MEET GANDALF THE GREY - AN AFRICAN GREY PARROT

I, NANCY ACCEPTED THIS PARROT AT NANCY FORRESTERS SECRET GARDEN FOR BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.​ THIS BIRD FULFILLED A DESIRED TRAINING OPPORTUNITY FOR ME AND THE TRAINING INSURED A BETTER FUTURE FOR AN UNADOPTABLE PARROT
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GANDALF'S BAD REPUTATION - A CAGEBOUND BITING PARROT

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HIS STORY HAS A HAPPY ENDING
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GANDALF'S HISTORY
Gandalf's background, his age, sex and most of how he was cared for is unknown.

He has been rehomed more than three times. I met Gandalf around 2017 when he was given to "Big John" proprietor of NY Pasta Garden.  John was a beloved friend.  I frequented his restaurant. Great people, delicious food and lots of fun with parrots.  I and my birds were always welcome there.  Some of Johns rehomed parrots (the smaller ones) lived in his home. The larger parrots were displayed uncaged outdoors in his garden restaurant and occasionally they flew away.  Luckily, he got them back.  For the bird's safety I periodically helped clip their wings and toenails when asked.  Gandalf was one of the birds I clipped. I do not remember Gandolf being difficult.  On the four or five times that I toweled him, he did not struggle, put up a fight, growl, or seem to carry a grudge.  I captured and held the birds while my volunteer clipped.  Story has it that he bit "Big John" at the beginning of their relationship and John never handled him again.  Gandalf was let out of his cage to exit and enter at will.  He spent every day on top of his cage.  He was on display in the outdoor garden part of the restaurant.  He was never handled or given much individual attention. He and his cage were kept far enough away in the plant beds behind a rope barricade where he could not be touched by the clientele.  Living within a few feet of him were three other re-homed African greys Bobo, Emma and Lola and overhead on a wooden gym were two macaws.  All the birds but Gandolf got lavish daily attention and handling. Mid-day when the staff came to work his tarp cover was peeled back and the door to his cage was opened.  He entered and exited his cage on his own and spent the days on top of his cage. Apparently, he did not stray off his cage top. He put himself to bed at night by going back inside his cage at sundown. Staff would then close the door and apply the tarp over Gandalf's cage at 2 AM when the restaurant closed.  I am not sure if he was labeled a mean bird, but everyone knew not to touch him.  Gandalf did not receive much attention, social interaction or stimulation from the public or staff.  Shortly before March 2020 (the covid shutdown) the restaurants chapter in all these rehomed bird's lives ended, "Big John" died, and the restaurant changed ownership.  John loved the birds, the new owners inherited them but they did not love or care for them correctly.  Sadly, they were used as eye candy to attract customers.  Complaints led to legal issues and the birds had to be removed from the Pasta Garden.  At this point Jake a NY Pasta Garden former staff member became the flock's caregiver.  Finding housing in Key West is difficult and Jake was forced to move from apartment to apartment annually.  At first, the birds were well housed with him indoors and outdoors but for the last three years they were housed outdoors and for the last two years they were not housed on the same property where Jake their primary caregiver lived.  Throughout these many moves Gandalf continued to be in close proximately to the other three African Grey Parrots who always received much more attention because they were socially interactive and easy to handle.  I continued to trim their wings and toenails when asked. For the year prior to Gandalf's coming to stay with me, he was kept outdoors in a cage where he was never let out.   According to Jake this bird bit him once and he did not handle him again, which is the same story from years before when he was rehomed to "Big John" at NY Pasta Garden. Jake was a loving conscientious caregiver to these multiple birds in the beginning, but things became harder for him when finding affordable housing became very difficult.  Jake had a favorite parrot Lola who he clearly favored and intended to keep.  Jake and I discussed numerous times his wish to rehome three of the greys. The two friendly ones were easy but we were stymied by the prospects of rehoming Gandalf because of his aggressive behavior.​

​GANDALF'S REPUTATION AS A CAGEBOUND BIRD

UNDERSTANDING CAGEBOUND BEHAVOR

It is a type of anxiety disorder in parrots, often the result of neglect and the lack of socialization. Parrots develop this issue when they are not let out of the cage frequently or not provided with much needed social interaction or guidance. These birds may become afraid of the world outside the cage. They learn that the cage is a safe sanctuary and can refuse to leave it. This may lead to aggression and attacking anyone attempting to remove them from the cage. This behavior is common among rescue birds. It is very likely that Gandalf suffered this kind of neglect by previous owners.  Birds don’t become cage-bound overnight, it results from long periods of neglect. 

GANDALFS REPUTATION AS A BITING BIRD
​UNDERSTANDING BITING BEHAVIOR

FEAR OF HUMANS OR THE UNKNOWN  Parrots can become frightened of something and bite out of impulse.  Parrots are good natured & normally not aggressive to one another in the wild or to people when in captivity. Their beaks are used for a variety of functions: preening, eating, climbing, playing and self defense.
​AGGRESSION Can be the result of improper care, neglect, territoriality, resource guarding, hormonal fluxes during adolescence or breeding season, stress, lack of mental stimulation, and dominance issues..

RE HOMEING STRESSES PARROTS. THEY NEED A PERIOD OF TIME TO ADJUST TO A ​NEW ENVIRONMENT.  I GAVE GANSALF TIME TO SETTLE IN 

It usually takes a parrot a couple of weeks to adjust to a new environment. Everything around Gandalf was new. He was housed inside my house not outside as he had been for a least seven years.  He was in a different cage (his old one rusted and fell apart).  He was in a room with other caged birds, several unknown to him big birds and two African greys he was accustomed to seeing in the past. The room was frequented by people he did not know who did a variety of tasks that were unfamiliar to him. I positioned his cage near my computer where I work daily so he could get comfortable seeing me at close range.  He had new perches and new rope toys, ones that he was familiar with.  There was new lighting, new smells, new sounds. new routine, new feeding schedule, improved diet. The Harrisons pellets and the Lafeber's Nutriberries in his 3 PM feeding were the same.

