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Good Bird Magazine 3 Photo Credit: Jon Guenther Good Bird® magazine! Volume 3-2 Summer 2007 Empower the Human/Animal Bond with Positive Reinforcement AvianAvian AgingAging OneOne WeekWeek toto NailNail TrimsTrims TeachingTeaching youryour ParrotParrot toto PlayPlay LotsLots ofof StuffStuff forfor YourYour BirdsBirds toto DoDo BreakingBreaking thethe OldOld RulesRules ofof ParrotParrot BehaviorBehavior AntecedentAntecedent Change,Change, MyMy NewNew BestBest FriendFriend UnderstandingUnderstanding andand ExtinguishingExtinguishing FearFear TriggersTriggers Fledglings:Fledglings: FeatheredFeathered FunFun forfor YoungYoung AviculturistsAviculturists www.goodbirdinc.com Photo credit: Barbara Heidenreich www.goodbirdinc.com Good Bird Magazine 3 Photo credit: Jon Guenther Photo credit: Shane Hancock, Nicholas Bishop 4 Good Bird Magazine www.goodbirdinc.com Table of Contents FROM THE EDITOR’S PERCH The Not so Silent Revolution By Barbara Heidenreich . .9 POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT FOR GOOD BIRD . .10 FEATURE ARTICLES Pavlov’s Parrots: Understanding and Extinguishing Fear Triggers By S.G. Friedman, Ph.D . .11 Breaking the Old Rules of Parrot Behavior By Barbara Heidenreich . .79 Teaching your Parrot to Play By Rebecca K. O’Connor . .30 Lots of Stuff for Your Birds to Do By Adrianne Mock . .23 Fledglings: Feathered Fun for Young Aviculturists By Shane Hancock and Nicholas Bishop . .71 REGULAR FEATURES PROFILE OF AN ANIMAL LOVER – DEBBIE GOODRICH . .34 Table of Contents HOW DID THEY TRAIN THAT? EXPERTS SHARE THEIR TRAINING STRATEGIES Behind the Curtain: Preliminary Training for a Show Routine By M.V.Z. Ana Alejandra Arroyo Lambaer of Africam Safari, Puebla, Mexico . .36 WHAT IS YOUR BIRD SAYING? LEARN TO READ BIRD BODY LANGUAGE . .21 LEARNING TO FLY The University of Montana Flight Laboratory By Barbara Heidenreich . .39 SCIENCE FOR THE BIRD BRAIN Avian Aging By Diane Starnes . .42 PICKIN’ PARROTS Scientific Studies and Feather Picking. Part Two By Natasha Laity Snyder, CVT . .48 YOUR GOOD BIRD! READER SUCCESS STORIES A Pot of Gold Named Rainbow By Sue Marshall . .52 Antecedent Change, My New Best Friend By Beverly Penny . .53 Table of Contents One Week to Nail Trims By Pam Thompson . .55 Imperfect Birds make Perfect Pals By Winny Weinbeck . .57 From Out of the Blue By Kris Porter . .58 OUT OF THE MOUTHS OF PARROTS . .61 CONFERENCE, EVENT REVIEWS AND PRESS RELEASES Event Review: Parrot Behavior and Learning: A Step Up and Beyond Reviewed By Pat Phillips . .66 Book Review: A Guide to Cockatiels and their Mutations as Pet and Aviary Birds Reviewed by Barbara Heidenreich . .67 UPCOMING EVENTS AND SEMINARS . .84 QUOTH THE RAVEN…ER, WE MEAN PARROT! . .22 ® Volume 3-2 Good Bird magazine! Summer 2007 “Empowering the human-animal bond with positive reinforcement” Publisher: Trademark: Good Bird® is a registered trademark of Good Bird Inc. Good Bird Inc. It and other trademarks in this publica- tion are the property of their holders. Editorial Director: Barbara Heidenreich Copyright: Good Bird® Magazine may not be repro- duced in whole or in part in any form by any means of Contributors: electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or Georgi Abbot recording, by any information storage and retrieval Nicholas Bishop system now known or hereafter invented without the Susan Friedman, PhD express written permission from Good Bird Inc. Debbie Goodrich Reproduction or use in whole or in part of the Shane Hancock contents of this magazine is prohibited. Barbara Heidenreich Natasha Laity Snyder Disclaimer: Good Bird Inc. does not necessarily endorse M.V.Z. Ana Alejandra Arroyo Lambaer or assume liability for any of the advertisers, products or Sue Marshall services listed in this publication. Good Bird® Magazine Adrianne Mock is an entertainment and information resource on Rebecca K. O’Connor positive reinforcement training. Good Bird Inc. does Pat Phillips not accept responsibility for any loss, injury, or incon- Kris Porter venience sustained by anyone using this publication. Diane Starnes Pam Thompson For subscriptions, submissions or letters to the editor Winny Weinbeck please contact us at: Art Direction: Persidea, Inc. Good Bird Inc. P.O. Box 684394 Advertising Offices: Persidea, Inc. Austin, TX 78768 7600 Burnet Road, Suite 300 Phone: 512-423-7734 Austin, TX 78757 USA Email: [email protected] Phone: 512-472-3636 www.goodbirdinc.com Email: [email protected] Photography: Good Bird® Magazine is the ultimate resource for com- Georgi Abbott panion parrot owners seeking information on positive Nicholas Bishop reinforcement training. Good Bird Magazine is pub- Helen Dishaw lished quarterly (four times per year) by Good Bird Inc.; Matt Edmonds PO Box 684394; Austin, TX 78768 USA. Subscription Debbie Goodrich Rate: Standard print subscriptions for US addresses are Jon Guenther $19.00. To subscribe or for other