I wasn’t working on project today, and have a whole day with Kiki. I decided to give me a try on teaching Kiki the waving trick. It sounds to be an easy trick, but I met some obstructions during the training session with Kiki. Days ago and even now, I’m still training Kiki to offer her right leg for the Hand-shaking trick. The progress is good, but with a major problem. Kiki tends to nip my cueing fingers first before performing the hand-shaking trick. I’m trying now to eliminate this negative action in the trick. This worries me alot when I teach Kiki the waving trick.

How do I teach?
This trick is rather simple all you need is one simple T-stand and a stick (I use a empty pen case, but a RED one because I used a BLUE one on my previous somersault trick for the trick, I’ve wash it thoroughly before use, so it’s perfectly safe). Later I will explain why a stick is required for this trick. First I bring Kiki over to her familiar training ground and placing her on the T-stand. Usually before starting any teaching I will give her some warm-up exercise (like Step-Up/Down Commands and Turn-A-Round Command), so to ensure she has full concentration and attention on me. First I introduced the stick to Kiki (for me which is the empty pen case). It’s important to have the stick for this trick, initially I used my fingers to train, but the attempts are less effective and confusing. Why? Kiki mistook my cue as Step-up, she tends to hop on to my fingers instead of lifting her legs. That’s why with the use of the stick prevent the confusion.

As soon as Kiki is comfortable with the stick, seeing her playing and mingle with the stick. I kick of with my first phase of the training session. First objective is to get Kiki to lift her left high (because I holding the stick using my right hand - later on transforming my right hand as cue. If you intend to cue using your left hand, then train her left leg), to do this I hold the stick near her. Make sure don’t the stick too near, the stick has to be out of reach. Kiki will try every means to touch or grab hold to the stick. She tends to use her beak trying to nip on the object, every moment she did that, I remove my stick immediately. Whenever Kiki lift her foot slightly trying to grip onto the stick, I immediately treat and praise her. To let her understand that she’s doing it correctly. I continued to repeat this until she’s totally comfortable, lifting her legs without hesitation.

Then after, I started to introduce a verbal cue to her to do the trick. I use “helllloooooo”. I usually get Kiki to perform tricks with verbal and hand cues together. I noticed it’s far more effective this way. So whenever I bring the stick near her and cue “helllooooo”, she will lift and wave her leg. Once she’s totally comfortable and doing the trick without hesistation, I moved on with the finally phase of the trick.

Finally phase, Objective is to fade off the presence of the stick and introduce a new hand-cue to the trick. I used my right hand, index finger in waving motion to cue Kiki to do the waving trick. I try training with the verbal cue and the new hand-cue, whenever she successfully perform the trick, I treat and praise her accordingly. Wah-lah, that’s how I got Kiki to do the wave.

Helllooooooooo! Kiki!

Oh yah, if any of you have problem getting your parrot to perform the wave with your new hand-cue, try moving a step back and use back the stick again to cue for the wave trick. Once your parrot is comfortable, try slowly fade off again.

As what I have promise everyone earlier on on my previous posting to share the video posting on Kiki doing her Ring Tossing Trick. I personally think it’s quite a hard trick for Kiki. Throughout her learning path, she did vent her frustration on me. With patience and repeating and summarize the basic steps over and over again. Finally She masters and understands the whole concept within a week. I guess the crucial part is to build and select the right size of prop for them. The Ring is the important part in the game, have to light and small. Have to thank Mum for helping me source for the suitable plastic rings.

How do I teach?
After building my stem prop and sourcing the rings, I started introducing the props to Kiki. This is to ensure she’s not afraid of the props and willing to mingle and play with them. I’ve took a 10-15mins session just to introduce to her. There are time where Kiki showed signs of fear of the props, but after a couple of times of coaxing she totally comfortable with the items. As soon as she’s totally not afraid of the props, I started my formal training in the next session.

First Objective, I had to teach Kiki to pick up the ring. Trust me, It’s one tedious task. Why? You have let Kiki know the correct way of pick up the ring, this step is extremely important and it affect your next progression of putting the rings into the stem prop. I try holding Kiki’s “candy” under the ring where I want Kiki to touch. Everytime successful touch of the ring, I treat and praised her. Now without the presence of the “candy” under the ring, I placed the ring and let Kiki touched. The moment she touch the ring, I treat and praise her. Once she’s comfortable, I moved on by holding the treat longer, until she picked up and hold the ring correctly. When she do that correctly I will treat and praise her. This part you have to be patient, for Kiki, she failed couple of time picking the ring correctly and couple time she showed little bit of frustration, which leads me to terminate the session immediately. After letting Kiki to calm down around 30mins I continued, repeating the whole cycle of picking the ring up. I continue to treat and praise her when she done it correctly.

Finally Objective, to bring ring to the stem prop. It’s extremely hard for this, because it’s hard to let her know she have to drop the ring onto the stem prop and not anything outside or off target. Basically when I trained Kiki on this, I have a day which is totally no progress at all. But have to be determined, patience again. Beginning of each session, I demo how I play by putting the ring onto the stem in front of Kiki (I think she understand, because she’s staring and observing using one side of the eye). First I try putting the stem near Kiki and place the ring beside her. Everytime she pick up the ring in her beak, I will hold the ring from the other side of the ring and force it into the stem prop. Every successful try I treat and praise her. This is let her understand better that she has to place the ring onto the stem prop. I repeated that a couple of times. Then after I left her to place ring to stem prop herself. I can guaranteed the success rate of her doing it herself is 0.1%. If she fails = no treats. Whenever she fails I’ve to go the initial method of guiding the ring to the prop. After a few session, she’s able to do it correctly.

Then after, I try to bring the ring further and add a few more rings to make it more challenging. Every successful tries, I will treat her and praise her. After day of days of practise, the success rate is nearly 95%. 5% are those silly mistakes where she didn’t place the ring properly to the stem prop.

Good luck for those who want to try this trick.

Previous Related Posting about Ring Tossing:
Kiki learning in frustration
Changing to new lessons?
New trick learned but need more practice