Positive Training

8/10/2019 Positive Training

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An Introduction to Positive Reinforcement Training and its Benefits

ByBarbara 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 trainingis mentioned in conunction 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 usethis 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#ebreeding !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 weare 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 strategiesto create desired beha#ior and reduce undesired beha#ior. This includes a#oiding the useof !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 !leasantstimuli. To get !ositi#e reinforcers, learners often enthusiastically e$ceed the minimum

effort necessary to gain them. +ecommended

Negative 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#ereinforcement is esca!e%a#oidance training. -egati#e reinforcers tend to be a#ersi#e or
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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 suppressthe 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 doesnt teach the learner what to do to earn !ositi#e

reinforcement. -ot +ecommended

/ne 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 recogni0ed science, the information belongs

to e#eryone. -o single indi#idual has ownershi! of the methods or !rinci!les. They area#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 whena#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

formali0ed 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. 1og training has made tremendouschanges 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#ereinforcement 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 withstrangers, 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 handStep up onto the hand of other people

Enter a kennel or other travel container

Play in a towel

Step onto a scale


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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 andenriching 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 medicalbeha#iors such allowing nail trims or cli!!ing feathers without restraint. 2ome 0oological

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. 3nfortunatelyhumans 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 tode#elo! strategies based on a!!lied beha#ior analysis !rinci!les to address !roblem

beha#ior.

Learning How to Train


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2ur!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.

+ue4 & signal that tells the animal what to do. Many trainers use #erbal and%or hand cues.

(ridge or bridging stimulus4 & signal or marker that indicates when an animal has donesomething correct. It bridges the ga! in time between when the animal did something

correct and when it will recei#e !ositi#e reinforcement. 2ome e$am!les of bridges are

clickers, whistles, the word good or a touch.

Shaping a behavior with appro*imations4 /nce 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!. 5#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. Thisstrategy 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#eforward 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

adusting to meet the ca!abilities of the bird, but e#entually more ste!s are taken forwardthen 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 trainers

skills. 6ery rarely does training become boring. 5ach s!ecies, each indi#idual, eachbeha#ior brings a new set of criteria to the table.

3sing the terms described abo#e and !ositi#e reinforcement as a training strategy we cane$!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 #isuali0e the !rocess. In addition it is

im!ortant to identify a cue for the beha#ior, a bridge and the ty!e of !ositi#ereinforcement !referred by the training subect.

&t first the bird will not understand the cue. Therefore the first ste! is to try to create thesituation in which the bird will !erform a small !art of the beha#ior. 7or 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 isbridged (the bridge signal is gi#en8 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. /#er time the bird will

make the connection that the #erbal cue ste! u! means to go to the hand. 5#entually the


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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 follows4

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 a#ersi#e or noconse)uences can decrease that likelihood.

Training a Retrieve

?earning new beha#iors is mentally and !hysically stimulating for com!anion !arrots. Itis 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$imations one can take to teach a sim!le retrie#e. It is also a greate$ercise for new trainers to use to !ractice a!!lying the !rinci!les of training.

9. 2et the bird on a small !erch (a!!ro$imately one foot long8. This will limit wherethe bird might choose to go.

:. /ffer from your hand a small toy, such as a !lastic bead, or other small but hea#y

obect. 3sually 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 musttouch 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 obects.8Bridge andreinforce 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 birds beak. 5#entually the bird will tire of the beadand 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. 1ecide the ty!e of bridging stimulus you will

use before you begin the session. &fter the bridging stimulus is gi#en, offer the


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bird a !ositi#e reinforcer. The !ositi#e reinforcer can be a sunflower seed or other

food treat. /ther ty!es of !ositi#e reinforcers can be offered such a head scratches

or attention. @ust be sure the bird finds these things !ositi#ely reinforcing.


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Heidenreich, B.5. (:

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