Let's Do Some Click'n

(Introduction to Clicker Training)

This article is for you if you are interested in learning the basics of Clicker Training. Clicker training is a training method used by many professional animal trainers. It is very effective, simple, and fun. It is based on the premise that behaviors that are reinforced tend to increase in frequency, intensity, and duration. It is also based on positive reinforcement, which helps build a bond between the trainer and the animal. It's amazing to see an animal look forward to training, which is very different from some of the horror stories we've all heard. While this article is an introduction, the follow up article Let's Do Some Click'n II is an intermediate article on Clicker training birds. You can read this entire article or jump to a specific section using the links below.

• Let's Do Some Click'n
• Step 1 - Let's Get The Behavior
• Step 2 - Let's Begin Reinforcing the Behavior
• Step 3 - Let's Fine Tune the Behavior
• Let's Begin Targeting
• Step 4 - Let's Put the Behavior on Cue
• Reference Materials and Suggested Reading

This article will explain all the steps necessary to begin training. This article covers everything you need to know about Clicker Training from start to finish. The information is broken down into simple steps and includes specific examples to get you started. You can begin applying the Clicker techniques immediately. There are also helpful explanations relating to how we (people) shape our behaviors based on the same principles that Clicker training is based on. We'll get to the specific details for each of these four steps later but this is the basic plan.

1. Step 1 - Get the Behavior
2. Step 2 - Reinforce the Behavior
3. Step 3 - Fine Tune the Behavior
4. Step 4 - Put the Behavior on Cue

If you think that it sounds too simple, you are correct. It is simple and this article will cover the details of each of these four steps. The first step, Get the Behavior, is sometimes as easy as sitting in your favorite chair watching your bird. We'll discuss several ways to accomplish this step in later sections. The second step, Reinforce the Behavior is where the Clicker comes into action. This step is also easy once you get some practice. You should be able to use the clicker within minutes of starting and will soon become an expert Clicker with practice. The third step, Fine Tune the Behavior, is where the behavior is perfected to your satisfaction. There is nothing new to learn at this step because the technique is the same as step two. The only difference is your expectations of the behavior. Finally, the fourth step, Put the Behavior on Cue, is where you put a word or signal with the behavior.

Before we get into the details, here are some helpful hints about getting the most from this article. This article has been written in simple terms. All the "big words" have been removed or at least minimized. There is a follow up article Let's Do Some Click'n II that does include a few big words if you're interested. Check out the Suggested Reading section at the end for a link to the follow up article as well as other suggested reading material. I've included a few topic boxes that you'll see in this article which expand on the topics. The three topic boxes used in this article are Moving On, Birdie Topic, and People Topic. The Moving On box let's you know when it is time to move on in the technique. Some articles tell you how to begin a step in the process but forget to tell you when to stop and move on. That's the purpose of this topic box. The Birdie Topic box gives additional specific information that relates directly to training your bird. This box may offer additional details relating to training or may answer a specific question about training your bird. The third topic box, People Topic, relates the step, process, or technique to human behavior. This sometimes helps the trainer understand the reasoning behind a behavior. This third topic box often shows the amusing side of human behavior while emphasizing the effectiveness of a technique. Ok, that's enough background and preview, let's start some training.

Let's Do Some Click'n

This article is about Clicker training so let's begin Clicking. The first thing to do is get a Clicker. There are multiple sources for purchasing a "Clicker" on the Internet and most major pet stores now carry them. They usually call them "Dog Clickers" but it's the same thing for dogs, cats, birds, dolphins, horses, etc. You don't have to have a clicker to read this article but it is required to follow the examples and obviously it's required if you want to do some serious Clicker Training.

Moving On - "Charging the Clicker" is usually a very fast process. Sometimes it takes less than 20 C&Ts (Click & Treat) to finish this step. You can tell when you are finished by observing your bird's reaction when it hears the Clicker. If you bird turns to you expecting a treat when it heats the Clicker then you are ready to move on.