DURING HIS INITIAL ADJUSTMENT PERIOD I WATCHED
​HIS BEHAVIOR ESPECIALLY FOR SIGNS OF STRESS
Behavior is anything Gandalf did that was observable - increasing, decreasing or maintaining.​

He did not appear to be fearful of anything. He ate well and played with his new but familiar soft rope toys.  He did a lot of repetitive beak wiping on his perches.  He was devoid of quick movements. He moved about in his cage slowly and deliberately.  He stayed at the top portion of the cage.  He was silent.  Placing his cage near my computer workstation did not seem to frighten him.  My behavior towards him was calm and gentle including the volume my spoken words and phrases.   He did not seem interested or responsive to me, my words or actions.  I did not attempt to touch him; I did not reach inside his cage. Gandolf did not appeared to be a fearful parrot or an aggressive bird.  No eye pinning, trembling, lunging or moving away when I approached his cage or changed his food, water or his tray papers.  He did not appear to be afraid of the world outside the cage, nor did he appear to be curious about it or desire to interact with the activities around him.  Based on his past; I assumed he wanted the cage door to be opened so he could climb to the exterior top of his cage and spend the day there like he did for many years at the restaurant, exiting & entering as he pleased. I assumed that once he was out and on top of his cage, I would have difficulty getting him back in the cage.  I thought it would lead to resistance, aggression and biting.  I thought that it would be traumatic for both of us to get him back in his cage, so I did not allow him to come out.  Based on his calm, non-fearful and non-aggressive behavior during the initial two week settling in I decided to begin training him on week three.​

ABOUT ME - TRAINER NANCY FORRESTER

I Nancy Forrester have been training birds for ten years, my interest in training began as a result of meeting Lara Joseph of the Animal Behavior Center.  Lara visited me and our parrots when she was a Key West annual visitor.  I am a long-time grateful member of her Parrot Project.  My friend Michele Dodd has had great influence on me. She is an excellent trainer who studied under Barbara Heindrich.  Michele has conducted training workshops for the public here in my garden for the benefit of me, my birds and visitors.  I am also a member of Jen Cunha's Parrot Kindergarten. I and two of my birds took part in a scientific study the summer of 2023 because of my association with Jen.  During the two months period of daily training, I took a video of each bird's session each day, sent the videos for review each day and received directives daily from the researchers.  I became a much better trainer when held to scientific norms.  The training had its ups and downs. Baby destroyed a Samsung tablet.  We hung in there and Baby learned to be gentle wirh the new tablet and tablet holder,  Both of my birds Baby and Mr Peaches completed their dot app tasks which made me very proud of them and myself. This experience helped me advanced greatly in my training skills. The results of the study were made public in the New York Times March of 2024.  A video of Baby my Hyacinth macaw was one of four parrots chosen to show birds working a special dot app on a Samsung tablet.  He was the only macaw and the largest parrot to finish the study.  Scientists learned a lot about their ability to touch with their tongues different size red and blue dots on a Samsung tablet.  I am grateful to have had this opportunity to further science in making a technical device that is easier for parrots to use

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MY PLAN IS TO TRAIN WITH A METHOD CALLED
​TARGET TRAINING
TARGET TRANING IS FUNDAMENTAL TO ALL BEHAVIOR
IT HELPS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL, TRUST BUILDING,  
​ENRICHMENT AND LEARNING SKILLS.
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TARGET TRAINING

Targeting” is a training concept which teaches a animal to touch a target (hand/spot/stick) with a part of their body – their beak or foot.  Many behaviors we teach our animals are complex, and are broken down into smaller steps, targeting makes it easier to communicate the next step to the bird.  ​

It teaches a parrot to orient a part of their body to touch a certain object to earn a positive reinforcer, a desirable consequence, outcome like treats or high value food rewards or praise and attention.  Target training builds trust and positive relationships.  It teaches birds how to learn, how to move to various locations, to step up on hand or perch, to transfer, recall, station, accept a new cage, voluntary medical behaviors (scale, towel, syringe, carrier, nose drops, eye drops etc.)  It teaches birds to overcome fear of things. It provides an opportunity to learn new skills, to play independently with toys, books, tablets, etc.   It teaches a bird to do tricks and play. 
It teaches us how to teach.

TRAINING TOOLS 

 Movable telescoping parrot tote

Moveable treat bowl

 Common Clicker

 I use one common bone colored plastic chop stick.

Gandalf's Predetermined training reward
walnut pieces

The Clicker I use

Lollipop target trainers

Trainer Nancy Forrester  Primary trainer, sole trainer first months

Trainer Michele Dodd Intermittent trainer throughout 2024 and 2025

Trainer Joe Stahl co- trainer from July 2024 to present.

PREPARATION FOR TARGET TRAINING

I use a white plastic chop stick, a simple clicker, a pre-determined valued treat. In Gandalf's case it is a piece of food - a walnut.  I need a way to deliver treats to him without jeopardizing my fingers.  I choose to use a bowl where I could drop treats to avoid the possibility of him biting my fingers.  I was able to open his cage and affixed a bowl on the inside of his cage door with no angst or aggression from him.  He has breakfast at 9 AM, dinner at 3 PM, so I decided to train him at 2 PM when I thought he would be hungriest for treats.  I identified a food treat reinforcer with which to reward him by trying a variety of nut pieces.  He did not eat pine nuts and almonds but ate and seemed to like walnuts and pecans equally.  I choose to train with walnuts.  I cut walnut pieces into two sizes, mostly small with some larger pieces to provide bigger rewards for wanted "break thru" behavior.  Training is the only time he received walnuts.  I resolved to be very observant of his behavior to be patient and to work at his pace!  He does not react to things with quick movements.  His behavior or physical movement to all stimuli is the slowest paced of all the birds here.  I know that "Labels" are inappropriate when describing animal behavior, but I cannot help thinking he is a "laid back" "stoic" "do nothing" "non motivated parrot", nothing seems to ring his bell.  He is nonplused to sounds, movements or exploration.  He does like to dismantle soft colored rope toys and he likes to shred paper when it is in his cage.  I imagine that his apparent lack of socialization is probably because he does not know how to interact with humans.  Being cage bound for so many years, perhaps all he knows is that humans only show up to shove food and water at him and clean his cage ​

GANDALF'S TRAINING BEGAN FEB 2024
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 Below is a history of my goals, training videos and trainers observations during the 18 months Gandalf was with me

I HOPE YOU ENJOY THEM AND FIND THE
​INFROMATION USEFUL

MY GOAL IS TO TRAIN GANDALF SO THAT WHEN HE GENTLY, TOUCHES THE END OF THE STICK WITH HIS BEAK,  A CLICKING SOUND HAPPENS AND A REWARD OR FOOD TREAT IS DELIVERED.  I WANT HIM TO LEARN TO TRUST ME, TO GO IN AND OUT OF HIS CAGE WHEN ASKED, TO DEVELOPE AN INTEREST IN THE WORLD OUTSIDE HIS CAGE, TO FEEL COMFORTABLE BEING AWAY FROM HIS CAGE AND TO STEP UP ON HAND OR HANDHELD PERCH FOR EASY TRANSPORT

His favorite treat was determined prior to the start of training.  He was offered a variety of different nut meats.  He was not motivated by pistachios and pine nuts. He preferred walnuts and pecans equally.  I chose to work with walnut treats, Training is the only time he will get walnut. 

