Last spring, I was still trying to convince Carson the Red-tailed Hawk that my glove was a safe place to be. She was doing well, often choosing to come outside for our routine visit to the scale, followed by two or three minutes of looking around the backyard, then returning to the mew. I wanted to keep each session simple for a positive experience and consistent so she would know what to expect.
Then she became unpredictably uncooperative. Some days she hesitantly stepped on my glove, but hopped right back to a perch. I couldn’t figure out why so I asked another bird trainer for advice. I explained our usual routine and he responded, “try mixing it up!”
When every training session is the same, the bird can get bored. Imagine walking into a classroom and the teacher launches into the same lesson plan day after day. It might be challenging or interesting for the first few repetitions, but then you’ll stop paying attention or quit attending the class altogether. I wanted to make my training sessions more like Miss Frizzle’s classroom in The Magic School Bus cartoon: you never know where the class is going that day, but it will be an adventure no matter what.
Carson shakes out her feathers, a sign of comfort, on a sunny afternoon in the backyard.
So I tried something different with Carson every training session. Sometimes we stayed in the mew and worked on targeting. Sometimes I brought her outside to the scale, to bask in the sun, or just eat her food in her travel crate. The unpredictable schedule kept her guessing, having fun, and excited to participate in training. Every once in a while, we try something more difficult, like a program or visiting a new place. We do these challenging sessions less often, but she still participates because she has learned to trust me and she is excited for the rewards.
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