Before you can begin Clicker training, you must train your bird to recognize the Clicker. The process is very simple. You click the Clicker then immediately give the bird a treat. This is usually abbreviated as C&T. You only Click one time then treat. No matter how happy or excited you are or the bird is, it is important to just click once. The time between the click and the treat should be kept to a minimum to enable the bird to make a good connection between the click sound and the treat. Is that simple? There are a lot of technical and not-so-technical terms for the process of associating the Click and the Treat. Some call it "Conditioning", "Loading", or "Charging". Some of the really smart people describe it as "connecting a Primary Reinforcer with a Secondary (Conditional) Reinforcer". For our purposes, we'll call it "charging the Clicker". In simpler terms it is connecting a Treat with a Sound. It doesn't get any easier than that.

So what is required to make this connection between the Sound and the Treat successful. The two requirements are obviously a good Treat and a good Sound. The Treat has to be something the bird is willing to work for. This may be a seed, piece of fruit, lick of peanut butter, head rub, belly rub, or anything the bird would be willing to work for. You know your bird better than anyone so picking your Treat should be easy. For those that can't come up with a Treat, here's a method for determining the Treat. When it's feeding time, place a variety of possible treats in the food dish and watch to see which one the bird goes for first. This is usually a good indication of it's favorite. Sometimes it's a good idea to find several favorites and then put them in a food dish to find the favorite of the favorites. Once you determine the Treat, it's a good idea to stop feeding that Treat unless you are training. What do you think would be a good sound? If you guessed a Clicker, you are already at the front of the class. The Clicker is an excellent sound because it is makes a quick and unique sound.

Let's cover some general guidelines regarding training and the training sessions before beginning.

• Clicking a Behavior - Only click once per behavior. If it is a good behavior and you want to show your appreciation use a "Jackpot". A Jackpot is where you give multiple treats for a single click. This should only be used occasionally. If possible, using it to end a training session is an excellent opportunity to make sure the bird looks forward to the next training session. This Happy Ending ends the session on a high note, which is important.
• Training Environment - Pick a quiet place with no distractions. This means no distractions for you or the bird. It is best to turn off phones, radios, TVs, etc.
• Training Length - Keep the sessions short (10-20 minutes) so the bird stays focused and interested. During the first few sessions, you may need to shorten them if the bird lacks interest. The length of the sessions can increase as the bird realizes that the sessions are fun and interesting.
• Happy Ending - End each session on a happy ending. Even if you have to go back to an easier learned behavior. If possible and if the bird earns it, a Jackpot at the ending is the perfect ending to a training session. You don't want to use the Jackpot at every ending because your bird may look forward to ending the training session. Use the Jackpot sparingly.
• Strike a Pose - When clicking a specific behavior, think of it as taking a photograph. The click should be done AS the behavior is being offered. When you hear the click, think of it as pushing the button to take a photograph. Would the photograph capture the exact behavior? If not, you should work on improving your timing. We'll discuss ways to improve your timing later.

Step 1 - Let's Get The Behavior

Now that the Clicker is "charged", we're ready to put it to use. In this section we'll discuss a couple ways to Get the Behavior. There are four basic ways to do this which are Capturing, Luring, Modeling, and Manual Manipulation. Let's look at each of these methods in detail.

People Topic - You may have heard about this as it pertains to teaching children. It's often referred to as "Catch them doing something good". You simply catch them doing something good and reward them. It works with children and works with other less sophisticated animals like birds.

Capturing is when you observe the bird doing something that it naturally does or "offers" without any prompting. This could be as simple as a head nod, a yawn, a wing raise, or any other interesting mannerism that you want to train the bird to do. To train this behavior, all you have to do is wait for the bird to offer the behavior and then Click and Treat (C&T) when it performs the behavior. It is important to Click as the bird is doing the behavior. The click will tell the bird that you are rewarding the exact behavior that it is offering at the exact moment that it hears the click. This is where practice and timing becomes necessary. Remember the Photograph analogy from the beginning of this article? Clicking too early (before the behavior) will usually prevent the bird from doing the behavior because it will start looking for its treat. Besides Clicking before the behavior requires mind reading which isn't required for Clicker training. Clicking too long after the behavior will usually just confuse the bird. It won't be sure what you were clicking for so it won't know what behavior will earn it a reward in the future. You'll discover that the more practice you get, the better you will get at clicking at the right time.

