Having worked with many species of animals I am coming to the opinion that while we can make some 'blanket' statements about positive reinforcement training, using these techniques with some species has to be approached slightly differently than we would do with others. I have heard some of my co-workers explaining that we reinforce the behaviours that we want to encourage and ignore the behaviours that we don't want. I started thinking that I really wanted to add a "kinda, sorta" caveat to that statement (and I know I have made the very same comment in the past - that's where my co-workers picked it up). I don't altogether believe anymore that this is the best approach to use with certain parrot behaviours.

Parrots are mostly flock species, they are also prey animals. That makes their motivations very different from those of a dog. The major preoccupation of every prey animal is fear of being eaten. Unknown things scare them, new things scare them, changes in the vicinity scare them. Their reaction is always to run first, think later. Horses do the same thing. That 's why building confidence in these animals is so vital. Punishment or even negative reinforcement are really not a good idea from this point of view. Parrots live as part of a flock largely because there is safety in numbers. Living as part of a group of prey animals necessitates being social, and parrots are unquestionably social beings. It's not in their best interest to fall out with their flockmates and be cast out from the group, an extremely vulnerable place to be. They are also, we know, big communicators. They appear to have a reasonably sophisticated 'language', its just that they often communicate at high volume. This is actually a good thing if you need to communicate over some distance when danger is near, and of course there's no one to complain out in the rainforest!

So imagine your parrot sitting in a cage in the corner busying himself with some preening maybe, all of a sudden he looks up and realises that he completely and utterly alone. His flockmates (you) are no where to be seen. He calls out. Do you ignore his squawks so as not to encourage his loud vocalisations? If we answer him like overly concerned 'parents' do we risk him learning that he can train us to 'come when called'? If he is calling out through concern then it could be conceivable that not answering would be to cause more concern, even fear, for the bird. Is ignoring the bird in this case an effective punisher, like a time out for a dog might be? I don't believe so.

Certainly there are other times when parrots, being intelligent animals, can quickly learn the things that get them attention (super potent reinforcer for parrots) and manipulate their world accordingly. I scream, you come back into the room, I don't care if you are yelling and swearing at me, any and all attention is good from my point of view (and actually I really like the big reactions best). I similarly know parrots that train their people to 'fetch'; I play with toy, I drop toy, you pick up toy and return to me - FUN!

I suppose what it comes down to is motivation. Motivation and not even really intention. The bird intends to get your attention with either scenario, however, one situation is motivated by fear, the other out of fun, right? The necessary skill then, in living with one of these creatures, or modifying their existing behaviour is recognising the difference, or reading their minds. Not much to ask is it?

There are some occasions, for example, when parrots typically make healthy and normal vocalisations, and we know this from studies of wild birds. Sunup and sundown are very social times of day when flocks gather together to catch up on the gossip, you know; where the best food is at, who didn't make it through the day, and so on. Domestically kept parrots will usually combine their human noises with their loud parrot noises during this time. This is healthy and appropriate parrot behaviour, and I have of late taken to encouraging it! For 15-20 minutes I put the stereo on loudly, and all of us squawk and yell and scream our heads off. It's very cathartic, but I'm not sure what the neighbours make of it! I think that encouraging this normal, natural noisemaking, and allowing the parrots to be parrots, means I might get less noise during the rest of the day. It's a theory a little like wearing the kids out playing, ensuring some quiet time later on! At other times I might pay attention to quiet talking, rewarding and encouraging it, or to get technical, 'reinforcing a lower rate' of noise as preferable to loud squawks and screams.

Of course you have to make sure that the bird has no reason to be getting loud, otherwise you are not really going to get very far. Again, what is the motivation behind the bird's communication, is he hungry, thirsty, or bored? Make sure he has plenty of distractions by way of toys and entertainment. Make sure he is not constantly being disturbed while trying to take a nap. Be sure he is getting enough sleep time. Rowdy houses tend to mean rowdy birds, so have other household members keep the volume down if you find this to be a problem.

Once you have identified the motivation behind the behaviour you are in a better position to select from a toolbag of reinforcement processes the most effective one. However I think this is where people often fail, through lack of knowledge about bird behaviour, inappropriate advice or expecting parrots to be something that they are not. For safety's sake we should only be using positive reinforcement. A parrot covered up is thrown into a desperately scary situation, they don't know what's going on - an eclipse? A parrot 'disciplined' with a water spray bottle, like some are advised, most likely learns nothing other then a fear of water (and misting or showering is an important part of part health care and something that, as rainforest animals, they should enjoy). A parrot who is told to "shut up', or yelled at, often just learns to tell us to 'shut up' or yells all the louder themselves. A parrot who is ignored might well scream, or develop other unwelcome behaviours. I'm off for a good scream myself - well the sun's nearly setting. Want to join us?

Claire Davies, Copywrite 2002