TRAINING BEGAN INDOORS
WITH NO CONTACT TARGET TRAINING ​

Safety first, for him and for me.  I want no opportunity for biting to occur and no reinforcement of aggressive behavior,  I decided to train him in his cage with the door closed and to drop treats (small pieces of walnut) into a bowl inside his cage rather than offer them by hand. I was able to open his cage door and attach a bowl to the inside of the door without incident.  He is a big bird with a long reach. 

FIRST LESSON

I BEGAN NO CONTACT TARGET TRAINING ​WITH THE BIRD IN CAGE, WITH THE CAGE DOOR CLOSED SO AS NOT TO BE BITTEN OR ENCOURAGE BITING BEHAVIOR

Trainer Nancy Forrester   Video of Gandalf's very first target training.  No contact in the cage target training for our mutual safety because he has a history of biting.  The clicker sound is the only audible training sound in the early stages of training. ​ My use of audible words will be added later. I normally train five to seven minutes. This session was much longer because of his interest in engaging with me. I learned a lot about him. He showed continued interest in the walnut food treat. 
His feeding behavior was so calm and nonaggressive that I trusted him to take the small walnut treats from my fingertips.

  At the end of this session, I uninstalled the treat bowl from his cage door & handed him food treats from my fingertips. Thereafter there was never a problem delivering food rewards by this method.  

MY OBSERVATIONS OF THE FIRST TRAINING SESSION OF
​NO CONTACT IN THE CAGE TRAINING

Great first lesson. This session was very long and very repetitive.  He was not fearful or aggressive of the training tools, chop stick clicker, treat bowl and me or my method of delivering treats   He was slow to move his body when interacting, moving at a snail's pace.   ​He came forward & chomped the end of the target stick (not a very hard chomp but not a soft touch either).  I needed to help him understand that I want a soft touch.  I want him to engage with the target stick at all cage entry points on all sides as well as top and bottom portions of the cage.  He would only touch the stick if it was entered in the upper half of his cage and with a preference to one side.  He did not climb down to engage with the stick when offered anywhere in the lower half of his cage. I entered the stick at different upper cage locations.  I maneuvered the stick to encourage a softer touch rather than a chomp; he still chomped.  He did a lot of beak wiping on his perch. I was pleasantly surprised at how docile he is.

TRAINING PLAN ADJUSTMENT  
 I ORDERED A LOLLIPOP TARGET STICK TO TRAIN SOFT TOUCHES​

When ​he chomped the chop stick, I ordered a special lollipop target stick with a ball on the end so he could learn to touch the end gently because it was impossible to chomp the ball.  This was successful right away and I returned to using a regular chop stick.  Many weeks of no contact in cage target training ensued. Most days he engaged with the target stick but only when offered at the upper parts of his cage.   It took weeks of repetition for him to be comfortable to touch it when offered at the bottom half of his cage from different sides.  Some days he had no interest in training. I did not push him past his comfort level.  He is a quick learner but his body movements when going from point A to B are slow including moving towards the target stick.  I do not detect any body ailments.  In time I felt comfortable to open the door and extend my hand into his cage to do light maintenance.  When I had to replace toys or perches I did so when he was out of his cage to avoid any possibility of aggression.  It was clear that he was not ready to engage with my hand or a handheld perch.  When I offered them he would either retreat or pushed them away with his beak. When I could target him successfully all over his cage and he learned to touch the stick softly I was ready to start the next phase of training

A POSITIVE SIGN
GANDOLF INITIATES SOCIALIZATION WITH ME

Gandalf began to like me and acknowledge me.  He initiated his own vocalization sound (a dull click) to greet me first thing in the morning when I turned the lights on and just before lights out at night.  I copied his sound.  It became our special greeting, a ritual sound to mark these two times of the day.  I looked forward to honoring this contact every day.  His need for trust and socialization is building.​

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WHEN HE BECAME RELIABLE AT TOUCHING THE STICK SOFTLY AND FOLLOWING & TOUCHING THE STICK WHEN ENTERED ANYWHERE IN HIS CAGE,
​ I WAS READY TO OPEN THE CAGE DOOR & INVITE HIM TO COME OUT. 

I decided to open the door and target train Gandolf to come out of his cage and step onto a wooden dowl which I would somehow attach to his cage.  I decided to use a tote perch that I had.  This tote perch is shown in the tool section above.  It consists of a wooden dowl mounted on a tripod metal stand that is height adjustable.  Because of his history of spending days on top of his cage I anticipated he would immediately climb to the top of his cage when the door was opened.  He did.  I knew it would be difficult to get him back in his cage.  It was.  Sadly, I had to use force the first time to get him back in his cage.   I used a towel to herd him back in, he fell to the floor.  I had to towel him on the floor in order to put him back in his cage.  This was traumatic for both of us.  I was surprised he did nor growl or put up much of a of struggle or hold a grudge as I had expected.  It was a setback in our trust account.  I resume training in a couple of days.  After that incident climbing to the top of his cage became less of an issue.  I used a small hand towel to divert his pathway and it worked.  He began to pay more attention to what I was doing with the target stick and treats.  Smart Gandalf quickly understood that traveling to the top of the cage got him zero walnut treats. 

​TIME PASSED -  PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!

AFTER SUCCESSFULLY TARGETING HIM IN AND OUT OF HIS CAGE UNTO THE TOTE PERCH STAND THEN GO FROM ONE STAND TO ANOTHER WETHER HORIZINALLY ALIEGNED OR STACKED END TO END AND WHEN HE ALLOWED HIMSELF TO BE SEPERATED FROM HIS CAGE
​I ADDED TWO NEW TRAINERS,
A WOMAN AND A MAN 
MICHELE DODD AND JOE STAHL
TO HELP REINFORSE HIS NEWLY LEARNED BEHAVIORS
 

I wanted Gandalf to have the same "conversation" he was having with me with multiple people because he will be up for adoption.  I do not want him to be dependent on me for giving cues for desired behavior.

Some parrots are sensitive to the sex of humans preferring male or female companionship.  I had Michele in mind because she visits us frequently and trains similarly.  It was my hope to find a man who would agree to help train Gandalf so the parrot could understand that different types of humans can deliver the same "target training" message and verbal prompts.  Joe and his wife Shannon were new to Key West.  They are awesome parrot caregivers.  They came to visit us often, and we have become friends. Then came the hard part, people are harder to train than parrots. Joe agreed to help train Gandolf and to train the bird "my way or no way".  Joe kingly agreed to do that. Joe was willing to follow my instructions. He is very observant, creative, patient and offered much appreciated observations and suggestions. Gandalf made great strides with Joes help.  I was his sole trainer for his first six months here with the exception of Michele who helped trained him in Feb, July and Sept. when she visits.  I wanted him to be trainable by others, to trust others, both men and women and to understand that other people can also deliver "this new language" he is learning to trust and enjoy.  Joe Stahl became a trainer of Gandalf at about six months into the birds training.  He has been involved in the successful training of Gandolf's training for six months. 

