It's not as difficult to get started with parrot training as you might think. You can start by teaching your bird a few basics, and this is true whether your pet has been with you a few days or a few years. Many parrot behaviorists agree that one of the most important behaviors you can teach your parrot is the step-up command. What this means is that your bird will step up immediately onto your hand when you give it the command to "step up."

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Why is this important? The main reason is that it makes it so much easier to get your bird out of its cage. Step-up makes it easier to get a parrot off your shoulder - a practice which should be discouraged but which stubborn parrots sometimes do anyways. Parrots sometimes will bite when you try to get them off of your shoulder. A bird that has been trained to step up will be easier to deal with in this situation. You will find that a bird that has learned the step-up command is easier to handle in unfamiliar or even dangerous situations such as if the bird would ever escape your home accidentally. Additionally, training your parrot to step up teaches it to cooperate with you at the same time. This is why people who are experienced with parrots often recommend beginning training with teaching the bird to step up.

Step-up Training

The step-up command is an easy behavior to teach your pet bird. First, slowly move your finger so that it is in front of your bird's feet and in a regular voice say the words "step up." Remember that your bird doesn't understand our language, so it will learn what these words mean over time. For now, you can gently push your finger against your bird's lower stomach area to push it backwards just a little. Usually this will cause the bird to step onto your finger rather than be pushed backwards. Be sure to enthusiastically praise your bird when he steps up correctly. Next, continue to practice step-up a few more times by asking your bird to step up from one finger to the other. This is called "laddering" for obvious reasons.

Parrot Still Doesn't Willingly Step Onto My Hand

Some birds grab a hold of the perch and won't let go for anything. What they are thinking as they do this is anyone's guess, but here is what you can do. Continue holding your one hand in front of the bird as before, but with your other hand, you want to move behind the bird so that it looks like you are about to pick your bird up from behind. What you are doing is giving your bird a choice of stepping up to your hand or being picked up from behind (which most birds don't like). Most of the time, the parrot will choose to willingly step up to your hand when presented with this choice. Again, wildly praise your pet for being smart enough to know that stepping up is the better choice.

Daily Practice is Best

It is highly recommended that you continue to work with your bird on a regular basis. It's really best to practice every day at the beginning. Even after the bird has this command down, you should reinforce the behavior with occasional practice sessions throughout its life. It takes a little discipline on your part, but step-up practice can be fun and rewarding for both you and your bird if you let it. And just think - you are now on the path to becoming an expert in parrot training.