Copyright (c) 2010 Kaye Dennan

Parrots can be very frustrating individuals to teach tricks to but they can also be a bundle of laughs and most certainly they will test your patience. When teaching a parrot to do anything you are dealing with a very savvy bird and one who has the intelligence to lead you a merry dance! Don't for one minute think that you have it all over the parrot in the teaching arena. There will be many a day when you wonder if it is all worth it, but parrots do love to do tricks and eventually you will both be happier.

Not only do you have to put up with all of the above mentioned carrys on, but they do it with such arrogance! The look that they give you sometimes would shrivel the most confident of parrot owners. And what about that squawk if they are not happy! They will soon let you know when they are not happy with what you are doing at your end of the deal!

So how to do you get over this battle of wills?

It comes down to the 3 R's: repetition, repetition and repetition.

But, it is not just repetition that is the answer although that is needed for the best results, because parrots also like to be wooed. The parrot will want to hear lots of praise and they will want to hear it in a nice soothing voice. If you find that either the parrot or you are getting annoyed and edgy then it is best to stop the training.

Start getting stroppy with the parrot, and you have lost the game.

Start your parrot turning around as one of his first tricks?

1. Have the parrot either on the floor or on his perch.

2. With food in your hand move it to the side of his body about 10 inches away, just so that he can see it.

3. As he turns around to take the food slowly move it further round the back of him so that he has to turn to get the food.

4. When he follows it around give him a treat.

5. The next step to teach him after him turning half way around is to get him to turn a full circle.

Remember that parrots love treats and for treats you can often coerce them to do things that they would not do if there was not a treat waiting for them at the end. It is best to teach the parrot tricks several times a day in short bursts rather than try to spend half an hour at a time once a day. This helps in that the parrot does not get cranky.

Teaching only one trick at a time is best because the parrot will get confused if he is being taught several tricks over a short period. Lots of gentle praise will also be great when teaching a parrot tricks because they love to feel they are pleasing their owners.