There are practice techniques that you can use to improve your timing. If you have a friend to practice with, you can both practice your timing together. Pick a behavior such as raising a hand and each of you then click each time the other raises their hand. If you're alone, you can also practice by watching television and deciding to click each time a character says a word or makes a particular movement such as a head nod. Your timing doesn't have to be perfect but the closer to perfect it is, the more effective the method. One final note, the behavior that you capture doesn't have to be a perfect behavior in the beginning. Let's look at a specific example. The "Big Eagle" is where the bird raises both wings high above its head. If you capture it raising both wings high above its head then that's wonderful but you don't have to wait for the perfect "Big Eagle". You can begin "Capturing" if it raises both wings half way up but not all the way up. We'll learn in later sections how to "Fine Tune the Behavior" into the final behavior. Your bird will soon begin to offer this behavior more often as it realizes it will get a reward for the behavior. You will be amazed at how quickly the connection is made. For some birds and some behaviors this could be as quickly as a few C&T's. Other birds and some behaviors may take several C&T's.

Moving On - How do you know it's time to stop using the Lure for a specific behavior? You can and should stop using the lure as soon as possible so the bird doesn't think the lure is required before it does the behavior. You can usually stop the lure after a few C&T's. You'll know when you can stop because the bird will begin to offer the behavior without the lure. This will require patience on your part. Don't be tempted to use the lure because it's easy. Wait for the behavior. When you get tired of waiting, wait a little longer.

Luring is when you lure or induce your bird to perform a behavior. Let's look at a specific example. The "Turn" is where you bird turns around in a circle. You can Lure this behavior by holding a treat just out of reach to the left side of the bird. As the bird turns to get the treat you C&T. You may have to repeat this process until you bird makes the connection that turning will earn it a reward. Your bird will begin to offer this behavior (turning to the left) when it realizes it will be rewarded for the behavior. You can fine-tune the behavior later. Luring is a powerful technique and is often used to begin the training process of some of the more popular behaviors such as the "Wave" and the "Hand Shake". You can Lure both of these behaviors using your finger. You simply begin the "Step Up" finger movement and as the bird raises it's appropriate "hand" then you C&T. Using the "Step Up" to lure the bird into raising the right "hand" is the beginning of the "Hand Shake" and raising the left "hand" is the beginning of the "Wave". The Lure is a very effective method but should be used with caution. If the bird realizes that it can wait for a "lure" before acting then the method will not work. So the lure should be used sparingly. To overcome this problem a better version of the lure was devised. This technique is called "Targeting". We'll cover this topic later but it is basically a "stick" used to lure the bird. Yes, Clicker training is so effective that you can train a bird to follow a boring "stick".

Birdie Topic - An example of Modeling is vocalizations. You say the word "Hello" and your bird repeats it. Modeling is sometimes useful but it is often unreliable. Have you noticed that sometimes no matter how many times you say something that you want your bird to repeat, it never does? But then you say a word that you don't want it to repeat and it repeats the word after hearing it one time! Welcome to the unreliable method of Modeling.

Modeling is the "Monkey See Monkey Do" method of getting a behavior. This is not a very reliable method but it does work on some occasions. You simply imitate the behavior that you want to train and hope that your bird mimics your behavior. It often works on behaviors like "Shake Your Head" and "Bob Your Head". It never hurts to try. The worse that could happen is your bird could look at like you're crazy. So if nothing else, you're bird just loses a little bit of respect for you. The best case scenario is that the bird actually does the behavior. If you're lucky enough to get the behavior, C&T. Modeling also can work if you have multiple birds. You may notice that one bird will model the other bird. If you see this happen take advantage of it and C&T. This is a combination of "Modeling" and "Capturing" but regardless of which method you use, getting the behavior is the important point. Another example is the method used by the famous Dr. Irene Pepperberg while training Alex the African Grey Parrot. The bird would witness a person training another person (acting as the bird). In this case, the bird models the other person and not the trainer. This was shown by Dr. Pepperberg to be an effective learning method.

People Topic - Have you heard the phrase "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink"? That's similar to Manual Manipulation and one of the reasons that it is not used by most trainers and only used sparingly by some trainers.

Manual Manipulation is when you physically move the bird or bird's appendage to manually force the behavior. Before going any further, this is not a recommended method. Some trainers absolutely never use this method while some use it only as a last resort. There are several reasons why it is used sparingly. The first reason is because it just isn't very effective. The bird is more likely to repeat a behavior that it offers or figures out by itself. Secondly, physically forcing the bird to strike a pose doesn't foster the respectful relationship that you are trying to build with your bird. Finally, it takes all the fun out of the process for the bird. It's like playing charades only your partner gets to physically move your arms and legs. Doesn't sound like much fun to me and probably won't be much fun for the bird either.

