# Training Distractions



## Christine1227 (Jun 10, 2010)

I have been putting my little Moe through his paces, but find that it's often difficult to keep his focus. I don't train for long, a few times a day for a few minutes a day, and try to train him in another room away from the other tiels. The problem is even in those few minutes of training he seems to have no interest whatsoever, frantically trying to listen to and find the other birds, calling out to them the entire time and flying towards the direction of the calls. I'm at a loss how to keep his attention on me, despite all that I try to do. Help!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

The problem is that he isn't comfortable being away from the other birds, and it's basically impossible to train a bird that's uncomfortable. So you need to either get him used to being away from the other birds before you can train, or you need to train him in the same room with the others. If you want to train him right now then the second option is obviously the way to go. If you leave the other birds in the cage they won't be able to interfere too much. There will still be some distraction every time another bird moves or calls, but that's less of a problem than a frantic bird who wants to go somewhere else.


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## Christine1227 (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks for the advice. I guess "frantic" wasn't really the best word to describe his behavior - more like extremely uninterested in me and much more interested/concerned in where the others are what they are up to. If I train him with the other birds around, wouldn't their sheer prescence be a problem? Because when Moe is out, he is always sitting on top of the other birds cages, and scurrying around the top of the cage, climbing around trying to get in with the others. That's mainly why I moved him to another room to train, so he wouldn't have that distraction. 

I have had him since March and he is still young, I want to say younger than two. I would really like to train him now and prevent him from picking up bad habits of the others and bonding too strongly with the other tiels before I even get a shot (my other two are senior citizens LOL but they are untame and we just let them be).

I guess the flip side is what suggestions do you have for his age that I can do? He has become very vocal as of late, copying the other tiels songs (now all three boys sing the exact same song :blink: LOL). I want to do it right with Moe! My little girl Miss Yellow is a princess, wish they could all be like that LOL.


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

If the other birds are too much of a distraction then you'll have to go with getting him used to being away from them. There are different ways you can do this but this is what I would do: take him to the training room but don't try to work with him until he has stopped trying to get back to the other birds (you may need to bring a book to keep yourself occupied lol). Then give him some treats or other rewards just for being in the room, to show him that good things happen when he's in there. You can start training once he seems reasonably cheerful about being in there. It might take several sessions for this to happen so be patient.

There's an excellent clicker training group for birds at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bird-Click/ They recommend starting out with targeting (touching a stick with the beak) then teaching a least two other behaviors that use a prop, for example ringing a bell or climbing a ladder on command. After that you can start teaching non-prop behaviors like the 'big eagle' (spreading the wings on command).


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## Christine1227 (Jun 10, 2010)

So training is... well, it's kind of stuck. 

The problem is I feel that we have regressed with it. Moe had so much interest in the other two boys that he now lives in the large HQ flight cage with them, and I'm wondering if that was a good idea. He now is a carbon copy of the the other two, vocally and in behavior, even watching with a tilted head and great interest when one of the others sings. My concern is that moving him in the cage has destroyed his trust with me and has made him forgot his training. Initially, when he was in his own cage, I slowly made progress and got him to eat from my hand and even nibbling on my finger. I was able to even put my hand right up to his belly/chest - but he wouldn't step up  I saw progress and was hopeful. But now, ever since he moved in to the bigger cage, I fear and feel that he has bonded to the other two birds and abandoned our training. Like the other two, he is now scared of my hand and acts spooked like the other two should your hand be even close to the cage. He wasn't like this before! What happened to my little baby Moe? 

I am so saddened and frustrated, we were doing so well. What can I do? Should I just keep at it?


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## kirbulous (Jul 21, 2010)

I would suggest keeping him in his own cage.
He spends more time with and interacts more with the other birds so he'll be more bonded to them. Also he is more impressionable since he is young and he will most likely do what the older boys do since that's who he spends all his time with.
You should establish a strong bond with him separately before you let him hand out with the other birds.
It sounds like you were on the right track before you moved him into the larger cage.
Good luck!


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## Christine1227 (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks for the advice! I just feel like I'm in a lose-lose situation LOL. Moe is just so distracted/entranced by the other birds. He would pace all day and call and could see the other boys. If Moe flew out, he would place himself on top of their cage. So I took tielfan's advice and moved Moe into the larger cage and tried to train him that way, because he seemed uncomfortable from being away from the others. Now that has only made it worse LOL 

I eventually do want Moe to live with the other two because their cage is huge and can defiintely fit another tiel, and the other cage is a little too small to be a semi-permanent solution (who knows how long training will go?). 

Guess I will move him back then!


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## tielfan (Aug 31, 2008)

It sounds like you need expert advice. You can find it at http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/Bird-Click/


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