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TRAINER NANCY USING THE LOLLIPOP STICK
Temporarily lost video to be uploaded soon. 

Video to be uploadrd soon

OBSERVATION​

THANK YOU MICHELE. YOU HELPED REINFORCE MY TRAINING &
​HELPED GANDALF LEARN TO TRUST & TRAIN WITH ANOTHER PERSON

GANDALF'S NEW TRAINING GOAL.  TRAIN WITH MICHELE,
OPEN CAGE DOOR, TRAIN BIRD OUT OF CAGE ONTO PERCH SITUATED NEAR CAGE DOOR & SLOWLY ​MOVE HIM AWAY FROM HIS CAGE

Trainer Michele Dodd
Volunteer Michele comes to Key West from Long Island to help us three times a year. She comes in Feb, July and Sept for 10-day visits.  She is an excellent bird Mama and trainer.  It is important for Gandalf to learn to trust other people and to understand that the new audible and visual sign language that I have taught him is spoken by others. Michele agreed to train him by using the same prompts & style of delivery that I have established with him, same words, same inflections and same timing. She agreed to discuss and shape new training ideas to help him advance in learning. This video shows Gandalf's soft touching of the ball target stick, his willingness to be trained by a new trainer,  This video is a reminder that the aversive dowel perch can tip when he moves his weight closer to the end. Up until this point in his training the sound of the clicker has been the only sound cue in his training. Michele begins to cue him and reward him with English words. phrases and sentences, 

Michele training Gandolf to come out of his cage onto the travel perch using the big ball target stick to slowly move him away from the cage increasing the space between the bird and his cage in small increments.  He showed nerviness when separated from his cage.  He shows some indication he wanted to get back in his cage as she slowly moves him away.

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OBSERVATION

Gandalf is a large heavy bird if his weight is at the very ends of the dowl the perch can tip causing a trust issue end ofthe standit can tip and the movement scares him. I ave been moving him away fromhis cage inchby inch in small increments. micheke is doingthe same.She is slowly moving him away from the security on his cage

MY OBSERVATIONS WHILE TARGET TRAINING HIM ONTO
​THE WOODEN DOWL AFIXED TO A MOVABLE TOTE PERCH 

We proceeded at his comfort level. It took a long time.  He would only venture one foot onto the wooden dowl always keeping the other foot on the cage so he could hurry back to its inside safety. The cage door and tote perch had to be affixed tightly as the slightest movement in them caused him fear and he would immediately retreat into his cage thus ending the training session. ​The telescoping parrot travel tote, with the narrow plain tan wooden dowel worked best as long as there was zero movement in the dowl or the stand. My tote perches have different width dowls. He would only accept the dowl with the smaller girth.  It took months for this cage bound bird to put both feet on the dowl and then traverse across it. ​

TRAIN BIRD TO STEP FROM ONE PERCH TO ANOTHER USING MULTIPLE PERCHES

Once he was comfortable stepping onto one movable tote perch placed touching the open door of his age and he felt comfortable standing on it and being moved on it a little away from his cage, the next lesson was to arrange three tote stands in various configurations and to target train him to go from stand to stand and after that move him further away from his cage and finally move him  outside on a tote stand to the back porch. ​

​Use multiple perches to practice step up ability near the cage perches placed parallel or lined up to train "step up" agility, ​

TRAIN BIRD TO BE COMFORTABLE  SEPERATED FROM HIS CAGE BY MOVING HIM A LITTLE FURTHER AWAY EACH DAY, DONE IN VERY SMALL INCREMENTS OVER
​A LONG PERIOD OF TIME TEACHING GANDALF TO BE COMFORTABLE SEPERATED FROM HIS CAGE

I INTRODUCE A BOOK TO QUELL FEAR OF THE TEN FOOT CAGE SEPERATION

Physically move him away from his cage in small increments using moveable travel perch to distance him from his cage to other places in the room. This is done in small increments over a long period of time, by increasing the distance and duration of time away from his cage,  

Trainer Nancy INTRODUCES A BOOK
​New goal, once he became comfortable stepping on to the portable stand, It was time to begin to separate him from the safety and proximity of his cage by slowly increasing the distance over time but staying in the same room where he could still see his cage.   At first, he came out onto the dowl grabbed the treat and quickly went back inside his cage to eat it.  When I noticed much anxiety cage seperation caused him I introduced him to a new stimulus to divert his attention.  I showed him The Five Little Pumkins halloween board book with its many colors and shapes. It worked. Has interested distract him to get over the nervousness of cage separation. As you can see his immediate interest in book helped. Here I got him to focus and interact with The Five Little Pumpkins book in such a way that he stopped thinking about cage separation Focus and interest

To help redirect Gandalf's nervousness at being away from his cage.  I wanted to engage his mind. I experimented by showing him objects, toys, books, colored legos, blocks, cellphone and bells.  Introduction to books worked the beast. He move towards the book,is intyerested, follows my finger and beak wipes the  perch. 

We continued to practice moving Gandalf away from his cage. He is in the same room where his cage is.  I am moving him further away from his cage in small in small increments.  He displayed fear of being separated from his cage.  Trembling and straining to get back to the safty of his cage. to redirect his nervous behavior. Having him engage with a this book helped him quell his fear of cage separation. He showed immediate interest in the Five Little Pumpkins book, First use of vocal prompts in addition to the clicker sound

OBSERVING HIS CAGE SEPERATION BEHAVIOR 

Gadalf is in the same room as his cage he is about 10 feet away from his cage, to get back to cage, Gandalf looking at cage, angst wing fluttering and body bouncing moving away, straining to get back to cage, Concentrating on the book helped him with cage separation anxiety

 THANK YOU TO JOE WHO HELPED REINFORCE MY TRAINING GOALS &
​HELPED GANDALF LEARN TO TRUST OTHER PEOPLE

MY NEW TRAINING GOAL ​FOR JOE AND GANDALF
OPEN CAGE DOOR, TARGET TRAIN BIRD OUT OF CAGE ONTO THE TOTE PERCH
AND THEN CAREFULLY ​WALK HIM OUTSIDE

​Trainer Joe Stahl.  Gandalf first goes to the top of his cage,  There is a lot going on. The big blie bird is is up omn the orbitor hanging from yhe ceiling near him. That does not seem to scare him Joe targets him down to the tote perch notice he keeps onr foot on the cage, notice he eats the treat while on the dowl but has one foot on the cage for a speady retreat if necessary, Joe targets him again he puts both feet on the dowl, treat follows Joe moves tote away from cage before he can go back inside which he clearly wants to do ' Joe carries him outside on toteat a level tohigh. After that we carried him much lower so that if he spooked and fell of the perch his fall was much shorter
f

He fell about four times being transported fronn inside to outside. He was a quicj learmer and learning to stay on the perch after about four fall and a lot of coralling with the tote parch to get him back on board

OBSERVATION 

Joe's Goal target Gandalf out of cage unto perch We do not want Gandalf to go to top of his cage but he does Joe successfully targets him down and onto stick Notice Gandalf gets treat with one foot on perch the other foot still on the cage, Joe targets him further onto stick and then slowly move him away from cage and successfully walks him outside.  Going from inside to outside mishaps occurred several times. Gandalf fell off the perch several times.  Once because the girth of the wooden dowel was too large for him to grip.  When on the floor it was difficult to retrieve him. He would not get on hand or handheld perch.  He had to be toweled or corralled by several people to step up onto the tote dowel when it was offered upside down, These mishaps set training back a day, but he soon learned to transport from place to place successfully.

