Talking birds are an endless source of entertainment, and
every parrot owner wants their bird to learn how to speak.
Getting started is easy, and most parrots pick up their
first words rather quickly. Here, though, owners often hit
a roadblock. They find that once their bird picks up a few
words and phrases, that he tends to repeat those he already
knows, rather than picking up on new ones.
This is a common problem. You'll try to get your bird to
say something new, and he'll stubbornly refuse, instead
spouting off previously learned words. It is impossible to
teach a parrot that is not willing to learn, so what you
have to do is entice the parrot to try new sounds. Giving
them motivation for learning is absolutely essential in the
training process.
In the beginning stages of speech training, it's important
to give rewards each time your parrot attempts a word or
sound. This shows them that what they are doing is
desirable, and encourages them to continue. It's still
important to use positive reinforcement in the form of
praise and treats in a general sense, but the problem is
that later on in training, rewarding every good behavior
creates bad habits. The bird wants to perform and please
you so that it will be praised and given a treat, so it
continues to use what has worked in the past.
Overcoming this obstacle is particularly difficult, but it
can be achieved. It's still imperative that you give
rewards for speech, but only when appropriate. For example,
if your bird responds with "pretty bird" when you're
repeating "good boy", no treat should be given. If you give
a reward when your parrot says the wrong thing, you are
only teaching them that any sort of speech gets them a
reward. They will continue to say whatever they have
already learned, instead of attempting new words.
However, treats should still be given when your bird speaks
any word or phrase on his own. Continue giving rewards for
all speech, but only outside of your daily training
sessions. During the sessions, limit treats to those times
when your parrot is obviously trying to make the new
sounds. This will motivate them to try new sound
combinations.
If you are consistent with this method, you can effectively
build your bird's vocabulary up to fifty or words or more
in a reasonably short amount of time. It takes dedication,
repetition, and above all patience.
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For all the most recent and practical information on
teaching your parrot how to talk and general parrot
training visit http://www.easyparrottalk.com .
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