Step 2 - Let's Begin Reinforcing the Behavior

The second step in the four step process of training is Reinforcing the Behavior. Reinforcing the behavior is the heart and soul of Clicker training. After getting the behavior using one of the methods in the previous section, you repeat the process of C&T'ing the behavior to continue reinforcing the behavior. Can you believe Step Two (Reinforcing the Behavior) is easier than Step One? It is often easier than getting the behavior but it also often takes longer. Reinforcing the behavior may take several training sessions. If you follow the following guidelines, you can shorten this part of the training process.

• Treats - Pick a yummy treat that your bird is willing to work for. Details on selecting a treat were covered earlier in this article.
• Focus - Structure training sessions so the bird is focused and sheltered from interruptions.
• Timing - Aim for perfect timing but "close enough" is usually "good enough".
• Jackpot - Use the Jackpot but use it sparingly
• Coaxing - Verbally coaxing a bird isn't useful and only confuses the bird unless the behavior is put on Cue. So it's best to remain quiet. After a C&T it is acceptable to praise the bird but only after the C&T.

One final point about verbalizing or coaxing during this step in the process. It is best to remain quiet while waiting on your bird to perform a behavior. Let your bird figure out what behavior you are seeking. Some trainers use a command to tell their bird that it is doing the wrong behavior. In technical terms it is called a Non-Reinforcement Marker, No Reward Marker, or NRM. In plain English it is when you say "No", "Wrong", "uh uh", or something to indicate the wrong behavior is being offered. I don't recommend this for one simple reason; it isn't necessary. The fact that you don't C&T is an understandable indication to your bird that what it is doing isn't going to earn a treat. It will quickly move on and offer another behavior. Just be patient at this point and wait for your bird to offer another behavior.

Moving On - When is it time to move beyond Step Two, Let's Begin Reinforcing the Behavior? If the behavior is performed correctly 8 out of 10 times then it is time to begin perfecting the behavior by moving to Step 3, Let's Fine Tune the Behavior. If the behavior is already perfect and it is performed correctly 9 out of 10 times then it is time to put the behavior on Cue by moving to Step 4, Let's Put the Behavior on Cue.

Technically speaking, Reinforcing the Behavior, will continue as long as you will expect the behavior to remain in your bird's list of behaviors. Ten years from now you will continue to reinforce the behavior. However, from the training perspective you reach a crossroad at this point. Either the behavior is perfect (final version) or it still needs to be fine-tuned. If the behavior is perfect and looks exactly like you want the final behavior to look like then it is time to place it on "Cue". A Cue is a verbal or non-verbal signal to tell the bird to perform a particular behavior. For example, when you say "Wave" and the bird waves its "hand". We'll cover that in the "Let's Put the Behavior on Cue" section. On the other hand, if the behavior isn't perfect then it's time to polish it and fine-tune it toward the final version. This is usually the case unless you are lucky enough to have a bird that offers a perfect behavior the first time. It happens but it is rare. Fine Tuning is what we'll look at in the next section; "Step 3 - Let's Fine Tune the Behavior".

Step 3 - Let's Fine Tune the Behavior

Congratulations on getting this far. By this point you have trained a behavior and now want to perfect the behavior. You will use a method called "Shaping" to perfect the behavior. Shaping is where you increase the criteria or your expectations before rewarding (C&T) the behavior. This is often referred to as training by using "successive approximations". In simple terms, it means you gradually increase your expectations and only give a C&T if your increased expectations are met. Some people say training is simple but not easy. This is where the "not easy" part comes. This step in the process requires your patience. Let's look at training the "Big Eagle" and assume at this point that your bird offers the "Big Eagle" but only lifts it's wings up half way. It's more like a "Little" eagle at this point. Also at this point, your bird is offering the behavior repeatedly attempting to earn a reward. Now is where you wait for a more perfect behavior. Your criteria may be that it raises its wings higher or all the way up. Let's break it down into small steps and require for this training session that the bird raise its wings up at least 75% of the way. It is recommended that you keep the same criteria during the training session. You begin the session and your bird does lift its wings up half way and then looks at you waiting for a treat. Resist the urge at this point to give in and C&T because the new expectation has not been met. Also resist the urge to verbally explain that 50% isn't good enough and it needs to raise them 75% of the way. This verbal coaxing, urging, or prompting only confuses the bird. Just wait and you will be amazed at what happens next.