Because he had a long time habit at the restaurant of spending most of his day on top of his cage and coming and going inside and outside at free will, I suspected that when I opened the door of his cage, he would make a bee line for the outside top of his cage and once there it would be difficult to get him back inside, I was correct. This happened and I had to towel him to get him back inside, I had to think of ways to get him out of his cage and not have him immediately climb to the top of his cage and more important to be able to move him away from his cage and then direct him back inside the cage. I ued a towel to bock his pathway to yhr top of his cage, It worked and he stopped trying yo go thereThis is where target training became invaluable.  It took about six months, a lot of
repetition and patience to redirect a behavior that he practiced for a least six years.  He learned to trust stepping on to it.  I target trained him to step on to the wooden dowl attached to the metal stand and practice going back and forth on the stand and then target him back into his cage. He soon became more interested in the training than escaping to the top of his cage

CONFORT LEVEL

When he was well practiced stepping on to and off of the tote perch, going in and out of his cage on cue, transversing multiple tote perches, when he was comfortable in sight of his cage but separated a distance from it and when he accepted training from two new trainers, he was ready for his next adventure. 

AN IMPORTANT NOTE

THROUGHT THE WHOLE EIGHTEEN MONTHS OF TRAINING GANDALF THE TRAINERS OFFERED OUR HANDS, ARMS AND HANDHELD PERCH FOR STEP UP.  HE DECLINED. WE RESPECTED HIM. WE DID NOT PUSH HIM PAST HIS COMFORT LEVEL. 

WE REALIZED HE MIGHT NEVER STEP UP ON HAND AND WE AGREED THAT WOULD BE OK WE AGREED THAT  HE WAS SMART, A GOOD RELIABLE TRUSTWORTHY LEARNER, NON AGRESSIVE, WE AGREED HE WAS BECOMING MORE SOCIAL AND HE WAS FUN TO WORK WITH , 

HE WAS MOVEABLE BY DOWL ON TRIPOD TOTE PERCH ONLY.  IT TOOK HIM A YEAR AND SIX MONTHS TO STEP UP ON A HANDHELD PERCH. HE DUD THAT WITY ME BUT MORE READILY WITH JOE MAKING HIS TRANSPORT MUCH EASIER.

WHEN TEACHING STEP UP WE TRIED ALL SORTS OF HANDHELD PERCHES OR STICKS OF DIFFERENT LENGTHS, GIRTHS, SUBSTANCES, PLASTIC AND TYPES OF WOOD, COLORS AND EVEN TRIED PERCH WRAPPPNG THEM IN VET TAPE. HE REFUSED ALL.  OCCASIONALLY HE WOULD PUT ONE FOOT ON A PERCH BUT NOT BOTH, HE MADE A MISCALCULATION TWICE, ONCE ENDING UP ON JOES ARM (HE STAYED THERE) ANOTHER TIME HE GOT ON A HANDHELD STICK BY MISTAKE.  WE TOOK HIM FOR A WALK AROUND THE PROPERTY  I TOOK HIS PICTURE, WE MADE A BIG FUSS AND DELIVERED A LOT OF TREATS, IT ENDED UP BEING SCARY FOR HIM AND A SET BACK IN TRAINING  When offered a hand and asked to step up he will put one-foot forward to touch a hand or arm but will not step up and returns his foot to the dowel.  ​

When he was very well practiced stepping on to and off of a perch, going in and out of his cage on cue transversing multiple tote perches, being comfortable in sight of his cage but separated a long distance from it  and accepting training from two new trainers, he was ready for his next adventure. ​

​

BEGIN TRAINING OUTDOORS

IT WAS TIME TO INTRODUCE GANDALF TO A NEW TRAINING LOCATION
TO MOVE HIM ON THE TOTE PERCH FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE TO AN OUTSIDE
SPOT ON THE BACK PORCH ​

Goal is to move Gandalf outside to train him on back porch and eventually front porch and take him on garden walkabouts . walk about Continued learning while on tote in back porch Introduction to new stimuli while on the tote on back porch opportunity to socialize with visitor's while on the stand, dog passing by 
Aldo dancing hand movements human vocalizations verbally cell phone family dog walking by or stopping to admire him on the back porch opportunity to see a table with variety of objects on table.​

The back porch offered more and different stimuli, socialization with everyday visitors as they pass by and local parrot handler Aldo who visits occasionally and is silly and playful with our parrots. Being outdoors offered an extended time away from his cage and a place where he cannot see it. Outdoors offers new things to observe and explore, like proximity to other uncaged parrots big and small. Planned training for him includes practicing his already learned indoor skills in a new location, adding to his perch training learning body parts especially foot, to spin, know colors, to ring the bell and to work with books  Walkabouts on the property will be added,  I want him to be comfortable perched near a big white table and other outdoor furniture, to learn to step onto table, learn to walk on every part of the table, take the opportunity to explore items on the table like food, toys  books and bathwater bowl.   Target him into his travel carrier for trip to wisconsin  

 WE CONCINTRATED ON REINFORCING LEARNED BEHAVIOR IN THE NEW OUTDOOR VENUE
AND SLOWLY INTRODUSE HIM TO NEW BEHAVIORS

When walking him outside to the back porch on the tote perch we had several setbacks.  Even thought we carried him very slowly he spooked snd fell off the perch on to the porch floor.  I had failed to train him to step from a floor onto the tote perch,  We succeeded in corralling him unto the tote perch, It was not easy.   After the third fall he stopped spooking and stayed on the stick.  We got better at keeping him aboard the movable tote,  He got better at not falling and bring corralled off the floor,    ​

TRAINER JOE  Gandalf is out on the back porch not only away from his inside cage but also out of sight of it, notice he is training well and not showing signs of separation anxiety, Joe is target training Gandalf to travel from one perch to another.  Getting comfortable outside will give him an opportunity to explore new people, places, objects, activities and sounds.  Notice how one of the tote perches' overhangs above the table giving the bird the opportunity to step onto the table in the future, Right now that is to big of a step for him.  Practice practice practice.