subscription options, Shane Hancock please visit our website at www.goodbirdinc.com. Barbara Heidenreich Postmaster: Send address changes to Good Bird Inc.; Grace Innemee PO Box 684394; Austin, TX 78768 USA. Customer Roelant Jonker Service: For change of address, please contact Good Bird M.V.Z. Ana Alejandra Arroyo Lambaer Inc. at [email protected]. For other customer serv- Sue Marshall ice issues please email [email protected] Back Dean Moser issues: Previously published issues may be ordered at Rebecca K. O’Connor www.goodbirdinc.com when available. Lorne Phillips Kris Porter Front Cover: A Slender Billed Corella making his presence Kevin Sharp known. Photographed by Dean Moser of www.shadesofe- Diane Starnes clectus.com. Bird model courtesy of Tex Gagliano. Pam Thompson Winny Weinbeck Back Cover: A Wood Stork in flight in Florida pho- tographed by Matt Edmonds. To purchase photographs by Web Design: Matt visit www.mewondersofnature.com King Ink Studios www.KingInkStudios.com approach to behavior with someone in your life. Why? From the Editor’s Perch Because we have a revolution going on here. And it is a good and noble cause. My personal motivation to teach THE NOT SO SILENT REVOLUTION about positive reinforcement training is so that people was not looking to become a cat lady. But I might have will be kinder to animals. There are kinder alternatives to ventured down that path inadvertently. When I first methods that have been traditionally used in the past to Imoved into my house I noticed a small cat hanging modify and create behavior. I want people to know those around the house. She would immediately bolt anytime alternatives and use them. Your goals may be different, she saw me head into the yard. One day I thought “just and that is perfectly fine. Whatever the motivation is, the for fun” I will see if I can get that cat to approach me. end result can be just fabulous for people and animals. Armed with some canned tuna, I tossed a trail of tidbits. Those who are experiencing the wonderful results can Within three days I could touch her, within 2 weeks she share their testimonials with friends, colleagues, and rel- hopped in my lap. Now a year later she would sit in my atives. Next thing you know positive reinforcement lap all day if I would let her. She meows a lot. So I named could be the norm! So pass on your knowledge and help her Juliette after a very chatty furniture salesperson I met this revolution grow. who would not stop talking. One of my favorite sections in Good Bird Magazine is I have done pretty well to limit it to one cat in the yard. the Reader’s Success Stories. This is a perfect example of But I do have an oasis in the Serengeti. I have a pond that fueling the revolution. When people apply the informa- quenches the thirst of, I suspect, many a neighborhood tion to their real life situations and have desired results, feral cat stuck out in the Texas heat. One day I looked out there is no denying positive reinforcement works. And my back window to find four kittens on the back porch! best of all they share their story with many. This quarter I should clarify, they are not Juliette’s (she is spayed). there are five excellent success stories. I can’t express They belonged to a female that was far more feral. I what a thrill it is when I learn someone has been able to caved, I fed them. Who wouldn’t? But I fed with a pur- use information gained from Good Bird Magazine to pose. Chow time would be training time for this family improve their situation. Kris Porter’s story about Gracie of five. It didn’t take long for all four kittens and the mom is one such story. cat to learn to enter a kennel to be fed. I then worked on slowly closing the door behind them. One short session a Good Bird Magazine loves you success stories. Keep day for a few weeks and the behavior was trained. The ‘em coming! Look for details on how to submit your cats often run into the kennel when they hear I am com- story following the reader’s success stories in this issue. ing. They are still quite fearful of people, but they are gaining confidence. The mom cat no longer hisses, and Besides excellent reader success stories, this issue is even rubs up against a chair prior to being fed. The even- packed with information on enrichment, behavioral sci- tual goal is to find homes for the kittens and have the ence, training advice and more. We also have a nice inter- mom cat spayed. I am confident when the time comes I national flavor this time will be able to at least kennel her without incident for the with contributions from the trip to the vet. United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia and the It may seem to be a small thing, but positive reinforce- Netherlands. It is truly a ment training is quite often finding its way into other global revolution. parts of my life, such as taking on the neighborhood’s feral cat population.
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