People Topic - You may have seen an "Extinction Burst" in the grocery store. The child begins by asking for a candy bar. When the parent ignores the child and doesn't give in, the child begins an Extinction Burst and raises the volume and begins exaggerating it's behavior. This is often referred to as "throwing a fit".

The bird will quickly realize that the rules have been changed and begin to exaggerate the behavior. It is as if the bird is thinking "Hello, look at me I'm doing it! Look I'm really doing it! Please give me the treat!" As soon as it exaggerates the behavior and raises it's wings at least 75% of the way then you C&T. This is often a good time for a Jackpot too. When you see the light go on inside the birds head as it realizes it's new expectations. This isn't a chance circumstance and there is actually a technical term for this exaggerated and repeated behavior. The term is "Extinction Burst". It happens frequently and consistently enough that it has it's own term.

You may be thinking that the change from 50% to 75% is a logical progression and only logical progressions will work with Shaping. However Shaping also works for non-logical progressions too. Once the bird realizes that the criteria has changed and you aren't giving the C&T when he expects it, the "Extinction Burst" seems to take on a mind of it's own. The bird begins to offer all kinds of behaviors. Some of them are logical, some are not logical, some are behaviors leaned in the past, and some are surprising new behaviors. An example of a non-logical progression often occurs while teaching the "Wave" behavior. After raising the hand, the next criteria may be to clinch the talons similar to a waving hand. This is not a logical progression but is often offered during an "Extinction Burst" at this point in the training. Another progression or increased criteria that you may want to add while shaping may be the quickness of the behavior. If your bird is performing a behavior but is doing it slowly, Shaping can be used to increase the speed of the behavior. Although this is more subjective, you would only C&T if your bird performs the behavior fast enough to meet your expectations.

The variety of behaviors that your bird offers during an "Extinction Burst" can also be encouraged and improved. There is a game called "Free Shaping" that you can play that encourages your bird to try different things and explore different behaviors. You begin the process by just watching your bird. You're bird will usually begin to offer behaviors. This is where the fun begins. You only C&T behaviors that you want the bird to repeat. Usually Clicker trained animals will soon begin offering many behaviors. Other times it will be necessary to click for any behavior (turn of the head, raised foot, etc) just to get the ball rolling. This is also an opportunity to practice your Clicker timing. You will be able to evaluate your timing by watching how quickly your bird connects the behavior to the click and begins offering that behavior. This free form version of Capturing is also the perfect time to capture a cute mannerism or behavior that your bird offers such as that cute little head tilt.

Shaping is very effective at fine tuning a behavior to its final polished version. Sometimes it takes several steps to get to the final version. Let's take a closer look at another example; "Turn Around". The progression of Shaping for the "Turn Around" might be as shown below.

• Turn head toward the left
• Turn upper body toward the left
• Turn entire body around facing the opposite direction
• Turn entire body all the way around facing the original direction

Moving On - It is time to move on to putting the behavior on cue if and only if the behavior is perfect according to your expectations.

The Once the final polished version is perfected it is time to move on in the training process. The next step in the process is Step 4, Let's Put the Behavior on Cue. Before covering that topic, let's take a small detour and train a specific behavior that will be very useful in further training sessions. This behavior is "Targeting". It will make many simple behaviors easy to train and will provide the foundation for training some of the more complicated behaviors

Let's Begin Targeting

Targeting is a method used to Lure a behavior. In simple terms, your bird is trained to touch its beak to a stick. This stick is referred to as a "Target". If you hold the stick above its head, it will raise its head to touch the stick. It will also work to get the bird to turn its head to the sides and to lure the bird into walking, climbing or flying to another position. As you can see, this could turn out to be a very useful tool when trying to get a behavior. Targeting is often the first behavior that is clicker trained. This is recommended for several reasons.

Birdie Topic - Clicker Begging - is when your bird repeatedly offers a specific behavior while training for another behavior just to get a treat. It is often connected to the first Clicker trained behavior. Using a prop for the first behavior minimizes "Clicker Begging" because if the prop isn't visible then the behavior isn't offered.

