 4nfortunately humans often inad#ertently reinforce or create the undesired beha#ioral res!onse the !arrot is !resenting. By understanding the function of the beha#ior and identifying the antecedents and conse*uences that ser#e to maintain the beha#ior, owners can !roceed to de#elo! strategies based on beha#ior analysis !rinci!les to address !roblem beha#ior. Learning How to Train

3ur!rising to most, training with !ositi#e reinforcement is relati#ely sim!le. &s with any skill it can be !racticed. The more it is !racticed, ty!ically the better one becomes at its a!!lication. Many beha#iors can be trained in one or two twenty minute training sessions. The following are a few terms that are hel!ful to know !rior to del#ing further into the nuances of training with !ositi#e reinforcement. +ue5 & signal that tells the animal what to do. Many trainers use #erbal and%or hand cues. (ridge or bridging stimulus5 & signal or marker that indicates when an animal has done something correct. It bridges the ga! in time between when the animal did something correct and when it will recei#e the !ositi#e reinforcer. 3ome e$am!les of bridges are clickers, whistles, the word good or a touch. Shaping a behavior with appro*imations5 0nce a desired beha#ior is identified, it is !ossible to look at that beha#ior as a series of small ste!s. The first ste! must be learned before mo#ing on to the ne$t ste!. 6#entually all the ste!s when oined together lead u! to the final desired beha#ior. &!!ro$imations are used *uite often to train beha#iors. This strategy can be used to train a bird to ste! u! onto the hand, go onto a scale, ste! onto strangers, enter a kennel, wa#e and much more. Training with a!!ro$imations is like a dance between the trainer and the bird. The bird may take a few ste!s or a!!ro$imations forward, but if the bird is hesitant to mo#e forward more, the trainers may choose to acce!t a ste! that had been mastered !re#iously. The training may remain at this ste! for a few re!etitions as the bird gains confidence before a more challenging ste! is attem!ted again. There is a constant shifting and ad usting to meet the ca!abilities of the bird, but e#entually more ste!s are taken forward then backward and the bird learns what the trainer is trying to teach. It is an intricate dance and one that makes training such an interesting acti#ity. It challenges a trainer/s skills. 7ery rarely does training become boring. 6ach s!ecies, each indi#idual, each beha#ior brings a new set of criteria to the table. 4sing the terms described abo#e and !ositi#e reinforcement as a training strategy we can e$!lore the !rocess of training a beha#ior. The first ste! is to identify a beha#ior to train. "hen training by sha!ing with a!!ro$imations, it is hel!ful to describe in writing what each ste! might be. This can hel! a trainer #isuali1e the !rocess. In addition it is im!ortant to identify a cue for the beha#ior, a bridge and the ty!e of !ositi#e reinforcement !referred by the training sub ect. &t first the bird will not understand the cue. Therefore the first ste! is to try to create the situation in which the bird will !erform a small !art of the beha#ior. 8or e$am!le to teach a bird to ste! u! on the hand for !ositi#e reinforcement, sunflower seeds may be used to lure the bird towards the hand. If the bird takes a ste! towards the hand, the bird is bridged (the bridge signal is gi#en) and offered a seed. "hile the bird is making the ste! towards the hand, a cue can be offered, such as the #erbal cue ste! u!. This associates the cue with the action of mo#ing towards the hand. 0#er time the bird will make the connection that the #erbal cue ste! u! means to go to the hand. 6#entually the

goal is to !hase out showing the sunflower seeds to encourage the !erformance of the beha#ior and only offer the cue. "hen training a new beha#ior the se*uence is as follows5 9. +resentation of cue by the trainer :. Bird !erforms beha#ior or a!!ro$imation towards desired beha#ior ;. Bridge is gi#en by the trainer for correct !erformance of beha#ior or a!!ro$imation <. +ositi#e reinforcer is offered by the trainer =. This !rocess re!eats itself as each a!!ro$imation is added, until the final goal beha#ior is achie#ed. 0nce a bird has gone through the a!!ro$imations and clearly understands that the cue means to !erform a !articular beha#ior, the use of the bridge can be !hased out for that beha#ior. The bridge is a good tool to hel! clearly communicate what is desired. Howe#er, once the beha#ior is learned it is not necessary. If the bird has !roblems with the beha#ior or is learning a new beha#ior, the bridge can always be reintroduced. &lthough the bridge can e#entually be remo#ed, it is not recommended to !hase out the !ositi#e reinforcer.. 0#er time the bird will lose its moti#ation to !erform the beha#ior. ,einforcement increases the likelihood the bird will !erform a beha#ior> a#ersi#e or no conse*uences can decrease that likelihood. Training a Retrieve ?earning new beha#iors is mentally and !hysically stimulating for com!anion !arrots. It is no secret that !arrots are some of the most intelligent animals on earth. Ha#ing the o!!ortunity to e$ercise their brain !ower is highly enriching. The following e$am!le describes the a!!ro$imations one can take to teach a sim!le retrie#e. It is also a great e$ercise for new trainers to use to !ractice a!!lying the !rinci!les of training. 9. 3et the bird on a small !erch (a!!ro$imately one foot long). :. 0ffer from your hand a small toy, such as a !lastic bead, or other small but hea#y ob ect. 4sually birds will !ick it u! with their beaks out of curiosity. If the bird will not !ick it u!, try hiding a !iece of food behind the bead so the bird must touch the bead with its beak. In this training scenario, the !resentation of the bead may act as a #isual cue, but you can also use a #erbal cue such as !ick it u!. (?ater this will be useful if you want the bird to retrie#e other ob ects.)Bridge and reinforce when the bird touches the bead with its beak. 'ontinue sha!ing touching the bead until the bird !icks it u!. ;. Hold a small bowl under the bird/s beak. 6#entually the bird will tire of the bead and dro! it. 'atch the bead in the bowl. Gi#e the bridging stimulus you ha#e chosen when the bead hits the bowl bottom. This can be clicking a clicker one time, or saying the word good. 2ecide the ty!e of bridging stimulus you will use before you begin the session. &fter the bridging stimulus is gi#en, offer the bird the !ositi#e reinforcer. The !ositi#e reinforcer can be a sunflower seed or

