Target training is considered one of the building blocks of training animals. Once it is learned it can lead to the shaping of many other behaviors. Many zoos and aquariums teach this skill as the first skill an animal learns.
Zoos and aquariums use target training to do all kinds of things including voluntary blood draws! Can you imagine an animal volunteering to get its blood drawn! It is all through the power of positive reinforcement, shaping, and target training.
Check out this giraffe learning to target toward a target stick. The staff at the zoo are training her to learn to stay still and calm to receive a vaccination.
So what is target training?
In the simplest terms, it is teaching your bird to use a body part, usually, its beak, to come in contact with a location or item (ex: a target stick). You can teach your bird to target its beak to a target stick or its feet to a scale.
Using a target stick is the step most trainers start with. You can purchase a target stick or you can use any long object like a spoon or chopstick.
Here is a great video that shows how to introduce the target stick and how to shape the behavior.
Why should I learn it?
Teaching a target is so important because it will help you in many ways.
Getting your bird in or out of its cage is a perfect example. If you teach your bird to target to a stick you can easily get them to come out when you want, or go back in when you want.
You can also use a target stick to get your bird onto a scale or into a crate so they can go on car rides or to the vet.
Using a target stick is a great way to introduce recall training, getting your bird to come on your arm when you call them. You can eventually fade out using the stick, but it helps to start the process if they are already target trained.
All training is enrichment and an excellent way to prevent your bird from getting bored. Aside from providing foraging opportunities for your bird, training is another excellent way to enrich your bird’s life!
My toucan loves to train! She will often go over to her training station because she enjoys it so much. Of course, she also loves the extra blueberries and I’m sure that has a lot to do with it too!
The other great thing about target training is that it helps to create a very positive bond with your bird. Positive reinforcement is when you deliver a preferred item or activity to your bird when they perform the desired behavior and it increases the likelihood of that behavior. So, in this case, your bird touches the target and you deliver a preferred treat. The repetition of doing this over and over helps to develop a very positive relationship with your bird.
For those of you who are having those “terrible two” experiences with your toucan, this may help to get through this hormonal time! Or if you got a bird that is less tame or more afraid, this could also help to improve your relationship and improve your bond.
Is your toucan not happy about what you are wearing or afraid of something? You could use target training as a means to redirect aggressive behavior. In basic terms, give them something else to do.
Target training can also help in an emergency. Do you need your bird to station in a specific place or go to its enclosure right away? If they are target trained you can accomplish this easily instead of trying to capture them against their will.
Having to restrain, towel, or capture your bird against their will can ruin your relationship especially if you do it over and over. So instead use a target stick to get your bird to willingly move to where you want them.
If you haven’t already started target training with your bird, I suggest you give it a try. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain!