1. The first behavior should use a prop to avoid "Clicker Begging"
2. Targeting is helpful in luring some simple behaviors
3. Targeting is essential in luring more complicated behaviors

Is Targeting required for all Clicker training sessions? It isn't a requirement but will make the process very easy in some cases, easier in other cases, and possible in other cases.

Let's get started by picking a prop for targeting. The Target should be shaped like a stick. Some examples are Magic Wands, Pointers, rulers, chop sticks, straws, pencils (unsharpened), etc. Sometimes it is helpful by making one end different from the other end to distinguish the two ends. You can do this using paint, tape, marker or any other means. There are other versions of Targets used for other animals but the stick variety is the most useful for birds. Another example for a bird might be a coin. By placing a coin at a specific spot, you could lure the bird into walking, climbing, or flying to that spot. Let's look at the specifics of Target training.
The process can be broken down into several steps such as those shown below.

1. Look at the Target
2. Allow the target to approach the bird
3. Touch the beak to the Target while it's held close to the beak
4. Touch the beak to the Target without grabbing or biting the Target
5. Touch the beak to the Target without grabbing it while it's held far from the beak but within reach
6. Touch the beak to the Target without grabbing it while it's held above, below, left and right but within reach
7. Touch the beak to the Target without grabbing it while it's held far from the beak out of reach
8. Walk further, Climb further, or Fly to touch the beak to the Target

First of all, some of these steps can be eliminated or more steps added depending on your bird. Some birds will start at the fourth step. Other birds will require coaxing at different points in the progression. Let's look at each of these steps in detail. The first step is often unnecessary but there are some birds that will be afraid of the Target. You may need to start at several feet away with Step 1 and gradually decrease the distance. For example start at 2 feet away and C&T when the bird looks at the Target. Then you would move it to 1 foot away and gradually move it closer and closer.

Birdie Topic - You can use a common trick to teach your bird to not be afraid of the Target. Simply hide most of it behind your hand or arm. As it gets used to the part of it sticking out, pull out more of it. Continue this until the entire Target is visible. This works with any object that can be hidden behind your hand or arm. Be careful and be prepared to stop at any time where your bird appears to become afraid or uncomfortable.

The second step is also often not necessary but may require a gradual progression that starts at a couple feet away. It's important to proceed slowly without scaring the bird. The last thing you want to do is make the bird afraid of the Target. If you sense the bird is getting uncomfortable then slow down or back up to the previous progression. Touching the Target with the beak is usually natural to the bird because that is how it explores its surroundings. It will usually automatically reach out and grab the Target. It is important not to touch the Target to the beak. Wait for the beak to touch the Target. Sometimes you can coax your bird into touching it by putting a treat at the end of the Target. It is important to Click as the bird touches the Target. Clicking before or after is less effective. The first touch of the Target is usually a good time for a Jackpot. The next step is to get it to touch the Target without grabbing it. This can easily be accomplished by waiting to C&T until your bird releases the Target. It will soon realize that it doesn't have to grab the Target to get a treat. Some birds will only require one C&T to make the connection and others will take longer. The next two steps require your bird to reach for the Target in all directions. You'll find that this is very natural and these two steps are usually combined into one progression. Step 7 requires your bird to actually move to touch the Target. The bird will sometimes sit and look at you waiting for you to bring the Target closer. This is where your patience is required. Eventually the light will come on and your bird will move to touch the Target. The final step, requiring a long walk, climb, or fly, is a logical progression and may or may not be required. For example, having the bird fly to a target may not be required for your training purposes.

Moving On - You know it is time to move on when your bird reliably moves toward the target, at an acceptable pace, and touches it's beak to the Target without biting the Target. In this case, "reliably" means that the "perfect" behavior occurs at least 9 out of 10 times.

The encouraging part is that Targeting is usually easier to do than it is to explain and will be very rewarding for you and your bird after it is perfected. You should continue to C&T this behavior until the behavior is reliable. You should also be very confident that if you place the Target somewhere then your bird will immediately begin moving toward the Target. The Target will soon become your bird's friend and a reliable source of treats. For this reason, it is important to use a Target only for training. You shouldn't use a perch or anything else that the bird is familiar with or routinely around like a stick hanging in it's cage. What would happen if you used a perch that looks like the one in your bird's cage? Naturally it will begin to Target the "Target" in its cage and quickly learn that it isn't getting a treat for Targeting. This would be bad and your bird will unlearn the behavior. However, if it only sees the target during training it will be confident that it is going to be rewarded for Targeting. A Targeting review or refresher is often a good place to start when beginning a training session.

