The best way to learn is by example.

Birds, both wild and captive, use this method of learning often. Typically, having something to use as a template, which can be referred to often, teaches most effectively – especially when there is a lot of information to absorb.

For example, going to the vet when my bird was sick used to be a completely stressful experience for me. Before I started to have an understanding of avian illnesses, and long before I found an avian vet (before I even knew they existed), a visit left me dazed and confused. This is not a good feeling when your bird is sick and in need.

The vet would take the time to eloquently explain the nature of an illnes and I would nod at him feeling certain that I had an understanding of what he was trying to tell me. Then something mystical would happen between the clinic door and my car – I would promptly forget everything I was told and would only retain that I had to somehow medicate my bird twice a day, and something about an infection. Everything else was lost in the fog of confusion.

I always wound up at home again feeling insecure about my ability to help my bird. It was so stressful and, thinking back, I wish I had thought to bring my 20 lb, 1980s, oversized video camera along with me. That way I would have the entire adventure recorded so that I could review the content and ease my mind when I was sure that I was going to kill my bird with my ineptness.

Today, I often recommend that those who have similar lapses following a vet visit break out their phones to record the important explanatory parts.

Many people find they have similar experiences when learning to train their parrots. Training is actually a very simple process, which we tend to over complicate. A child can do it – literally!

Where people seem to face difficulties is typically in neglecting to apply the small details that make the experience clear to a parrot. But it can mean the difference between success and failure:

• properly holding and directing the target stick
• consistency on the part of the owner
• the timing of the click and the delivery of the reward
• the training diet 

These seemingly minute details play a vital role in training your bird. With birds, it’s the little things that stand in the way of progress much more than the bigger issues.

One Day Miracles teaches by example!

The Womachs have produced a training series called One Day Miracles in which they enter the homes of 12 bird owners (just like you) who have birds with common behavioral issues (just like the ones your bird has) and taught the owners how to use training to eliminate them.

More often than not, the problems were rooted in areas that the owners had not even considered. We love our birds and when our emotions are tangled up in a problem, we are not always equipped to analyze them properly. You can’t fix a problem that you don’t understand. Dave and Jamie would redirect the owners to the actual source of the problem, present a solution and the healing could begin.

For me, the greatest thing about this series is the fact that you can go back and watch and re-watch until you feel confident in your abilities. There are not any other training DVDs on the market that are this explicit and demonstrative and if you have a parrot with behavioral issues, you are going to find them covered in One Day Miracles.

Are you thinking that miracles can’t happen in a single day? Birdtricks is about to prove you wrong! Click here to learn more: One Day Miracles!