Notice Gandalf is comfortable to eat his treat on his least liked dowl. He has fallen off of it several times because of its fat girth 

On the back porch continue to train Gandalf to go from perch to perch whether they are arranged horizontally or end to end, My plan was to target train him to come out of the cage by opening the door and rigging a perch to step onto I took into account his habit of going to the top of his cage and me having to use force to get him back inside. I rigged a telescoping perch with a simple wooden dowl attached to it by his open cage door and target train him to step on to it. At first he would not get onto the door or the dowl if theirwas any movement in them. I had to keep  the door from the smallest swing and make sure the dowl was screwed on tight. ​

OBSERVATION

TRAINER JOE  When Joe joined the team I noticed Gandalf seemed to prefer training with him and sometimes exhibited sexual behavior towards Joes hand.  He drops his wings and wags his tail.  We discouraged this sexual behavior by either putting him back in his cage right away or by introducing a new subject (a book, a toy or a walkabout) this worked to redirect his behavior. Joe was usually able to redirect his behavior and resume training, 

Gandalf display of sexual behavior towards Joes hand was a minor problem at first when Joe began training him outside. 

OBSERVATION

TEAINER JOE takes Gandalf on a diversionary walkabout around the property to stop his sexual behavior towards Joes hand. On their walk they visited plants and animals in the garden, said hello to visitors and other parrots.  This diversion worked and training continued.  All Gandalf's sexual behavior towards Joe was discouraged, it ceased and did not impede further training.  This video shows them taking a walk in the garden.  Moving him on a tote perch is getting easier with practice. 

Thankful that this was an easily solvable problem, for some parrots it is very difficultt.to solve

OBSERVATION

Some prompts get faster action like learning new tricks other basic prompts are followed by delayed or slower action, perhaps this is a sign of boredom. He is a quiet parrot.  Gandalf rarely vocalizes. He does have a repertoire of English words and sentences which are mimicked from his past, these are often revealed after out of cage training when he returns to his cage.Joe began training him. I observed that he became more talkative after training sessions with Joe.    He began waging his tail during training . Indicating a happy or contented bird   He continued rubing his beak on wooded perches more than other bird I have known,

TRAINER JOE  Joe trains Gandolf twice a week on his days off. . Working as  a team we train the same way using the same prompts, inflections, timing etc. Joe sets up the travel perch near the door of his cage and clicker trains him unto the dowel on the adjustable travel perch. Joe carries him outside on the travel perch and continues training him outside. We always asked him to step up on hand, arm, or handheld stick.  He always refuses. Here Joe encourages him to step up onto his hand. Gandalf politely refuses. He is not pushed past his comfort level. Joe has introduced something Joe calls "beak snug"  Gandolf likes having his beak held briefly and only does this with Joe.

Over time he is becoming more interested in socializing, learning tricks, exploring objects on the nearby table and engaging with toys. Our desire for him to step up on hand or handheld perch remains a primary goal. Trainers agree to use Joe's word suggestion "poopie" when Gandalf poops. Joe offers hand and arm to Gandalf often. Sometimes he puts one foot on hand or arm but does not completely step up.  Gandalf continues a lot of beak swiping on perch

NEW TEACHING PLAN

Continue learning while on the stand.   Learned beak snug, a new activity introduced by Joe. Teaching him to spin, raise right foot to grasp and release target stick  raise left foot to grasp and release target stick, drop objects in bowl, differential training, teach colors,  red green, teach shapes,  offer books 

​​

ALDO

OBSERVATION

GANDALFS TRAINING CONTINUES ON THE BACK PORCH

His target training continues Gradually Gandolf become accustomed to going outside on his travel perch. His perch was usually set near a big white table. While his on his dowel perch I wanted him to get used to everything in the new area and all the activities ihat he witnesses   The travel perch was lowered so he could easily step unto the table. He refused to step unto the table for weeks.  When he finally made his first step or misstep onto the table, he got right back on the familiar dowl,  It took weeks for him to target onto the table and more weeks to walk to the other end of the table.  We slowly add items we hoped would be of interest to him like toys books and food, water bowl to bath in.  Gradually Gandolf become accustomed to going outside on his travel perch. His perch was always set near a big white top table. While e was on his dowl perch his target training continued.  The travel perch was lowered so he could easily step unto the table. He refused to step unto the table for weeks.  When he finally made his first step or misstep onto the table, he got right back on the familiar dowl, It took weeks for him to target on to the table and more weeks to walk to the other end of the table.  We slowly added items we hoped would be of interest to him like toys books and food, water bowl to bath in. Once out and away away from his cage we experimented with things we hoped would enrich his life.  new people, places, objects, activities and sounds.​

TITLE

WING FLUTTER, TALKING, WAGGING TAIL, CLICKING NOISES, LOVES TO CHEW CHEW THIN SLICED NATURAL WOOD PIECES PAPERTOWEL ROLLERS, BROCHOLII, CUT BAMBOO FOLIAGE  RING BELL 

SOCIALIZATION 
​LEARNING TO TRUST AND ENJOY PEOPLE

For Gandal this is a lesson in socializing. Visitors are admiring Gandalf with bright focused eyes, smiles and gentle words. I want him to be comfortable with human vocalizations and human body movements especially hand movements   Here he has up close human attention focused on him when he is out of his cage.  ​ He has the opportunity to interact with visitor's while on the stand, sometimes dogs passing by,  When Aldo visits Aldo acts silly, he dances, sings, talks, and plays cell phone in order to get a reaction. Gandalf is learning how to react positively to human stimulating behavior. 

AN ACCIDENTIAL OCCASION GANDALF ON HANDHELD STICK​

A  ACCIDENTIAL OCCURANCE GANDALF ON ARM

TRAINER JOE  Gandalf's outside back porch socialization and training continues, Gandalf landed on Joe's arm by mistake and stayed there for a while  Joe does beak snug and dancing, Gandalf responds with a little dancing  Joe asked him to step onto the tote perch and he does.  Joe and Aldo are experimenting with vocalizations, silly sounds and hand movements to get a response.  Joe does what he call a "beak snug" which Gandolf seems to like, Joe does fluttering hand movement.  Aldo offers "step up" hand, Gandalf refuses. Visitors pass nearby, Volunteer Sean goes by carrying a macaw.

