Teaching A Parrot To Talk On Command

The most common trick that parrots are taught to perform is to talk. Unfortunately, most parrot owners have no idea how to teach their parrots to talk. As a result, parrots will only pick up one or two phrases such as "hello" and "good morning" over time and repeat them. Their owners grow frustrated, believing the birds to be unteachable. However, there is a proper way to train a parrot to talk. This article will offer a few tips that parrot owners can use immediately to begin teaching a parrot to talk on command.

Starting Early

Start training your parrot to speak as soon as possible. Similar to humans, the earlier you begin teaching your parrot, the greater the likelihood it will absorb and retain what you're teaching. Further, a young parrot will bond more easily with a person than an older parrot. This bond makes the teaching process easier.

Young parrots have the ability to recognize words even if they're too young to learn to talk. So, if you're teaching a parrot to talk on command while it's young, don't be discouraged if it doesn't speak the word. The exposure to the words will make it easier for the parrot to speak them when it grows old enough to do so.

Keep in mind that different size parrots require often begin speaking at different ages. While smaller parrots such as cockatiels and plumheads often have a hard time learning to talk, they can begin as early as 4 months old. Larger parrots can learn to speak easily but typically won't begin talking until over 6 months old. When a parrot reaches 1 year in age, it's best learning days are behind it. This is the reason it is important to begin teaching it to talk as early as possible.

Using Treats For Reinforcement

Like most pets, parrots learn most effectively when given treats for successfully accomplishing a task. Teaching a parrot to talk is easier when the parrot is given food for properly repeating the words you are teaching it to speak. Of course, a second benefit of using food during these training sessions is that your parrot will eagerly look forward to them.

Eliminating Distractions

Parrots are not good multi-taskers. When training a parrot to talk, try to eliminate every distraction. Turn off the television and radio. Close the windows to get rid of the noise (but let the sunlight in). Remove any food that is in front of the parrot. Its attention should needs to be focused entirely upon you. Once you have eliminated the distractions, use a loud, clear voice to help your parrot focus.

Teaching a parrot to talk on command can yield great results if the owner approaches the task properly. However, done poorly, the training can be wasted as the parrot reaches 1 year in age and loses its ability to learn. Start the training as early as possible in order to establish a bond with the parrot and leverage its ability to absorb words at an early age. Give the parrot treats for repeating words correctly. Finally, get rid of as many distractions as possible while teaching the parrot to talk. Within a few months, your parrot may be able to hold conversations better than some people!

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