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other food treat. 0ther reinforcers can be offered such a head scratches or attention. @ust be sure the bird finds these things !ositi#ely reinforcing. ,e!eat this !rocess se#eral times. &fter se#eral re!etitions, mo#e the bowl o#er to the side slightly. The bird will !robably not dro! the bead in the bowl. If this ha!!ens, do not bridge or reinforce. 0ffer the bead again. &llow the bird to miss and not get reinforced one or two times. Then go back to trying to catch the bead in the bowl. Bridge and reinforce. Try mo#ing the bowl to the side again. If the bird gets the bead in the bowl offer a large reinforcement. If he misses, go back to ste! ; and work u! to ste! = again. Cee! re!eating this !rocess until the bird understands the bead must go into the bowl in order to get the reinforcement. 0nce the bird gets the conce!t of the bead going into the bowl, start mo#ing the bowl a little farther away. Eou will find you may ha#e to go through ste!s ;FB again. But e#entually, you will be able to hold the bead on one end of the !erch and the bowl on the other. 0nce this conce!t is understood by the bird, you can try switching the ob ect to something else. "hen you do this, go back to holding the bowl under the bird/s beak and catching the ob ect. Gradually a!!ro$imate the bowl farther away. This should go *uickly this time. 0nce the conce!t is well understood, try !lacing the bird and bowl on another surface such as a table. &gain, you may need to re!eat ste!s ;FB to get on track. But e#entually the bird will learn to generali1e and !erform the beha#ior in different en#ironments and with different ob ects.

Conclusion The good news about training is that it is not that hard to do. 4nderstanding a few sim!le conce!ts can get !arrot enthusiasts started on a !ath of disco#ery. .ot only can training with !ositi#e reinforcement !ro#ide entertaining di#ersions, but it can also create well beha#ed !arrots, reduce stress, a#oid aggressi#e res!onses, and create an eager and enthusiastic !artici!ant. Most im!ortantly it fosters the human animal bond that draws us to these fascinating creatures. 8reidman, 3.G. (:HH=). /e Said0 She Said0 Science Says1$ Good Bird Maga1ine1 7olume 9 issue 9. 8riedman, 3.G. (:HH=) Straight !alk about Parrot (ehavior Good Bird Maga1ine 7olume 9 Issue ;. 8riedman, 3.G. and Heidenreich, B. (:HH=) Pick a Principle Good Bird Maga1ine. 7olume 9 Issue <. Heidenreich, B. (:HH<) +licking with your (ird- www.+arrot'hronicles.com. .o#F2ec. Issue 9G.

Heidenreich, B.6. (:HH<). !raining (irds for .edical and /usbandry (ehaviors. Proceedings &ssociation of &#ian 7eterinarians annual conference. (arbara /eidenreich has been a professional in the field of animal training since 23341 She is the President of Good (ird nc &www1Good(ird nc1com)0 a company that provides parrot behavior and training products to the companion parrot community1 !hese products include Good (ird .aga-ine0 books0 videos0 and parrot training workshops1 (arbara /eidenreich has been a featured speaker on animal training on si* continents and has been published in nine different languages1 (arbara /eidenreich is a former president of the nternational )ssociation of )vian !rainers and Educators &www1 ))!E1org) and served on the (oard of 5irectors from 2336784431 She is a behavior and training consultant for 9):!EE and SuperPet1 (arbara also consults on animal training in -oos0 nature centers and other animal related facilities1 She has been a part of the development and production of more than 2; different free flight education programs and has worked with over <4 different animal facilities1 n her career she has trained animals0 trained staff0 and=or presented shows at facilities around the world1 She shares her home with (lu >u a (lue !hroated .acaw0 ?oe +ockertiel and his girlfriend (anana Puddin@ a lutino cockatiel0 5elbert the chatty :ellow Named )ma-on Parrot and !arah0 a (lue Aronted )ma-on Parrot who has been a part of (arbara@s life for over 8; years1 +opyright 844B Good (ird nc1 Airst )ppeared in (ird 9eeper .aga-ine1 www1(ird9eeper1com1au1 +annot be reprinted without permission1