Gandalf is learning how to socialize with humans

​OBSERVATIOMS

NEW PLAN

GANDALF IS MOVEABLE WHILE PERCHED ON A WOODEN DOWEL AFIXED TO THE MOVEABLE TOTE 

Continued learning while on dowl on movable tote on back porch  Learned on stand beak snug, spin, raise right foot to grasp and release target stick  raise left foot to grasp and release target stick, drop objects in bowl differential training color training body parts trainingred green ​red and green color or walk about

OBSERVATIONS 

NEW PLAN

TRAINER JOE Gandalf is learning his body parts.  He has learned to lift one of his feet to grasp and release the target stack.  We are continuing to use the clicker sound while adding many English spoken words  using the words foot and beak to teach body parts and the word good is synonymous with the clicker sound, which also indicates  a treat is forth coming. 

This lesson is a mix of practicing the already learned behavior of the stepping back and forth on parrell dowls on two tote perches and the beginning of learning his body parts starting with foot.

OBSERVATION

GOAL ADDITION
TRAINING GANDALF TO STEP UNTO THE BACK PORCH TABLE

Training Gandolf to step off the dowel tote onto the back porch table took a long time.  I adjusted the level of the dowl so it rested on the table, and he could easily step down on the table.  I proceeded to target train him to step unto the table, once on the table he made a hasty retreat back onto the dowel. It took weeks to teach him to be comfortable stepping off and on table,  more time to walk on it,  walk from one side to the other, walk end to end and  be comfortable and interact with enrichment objects placed on the table, like chewable toys, edible food, books, cell phone, bathing bowl etc. All of this took months of patient  training. Now as evidenced by the video of him with a shallow water bowl on the table he clearly enjoys his time on the table.  The table on the back porch has become a new place to learn not to fear and explore

Target train to step off of stand unto nearby white table  Teach him to step from stand unto a table and back onto stand.  Target him to walk from one side to the other, slowly become comfortable enough walking on the surface to explore and interact with objects placed on the table, Introduction of objects food, toys books, chew non dyed wood blocks,  paper towel rollers,  water bowl for bathing cell phone tablet etc,  
 ​

TRAINER JOE.  I arranged the telescoping tote perch so that half of its wooden dowl (a good eight inches) laid snuggly on the table top. with no possibility of movement. it was very easy for him to step onto the tabletop and then back on the perch. He did not want to and when he finally did he only ventured a few inches on the surface choosing to get right back on the perch. It took a long time for him to venture to the whole width and lenght of the 6 foot surface. He would advance a few inches per day following the target stick, when he mastered the surface, I increased the stimulus by placing a food bowl on the table for him to explore.with food items he was familiar with  

Gandalf eating African Gray Pierre's broccoli treats and playing with Baby's little bowl of left over infant pureed green peas left baby food. Gandalf is showing no fear of being up close to me and my cell phone.  His behavior shos he does not want me to touch him 

OBSERVATION

TRAINER JOE  Gandalf does not know what to do with the stacking cups.   We need to get creative and figure out what games can be played with them he can  Eat out of them, hide something in them, count them, identify their color  drop something into them  cup like drop an object into the cup,  Next  add a variety of colorful  toys to the table top. He had never seen the colorful little cups before. He does not appear to be afraid of them.  Other than bite them a little or perhaps unstack them he does not know what to do with them.They are not particularly stimulating either

OBSERVATION

TRAINER JOE  WE add more table toys

OBSERVATION

NEW PLAN 

GANDALF IS COMFORTABLE ENOUGH ON THE TABLE TO EXPLORE A BOWL OF VEGETABLES

OBSERVATIONS

NEW PLAN

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VIDEO  Eating food from bowl Playing with smallof greenpeas baby food

OBSERVATIONS

NEW PLAN 

TITLE

Video Gandalf checking out items on the table

OBSERVATIONS

NEW PLAN

TITLE

 Tryong to get an idea if any toys ring hus bells VIDEO Gandalf checking out some items on the table. we have been putting a large assortment of all kinds of items on the table to see if he interested in exploring them. He is now comfortable enough on the complete surface of the table to pay attention to these items, He is beginning to interact with some of the items

Trying to figure out if any of the parrot toys we have interest him. He likes lifting the metal bowl and He picked up the big plastic green  ball

chew up wood Pieces likes broco;i continue to offer hand armto step up​  step onto \white scary table in close proximiyyty.table  learn to walk all over table, introduce toys  food  water bowl and other objects to table. ​

OBSERVATIONS

NEW PLAN

TITLE

TRAINER JOE   Adding some higher-level training teaching Gandalf colors Introducing him to the color red  

OBSERVATIONS

TRAINER JOE  (wearing black hat) and occasional visitor Aldo (wearing blue hat) They are attempting to interest and activate Gandalf with conversation, silly sounds, cell phone music, hand movements and dancing.  At times when this sort of stimuli happens Gandalf will end the session with whistles, vocalizing English words and phrases clicking sounds and biting his toenails while making clicking.  Beak whiping a lot 

Here Gandalf responds with a little bouncy dance. 

OBSERVATIONS

A RARE SIGHT GANDALF LANDED OM THE PORTABLE HAND PERCH BY ACCIDENT, I INSISTED HE GO ON A WALKABOUT AROUND THE PROPERTY WITH JOE

Reevaluating The Original Goal of moving Gandalf in and out of his cage on hand or movable stick 

Gandalf has achieved my goal of stepping up on a handheld stick only with Joe about five times during a span of six months.  This is a recent photo of Gandalf going for a walk outfront on a handheld perch by Joe. 

OBSERVATIONS 
This was a my mistake I pushed him past his comfort level. When they were out front a big noisy truck went by it scared him, he fell to the ground. I was quite an effort to get him back on tote perch.  A lot of angst ensued. 

NEW PLAN

TITLE

VIDEO Nancy/s birthday Celebration July 29th, 2024,
3: PM  Nancy, Michele, Joe, Gandalf and Pierre socializing  

OBSERVATION

MORE BIRTHDAY PARTY

TRAINER JOE WITH MICHELE & NANCY CELEBRATING THEIR BIRTHDAYS  Bird Mamas are celebrating their birthdays which are just a day apart July 28 and July29. Having fun with bubbly and goofing off with the greys Gandalf and Pierre.

Gandalf celebrates our birthdays with a little flutter dance.  Joe calls this move "Jazz Wings"  

OBSERVATION

NEW PLAN

TITLE

TRAINER MICHELE Further enrichment for Gandalf. Micheel helps when training Gandolf (Michele, Joe and Nancy take turns)

Michele teaches Gandalf to spin. 

