This past year I had the pleas-u re of collab o r ating withwe l l - k n own bird trainerS t eve Mart i n , P resident ofN atural Encounters Inc (NEI).

Along with his impre s s i ve training ands u p p o rt staff we developed and taught as e ries of workshops designed to meet theunique needs of companion parrot care-g i ve r s.Our goal was exciting and ambi-t i o u s : To unify the art and science oftraining to improve the quality of life fo rcompanion parrots and their care g i ve r s.

To meet this goal we targeted 10 care g i v-er competencies (see side bar).

To my delight, at the first wo r k s h o p,Team Leader Rob Bules asked me to trainS a m , one bird of a bonded pair of 9-ye a r-o l d , u n t a m e d , g reen-winged macaw s.Needless to say, Rob didn’t need to askme twice! Our training target was theh u s b a n d ry behavior of being we i g h e d .This behavior will help NEI staff monitorS a m ’s health.

To meet this goal Sam needed to learnto do the fo l l owing behaviors willingly

when re q u e s t e d :1) To step on and off my hand2) to ride on my hand in and out of his

e n c l o s u re3) to step on and off the scale locat e d

outside his enclosure.We accomplished our goal in 21⁄2 h o u r s

of total training time with only two 20-m i nute sessions per day for four day s.This was accomplished with a powe r f u l ,p o s i t i ve - re i n forcement pro c e d u re fo rt e a ching new behaviors called shap i n g.With shaping the trainer shifts the cri t e-rion for re i n forcement to closer and clos-er ap p rox i m ations (small improve m e n t s )t oward the final behav i o r. M a ny of ourown human behaviors are shap e d . Fo re x a m p l e, standing upright is shaped intoru n n i n g,b abbling is shaped into talking,and scri bbling is shaped into wri t i n g.

This photo essay re p resents only thehighlights of the many, m a ny small stepsand frequent repetitions that occurred fo rus to meet our goal successfully, q u i ck lyand without force or coercion of anyk i n d . I ’d like to thank participant Lisa deGuzman Catlett of AERAS for photograp h-ing my training sessions.

by S.G. Friedman, Ph.D

2 0 ■ BIRD TA L K

S a m’s behavior tells me where tostart. I offer him a sunflower seedfrom outside the cage, and he quicklyclimbs to get it so we start there. It’ sour first instance of two-way com-munication: I offer a seed, and heaccepts. Sam is always empoweredto make a choice. Since he’s so com-fortable taking food from my hand,we move to the next step.

Empowering ParrotsEmpowering Parrots Positive reinforcement

boosts confidence forboth bird and trainer.

Day One

10 Competencies ForCompanion Parrot Caregivers

1) Understand companion parrot behavior byconsidering its general function in the wild.

2) Understand companion parrot behavior byanalyzing its specific function in the home.

3) Sensitively observe, interpret and respondto parrots’ body language.

4) Empower parrots to make choices andhave control over their own outcomes withoutlowering standards of acceptable behavior.

5) Arrange the physical environment toincrease the probability of successful behavior.

6) Deliver high rates of positive reinforce-

ment for desired behaviors with good timing andclear criteria.

7) Achieve training targets by effectivelyshaping small, sequenced steps toward the finalb e h a v i o r.

8) Design interventions to solve problembehaviors such as biting, excessive screamingand over-bonding using the most positive, least-intrusive training methods.

9) Understand the detrimental side effects ofaversive behavior-change procedures, and usethem rarely.

10) Improve critical thinking skills to betterevaluate the appropriateness of popularapproaches to parrot behavior management.

▲ After reinforcing Sam for allowingmy right hand to come closer — inch,by inch — I try resting it on his perch.He lunges, so I immediately remove myhand to empower this clear communi-cation of discomfort. On the third try,Sam takes the treat, with his foot lean-ing against the edge of my hand. He haslearned that he has power to removemy hands, so I suppose he has no fur-ther need to do so.

▲ Sam moves one foot onto my handto get a pellet (in spite of the fact thatfree pellets are all over the floor). Iresist the urge to raise my hand to gethim to lift his other foot and insteadtry to remain absolutely motionless.Soon Sam chooses to eat his treatswith his foot on my hand. I i n t e r p r e tthis as increased trust and readinessto move on to the big time.

Inside the enclo-sure, I offer Sam atreat just farenough away thathe has to move toget it. Sam is learn-ing about “contin-g e n c y”: If you cometo my hand, you geta treat; if you don’ tcome to my hand,you don’t get atreat. Sam comescloser to get sun-flower seeds,peanuts and thesame staple pelletsavailable to himf r e e l y. Since he isnever hungry, Iguess he finds myattention and activi-ty rewarding, too.

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ 2 1

▲ I raise the criterion for reinforcement from one foot toboth feet on my hand by moving the treat further away, thusrequiring Sam to stretch a bit more to get it. I keep my handrock solid as Sam cautiously edges onto it, but his body lan-guage conveys discomfort. He crouches, clenches his toes,tightens his feathers and maintains a fixed stare.

Now that he’s feelingmore secure, I slowlymove Sam away fromthe perch, inch by inch. Ioffer Sam a very highrate of reinforcement tomatch the difficulty ofthis behavior. At about12 inches from theperch, he holds hiswings slightly awayfrom his body, as ifpreparing for flight. Idecide to call it quits forthe day. The hardestpart of training is stop-ping while you’re ahead.

▲ I review my plan to cross the threshold today, but check mydetermination at the door. I control the reinforcers, but Samcontrols the pace. Starting where we left off, I offer Sam atreat, and he quickly comes over to get it. I offer my hand, andhe steps up without hesitation. After a few fast repetitions onand off my hand, we’re ready to boldly go where no Sam hasgone before!

