Sometimes it's difficult to feel like I'm getting anywhere with training a new behavior with our birds. But when I saw this graphic from a dog training organization, the visual made it obvious why training can feel like a hard slog at times. It can be a long and winding road to get to an established, reliable behavior.
To look at an example, I am currently working on scale training with Otto the Great Horned Owl. Our roadmap will look something like this:
Get the Behavior: At this stage, I'm simply trying to teach Otto what I want him to do: step on the scale. I place a small piece of food on the scale to entice him to step over. I gradually make that piece smaller and smaller until he steps on the scale with no lure at all. Once he understands that stepping on the scale earns more food, we practice that a handful of times before moving on to the next step.
Add the Cue: I don't want Otto jumping to the scale any time he wants. I want him to learn that he only gets rewarded when I ask him to go to the scale. I introduce the cue - a double tap on the scale - and only give a treat if he goes to it then. Once we've practiced that many times, I can start phasing out treats. Maybe he'll get a tidbit every third time.
Proof the Behavior: Next I'll start to add duration; I need him to sit on the scale long enough for me to read the weight. He'll get rewarded for staying there for 2 seconds, 4 seconds, then maybe 8 seconds. Then we'll add distractions. Can he hop to the scale while people walk by? While Aldo the kestrel is alarm calling? While a leaf blower cleans up the backyard?
Maintain the Behavior: When Otto is confident going to the scale in a variety of situations, we need to continue maintaining the behavior. We might not work with the scale during every session, but we'll continue practicing at least once or twice a week to keep the behavior fresh.
And that doesn't even cover everything we can do with scale training. What if I want Otto to step on the scale in a different environment? What if another trainer needs to be able to weigh him?
Uff da. And that's just one behavior.
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