One final helpful hint about Targeting before moving on. It is important to quit using the Target as soon as possible when using it to lure a behavior. You don't want your bird to think that the Target is part of the behavior. Let's look at the specific example of teaching the "Fetch" behavior. The first step might be to place an object away from your bird and lure it toward the object using your Target. If you have correctly Target trained your bird, putting the Target next to the object will lure your bird toward the object. If the Target is behind the object or close enough to the object, your bird will accidentally touch the object and you will C&T as soon as it touches the object. This will often be the only time you'll need the Target because your bird will realize that touching the object earned the reward. This is especially true if your Clicker timing is correct. If your bird does not make the connection then try using the Target again. However, you will need to gradually eliminate the use of the Target. The quicker you fade out the Target, the better. Here's an effective trick to use. Start by hiding part of the Target behind your hand or arm. Gradually hide more and more of the Target until it is no longer required by the bird to offer the behavior.

Targeting is a very powerful tool in the repertoire of the trainer. It is limited only by your imagination. The more creative you become in using the Target, the more amazing behaviors you can train. At some point, you will want to add a "Cue" to these amazing behaviors. The cue is how you tell your bird which of the amazing behaviors you want to see. This final and fourth step in the training, Step 4 - Let's Put the Behavior on Cue, will be covered in detail in the next section.

Step 4 - Let's Put the Behavior on Cue

Your bird will quickly have several behaviors in its bag of tricks. Adding a cue will be the way that you tell your bird which of those behaviors you are prepared to reward. Specifically a "Cue" is a command to tell your bird that you want a specific behavior and only that behavior. A cue can be verbal ("Step Up", "Wave", etc) or non-verbal (waving your hand, nodding your head, etc). Moving from Step 3, Let's Fine Tune the Behavior, to this step too quickly is one of the most common mistakes in Clicker training. The cue should only be added if the behavior is "perfect". Adding a cue before the behavior is learned is useless and just confuses the bird. If someone was training you and said "sprung" you would probably just look at them like they were crazy. If you speak German, then you would know that you are expected to "jump". Similarly, your bird (contrary to popular belief) doesn't understand English so it has no idea what you are saying when you say "jump". At the very least it is not helpful and at the worst it is distracting. Could you think clearly if your training kept saying "Sprung! Sprung! Sprung!" It is only after the cue has been properly taught that the bird will associate the command "jump" to the jump behavior. Adding a cue to a behavior before it is perfect indicates to your bird that you are willing to sacrifice quality.

Now that we are sure that it is time to add the cue. Let's look at the specific timing of adding the cue. This is a four-step process and will require a little bit of anticipation on your part.

1. Cue as the behavior is being offered
2. Cue as the behavior is beginning
3. Cue right before the behavior is offered
4. Qualify the Cue

The first step requires you to do the cue while your bird is doing the behavior. This is simple enough and easy to do on your part. The second step requires that you begin to do the cue as the bird begins to offer the behavior. This requires good timing and a quick draw with the Cue. The third step is a bit more difficult. It doesn't require mind reading but it does require excellent observation on your part. Watch your bird carefully until you are sure that it is going to offer the behavior. Just before your bird offers the behavior, give the cue. You will be surprised how good at predicting you will become after going through Getting, Reinforcing, and Fine Tuning the Behavior. Your progression through these first three steps of adding the Cue depends on your ability to reliably predict when your bird is going to offer the behavior. Usually each of these three steps can be done in a single short session of 10 to 20 minutes. The final step in adding the cue is comparable to your bird's final exam. This is where you find out if the cue is effective. Your bird will continue to offer the behavior without a cue at this point in the training. During this fourth and final step in adding the cue you again increase your expectations. You do this by not C&T'ing when the behavior is offered unless you give the cue before the behavior. It may take several training sessions for this to sink in but eventually your bird will realize that it doesn't get a treat if it doesn't first hear the cue.

