Waterblogged

Today’s photo post ties into the theme of “water.”  I decided to take a less direct approach than shooting a body of water, so I am sharing a picture of my Cockatiel Sydney, right after he received his first bath.  As you can tell, there is still a bit of water in those soft feathers of his.  Oftentimes, birds really enjoy taking baths.  Just give them a reservoir or stream of water, a feeling of security, and they jump right in.  Fearlessly, feet first, and feathers flying.  Sydney, however, was a bit more apprehensive. I put him near a gently running faucet and pretty soon, both he and the faucet were running!  Not wanting to traumatize the poor bird, I just let a bit of water run over him from my hand, which he still wasn’t crazy about, but tolerated.  I am proud to say that now, he will stand next to a bird bath, while I dip my fingers in and then sprinkle him.  It’s progress, folks, it’s progress.

Relationship Rules Responses

Sydney recently started biting my finger. Not just putting his little beak on me or giving me a warning nibble, but offering me a full course (appetizer and dessert included) bite. It happens almost exclusively when I ask for a “step up” (a request for him to step onto my finger and perch there). This is so unlike the bird I had know prior to the last few weeks. He was usually always gentle and very willing to do what I asked when I needed him to. So why, I began to think, did this biddable little bird become Sir Chomps A Lot over the recent few weeks? A large part of the answer, I concluded, is relationship.

In the realm of working with animals and training them, a majority of the information that is shared revolves around the mechanics of teaching different behaviors and how to increase those behaviors and make them reliable. What isn’t touched upon enough is the fact that building a relationship is as important, if not more important, than the training process (and can help immeasurably with the latter concept). This is extremely necessaryu in the world of birds, as they often tend to be a bit more unforgiving than other species.  When work requests are favored over a solid connection, many things can suffer.  In Sydney’s case, trust fell away as I limited my time with him during recent, hectic weeks and became pretty adamant (instead of patient) about his stepping up in a timely manner. Trust is huge.  When it erodes, it plays a large part in other things that suffer in the wake of a poor relationship.  Predictability becomes shaky.  This happens both for the animal and the human, as the human handler no longer is able to feel comfortable about what the animal is going to do, and the animal isn’t able to count on a routine or familiarity when it comes to what the human is doing.  The latter is pretty important, as animals greatly rely on routines and the ability to predict outcomes. To them, oftentimes that is survival!   Finally, as there is less joy and pleasure in a partnership, the animal’s willingness to interact can suffer, leading to non-behavior or worse, aggressive behavior in the wake of requests.

So what might sound like the bad news, for you pet owners and animal trainers out there, is that it’s imperative that you build time into your schedules to nurture relationships with your animals. The good new is…that’s the fun stuff!!! Walk your dog. Take your bird out and sing to it. Let your dog play fetch in the water. Let your bird sit on your computer chair while you turn it around. Yes, that last one really happens at our house. No one can ever accuse me of not trying.  Here is a lovely video by one of my favorite bird trainers, Barbara Heidenreich, which talks about training parrots to do tricks (a great way to teach your parrot some useful behaviors and build a relationship with them).  Outside of the presentation she gives on working with a bird, notice how she handles the bird’s decision to get on her hand and do some behaviors she hasn’t necessarily asked for.  Her patience and enthusiasm, even in the face of “surprises,” allow the bird to remain at ease and willing to work with her!

So, the point here is, don’t be “all work and no play.” Your animal companion will greatly appreciate it, and his performance and interactions with you will reflect it in many positive ways!

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rule-of-Thirds

Finally, my ability to be off-center will be put to good use!  This week’s The Daily Post photo challenge was to produce a photograph in which the subject was not in the middle of the picture.  I have chosen to share with you the shot I took of my budgie Soma yesterday morning. I just loved the way he perched on his branch as the morning sun was beginning to wash over him.  As you can see in the photograph, we have received quite a bit of snow in our region of the country (Tennessee).  It occurred to me that his stoic pose also mirrored how a lot of us are feeling in the area…hunkered down and just observing, waiting for spring to come.

Wednesday Wags 2/11/15

My bird Siri looking into her nest box.

Instagram has inspired us this week!!!  Not just because there are some very lovely pictures there, but because it is such a wonderful place for discovery and learning.  I recently set up an account for my “Parakeet Perch” YouTube channel there, so I could connect with my fans.  As a result of adding many of my YouTube subscribers, I have learned a TON about parrots that I never knew!  I have seen photos of blue male eclectus parrots (almost always seen only in primarily green),  learned how to pronounce caique (that would be kai eek), rethought my idea of target training with chopsticks because budgies may use them as perches, and learned that European starlings can make sweet pets and are legal to own in the U.S. (what?). If you enjoy Instagram, I encourage you to look up interesting subjects, engage with others and dig a little deeper.  Picture all of the knowledge you’ll find!