▲ I work with Sam to the point that we cross intothe main training area. After a happy moment, Iobserve Sam’s low stance and uneasy eyes. He’sedging down my arm, and I’m concerned he maybite me. I hold him further away from my body. Weboth lack confidence. He has too little ex p e r i e n c eperched on a hand in a busy room; I have too muchexperience with companion parrots that havelearned nothing short of biting gets results.

The best cure for discomfort iscontrol, and so it’s back to the perchfor a confidence booster. We practicestepping up, crossing the thresholdand taking a few steps into the mainarea. Sam shows his growing com-fort, with his feet firmly planted onmy hand, tall stance and relaxe dfeathers. This is what we need to seebefore moving on, so I reinforce thisbody language with a treat and lotsof praise.

▲ Rather than ask for more than Sam can comfortably give atthis time, I lead him back to his perch, where he will be moreat ease. We practice stepping on and off my hand until hisbody language is relaxed and his confidence boosted. I’m fol-lowing the NEI mantra: Repetition builds confidence andbreaks down barriers.

2 2 ■ BIRD TA L K

Day Tw o

Today the goal is steppingonto the scale, so I ask SteveMartin to help arrange theenvironment for success.The first thing Steve does issurvey the cart. He turns itlong way out and putssomething under a wheel soit won’t roll. Next he movesthe scale from the center ofthe cart to the edge so Samcan step freely withoutbumping his tail. FinallySteve models a way for meto lower Sam securely.

▲ After taking treats off the scale,Sam puts one foot on it. I keep myhand close just in case he wants tostep back, but I can see from thisphoto that it’s too close to the block,and I recall tipping him onto it. Ineed to position my hand an inch ortwo away from the block to allowSam to make a clear choice to steponto it or not.

▲ Sam puts both feet onto the scale.I don’t think I’ve ever seen a loveliernumber than 1,377 grams. We nowhave a baseline weight to bettermanage his care. Had Sam chosennot to step on the scale, I would havesimply changed my strategy. I couldarrange the environment to make theright behavior easier; increase thevalue of the reinforcer; reinforcesmaller approximations; or providemore repetitions.

NOVEMBER 2005 ■ 2 3

Sam readily comes outof his enclosure, and westand by the scale. Hisbody language tells all.Rather than going all theway back to the cage for apower booster, I test theeffect of heading just afew feet in that direction.A few repetitions back andforth build his confidence,and he relaxes his stance.

Day Three

Sam is uneasy onthe scale. He’sglancing back at thecage, raising andlowering his body,and tipping hiswings as if he’spreparing to fly. Ioffer my hand infront of him, but it’ stoo close to hisbody to lend itselftoward stepping up.I correct my mis-t a ke, and he stepsonto my hand. Buthe’s lost confi-dence, triggeringhis instinct to go up,so I duck fast toavert a bite.

▲ Sam steps onto the scale as ifhe’s been doing it his whole life.This time I remember to keep myhand rock solid behind him just incase he chooses to step off. Everyinteraction between us is a learn-ing opportunity for both of us. It isthe positive consequences we pro-vide each other that has built atrusting relationship.

▲ Sam reaches his left foot back to findmy hand and leave the way he came. Itwill take no time at all to teach him tostep forward off the scale. With behav-ior programs, we can only guess whatwill work best with an individual. Everybird is a Study of One, with its ownunique genetic and learning histories.The bird’s behavior ultimately providesthe data about the extent to which wehave met our goals.

▲ F o r t u n a t e l y, that morning we general-ized Sam’s Step-up behavior to Lisa DeGuzman Catlett, who calmly returned himto his cage. It was at that moment I ex p e-rienced an epiphany: Given his long his-tory of positive-only experiences at NEI,Sam had never learned that biting was away to get out of a jam. It was not adefault behavior for him, and he wouldn’ tbite me if I continued to use facilitationinstead of force.

Totally confident that three days ofpositive reinforcement training wouldovercome yesterday’s excitement, Iplan on practicing the complete behav-ior chain from cage to scale and backagain. Sam hops onto my hand enthu-siastically and stands comfortably nextto the scale as expected. I keep myelbow close to my side, and Sam closerto my face, providing a more stableperch and relaxed atmosphere.

2 4 ■ BIRD TA L K

▲ I offer Sam an opportunity to return tohis perch at the end of the day, and hesurprises me by choosing to stay on myhand instead! I am happy to spend a fewmore minutes together reflecting on allwe’ve achieved with positive reinforce-ment, choice and empowerment.

Four Months Later ...I re t u rned to the ranch for the next wo r k-s h o p.No one had wo r ked with Sam since Il e f t . I laid my hand on the perch , and Samstepped onto my hand.With the help oftrainers Wouter Stellaard and Cassie Malina,Sam practiced stepping from hand to handoutside his enclosure. S u ch is the confi-dence of an empowe red learner and thel o n g evity of behavior acquired thro u g hp o s i t i ve re i n fo r c e m e n t .

S. G.F r i e d m a n ,P h . D. ,is a psychology professor at UtahS t ate Unive r s i t y.Her area of expertise is learning andb e h avior with a special emphasis on childre n ’s behav -ior disorders.Susan also wo rks with companion parrotc a re t a k e r s, animal tra i n e r s, ve t e r i n a r i a n s,and zoo staffto apply to animals the same humane, s c i e n t i f i c a l lysound teaching strat e gies that have been so effe c t i ve withhuman learn e r s, called Applied Behavior A n a ly s i s.Th eguiding principle of this approach is a hiera r c hy ofteaching interventions starting with the most positive ,least intru s i ve ,e f fe c t i ve behavior solutions.

BT

Day Four