OBSERVATION

IMPORTANT

​THROUGH OUT HIS EIGHTEEN MONTHS OF TRAINING WITH ME WE OFFERED OUR HANDS, ARMS AND HANDHELD PERCH FOR STEP UP. AS WELL AS USING THE AUDILE COMMAND STEP UP

HE DECLINED.  WE RESPECTED HIS NO CONSEMT COMMUNICATION  
WE DID NOT PUSH HIM PAST HIS COMFORT LEVEL 
​
HE BECAME MOVEABLE BY WOODEN DOWL ATTACHED TO THE TRIPOD TOTE PERCH
TOWARDS THE END OF HIS TIME HERE HE BEGAN TO OCCASIONALLY STEP UP ON A HANDHELD PERCH MOSTLY FOR TRAINER JOE AND A FEW TIMES FOR ME. I USED A SHORT MANSANITA WOODEN PERCH WITH A BRANCH BECAUSE THAT BRANCH KEPY HIM FROM TRAVELING TOWARDS MY HAND ABD BITING ME.    ONCE HE MASTERS THE STEP UP ON MOVALE NANDHELD STICK HIS TRANSPORT WILL RECOME MUCH EASIER MUCH EASIER.

---

OBSERVATIONS

Continue asking for "STEP UPS" Practice, Practice, Practice on hand and on all perches whether handheld or not ​Target train him to come out of cage and direct him to go to the top of his cage and then target him to come down and go back inside'

Try handheld perches of different lengths, different materials different textures different colors different circumferences including vet wrapped and held by the hands different people. More target training and trick training and out of cage socialization,  Encourage him to play and spend time on top of cage making sure he will target train to go back inside cage when directed.

 observation, not aggressive not fearful not very responsive, nonverbal eats well does not like blueberries. accept serving of cage without aggression. stays at top of inside cage dismantles colored rope toys. Did preference sleuth on favorite food for training. Walnut pecan Rejected pinenut and almond seemed to be equal choice walnut and pecan Target trained him in the cage. added a treat bowl inside. He was gentle first day in taking treat from my fingers so I deleted the treat bowl end of first day would only touch target at top part of cage later would go to the bottom of cage to touch stick opened door PLAN Rigged stationary perch to door in a way to discourage him climbing to top of cage his habit for many years encouraged him can step on to it  OBSERVATION Will not step on any travel stand if there thr slightest  movement.had habit of chomping with too much pressure on the stick. Plan Ordered a stick with large round ball on end to teach him to light touch the target atick lightly 

OBSERVATION

GANDALF ADVENTURE ON THE TABLE WITH A SHALLOW WATER BOWL  

TRAINER JOE Recently I have noticed two changes in Gandalf. He has more dander than usual and although I did not see him splashing in the water bowl in his cage. I have discovered at least on three occasions water all over the floor indicating he was sloshing water in his water bowl.  I hoped this meant he wanted a bath so I put water in a short rimmed shallow wide bowl and placed it on the outdoor table that he has learned to be comfortable on. Joe Shannon and i had a lot of fun watching his playful and vocal reaction Joes hand splashing in the water bowl. His body movements were quickened  

A very animated happy playful reaction  to Joes splasjing water at Gandalf, He makes sounds  on the table are wood chips that Gandalf chipped ayrt tralizinf g his favoritr rtpy os a thin slice of 2x4 non pressure traeted pine,

OBSERVATION

Gandalf is having a good time now and enjoys coming out for lessons or to play on the movable tote or table He no longer suffers from cage separation anxiety. He has no incentive to step on hand handheld 
stick.   He refuses to step up on human hand and has only recently targeted onto a handheld perch with Joe six times (dark colored manzanita perch) and once targeted with me onto a long tan wooden dowl. He refuses the short dowl tan wooden dowl.  Rethinking preferential training with treats. Rethinking ways to help him advance.  Back to basics Determine if walnut is still his favorite treat.  Cut back on treats.  Make sure he is hungry for them larger treats for desired behavior   Goal use a variety of handheld sticks different lengths different colors textures substances,Try a variety of wood perches, different girth, substance color
Present the human hand close to him in various positions  palm open palm up  palm down do flutter motion  food in palm of hand food offered on arm, Offer food on hand held stick Try cheese, broccoli safflower seed cracker. 

OBSERVATION

NEW PLAN

I Success on Nov 30, 2024, I targeted Gandalf out of his cage onto the moveable tote I carried him to the back porch where he sat on the tote close to me while I ate lunch, Going on and off the tablee did not come into play . Did not use the table I was able to target Gandalf off of the tote dowel onto a long wooden dowl hand held by me and then switched to a shorter wooden dowl,  I carried him into the house and put him back in his cage using this short hand held perch. An important accomplishment for us both Lesson only no play no physical contact with the table, strategic use of treats, target training click sound coupled with spoken cue "step up"

HUGE SUCCESS DECEMBER 8 2024

A FIRST Gandalf steps up onto a handheld wooden mansanita perch. Trainer Joe opened the door of his cage put the handheld perch inside his cage and said  "step up". Gandalf stepped off his inside perch unto the stick. Joe then carried him outside I am jumping for joy.

GOAL FOR GANDOLF MEET HIS NEW TRAVEL CAGE FOR THE FIRST TIME
​Gandalf walks into his posh new travel cage for his car trip to Wisconsin

TRAINER JOE  introduced Gandalf to his new travel cage for his car ride to Wisconsin, Gandalf had not seen this cage before. Joe put the cage on the table, Joe put Gandalf on the table, Joe and I observed him for about 15 minutes wirh no directive on our part. I planned to use target training to direct him into the cage, I thought this would take several days. Gandalf showed no signs of fear of the cage.  Rather he seemed curious and moved closer to it, He stepped into the cage on his own.  He was inside in less than 15 minutes ,  He was comfortable inside and comfortable with the door opening and closing. He was comfortable with the set up and the objects in the cage.  He practiced going in and out on his own .

GANDALF WALKS EASIL​Y INTO HIS NEW TRAVEL CAGE
FOR HIS CAR RIDE JOURNEY RIDE TO WISCONSON

OBSERVATION

30 MINUTES AFTER BEING INTRODUCED TO HIS NEW TRAVEL CAGE
​GANDALF IS FEELING COMFORTABLE PERCHING IN IT

 TRAINER JOE  These positive fearless cooperative results are the result of months of target training and the ability of the bird to develope trust in humans

OBSERVATION

\TRAINER JOE

OBSERVATION
​30 MINUTES AFTER BEING INTRODUCED TO HIS NEW TRAVEL CAGE
​GANDALF IS FEELING COMFORTABLE PERCHING IN IT

TRAINER JOE 

OBSERVATION

Gandalfs past abuse is an ingredient of the present but not a recipe for future behavior. All animals at the base level are moving towards something they want or movimg away from something they do not want. We want our birds to choose to interact with and explore new environmental stimuli. because they want to not because they have to. We want to respect our birds choice not to interact with environment stimuli when their body language indicates escape or aggressive behavior things in environment that may influence behavior   Repetition builds confidence safety, redirection, de escalate frustration, caretaker family

I was Gandalf's sole trainer for the first 6 months of his training, with the exception of Michele Dodd who trained him several times when she visited Key West on her annual trips from Long Island. Joe Stahl and I co-trained Gandalf the last six months.