Moving On - When is it time to Move On from putting the behavior on cue? The short answer is when your bird reliably offers the behavior only when cued. At least 9 out of 10 times is a good reference point but it ultimately depends on your satisfaction. The long answer is that you never really move on from this point. You will need to periodically cue the behavior in the future to keep the behavior fresh in your birds' mind. Some behaviors will still be there months later and some will only last a few days.

What makes a cue a good cue? First of all the cue must be unique. It's not a good idea to use verbal cues that sound alike such as "catch" and "fetch" for two different behaviors. This can only lead to confusion. The verbal cue should also be said with a consistent pronunciation and tone. "For" and "Fer" sound very different so pronounce your cue consistently to eliminate any guessing or confusion. It's also important to use sensible verbal cues. Don't use the verbal cue "clock" with the behavior for "Wave". This will make it easier later when giving the cue. For example if you train the verbal cue "Wave" to the "Wave" behavior then you can cue the behavior by saying "Can you wave at my friend?" It's like a code word that your bird will respond to even if it's used in a sentence. You would sound silly if you had to say, "Can you clock at my friend?" Besides, you would both seem silly if you said "clock" and your bird "waved". Non-verbal cues should also be chosen carefully. You can start out using a non-verbal cue that is obvious and exaggerated like lifting your finger up to shoulder height. Once this cue is learned, you can slowly alter the cue by raising it up less and less. Eventually you may fine-tune the cue to just slightly raising your finger while your hand is at your side. You want to make the non-verbal cues easily observable by your parrot. Obviously a non-verbal cue that can't be seen or isn't noticed will not work. You can also change cues at a later date if you prefer. The most effective way to do this is to give the new cue, followed by the old cue, then C&T after the behavior. After repeating this process several times try pausing after giving the new cue to see if the behavior is offered. If it is then C&T. If it isn't then give the old cue. Continue the reinforcement and try again later. This method also works when changing from Verbal to Non-Verbal cues and changing from Non-Verbal to Verbal cues.

Congratulations if you've made it this far. You have graduated from "Let's Do Some Click'n - Introduction to Clicker Training". You now have the tools in your training bag to successfully train your bird and have fun while doing it. I know your bird will enjoy the training sessions and I hope you will too. Just remember to have fun and keep it interesting. Your reward will be the bond that you build with your bird. If you found this article helpful, there are some slightly advanced topics covered in the follow-up article titled "Let's Do Some Click'n II - Intermediate Clicker Training". Check out the links below for more information.

Reference Materials and Suggested Reading

Here is a list of suggested reading material.

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  -  Kibibi Loves It

  -  Kibibi Doesn't Like It

  -  Kibibi Likes It

  -  Kibibi Hates It

  -  Kibibi Says It's OK

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 Parrot Tricks: Teaching Parrots with Positive Reinforcement, Tani Robar and Diane Grindol, Howell Book House, 2006, 0764584618

 The Click That Does The Trick: Trick Training Your Bird The Clicker Way, Robin Deutsch, TFH Publications, 2005, 0793805619

 Good Bird! A Guide to Solving Behavioral Problems in Companion Parrots!, Barbara Heidenreich, Avian Publications, 2004, 1895270278

 Getting Started - Clicker Training for Birds, Melinda Johnson, Sunshine Books, 2004, 1890948152

 Teaching Your Bird to Talk, Diane Grindol and Tom Roudybush, Howell Book House, 2003, 076454165X

 Teaching a Parrot to Talk (Caring for a Parrot), Elaine Radford, TFH Publications, 2001, 0793830788

 Parrot Training : A Guide to Taming and Gentling Your Avian Companion (Pets), Bonnie Munro Doane, Howell Book House, 2001, 0764563270

 The Clicker Workbook - A Beginner's Guide, Deborah Jones Ph.D. , Howln Moon Press, 1999, 1888994118

 Pet Owner's Guide to Parrot Training and Behaviour, Barbara Cherry, Ringpress Books, 1998, 1860541399

 Training Captive-Bred Parrots, Delia Berlin, TFH Publications, 1996, 0793821843

 Don't Shoot the Dog, Karen Pryer, Schuster, 1984, 0553380397

 From Pigeons to People, Elizabeth Hall, Houghton Mifflin, 1975, 0395218942

 A Primer of Operant Conditioning, G.S. Reynolds, Foresman Scott, 1968, B0006DCD9C