Birds Off the Perch Therapy and Training for Your Pet Bird [Paperback]

You love your pet bird, even when he misbehaves, but how can you train him with compassion?Birds off the Perchproves that rewarding good behavior is kinder and more effective than traditional discipline through punishment. This revolutionary approach combines the expertise of an animal behaviorist, a companion parrot consultant and a veterinarian who use family therapy techniques -- such as learning to respect the bird's boundaries and viewing sibling rivalry in a broad, environmental context -- to help you change the mischievous behavior of domesticated birds, including:
• Biting or aggression • Screaming • Sibling/bird rivalry
• Jealousy toward its human flock members, and • Feather plucking
With additional chapters on choosing the right species for your family, breeding behavior and the appropriate medical care for your bird,Birds off the Perchis the only guide you'll need to keep your pet birds healthy and happy.Chapter One

Birds of a Feather Fly Together

Picking the Right Bird for You

So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.-- WILL ROGERS

So you're thinking of getting a companion bird? Or you're adding to your flock? It makes a difference in your happiness if you are living with a species of birdcompatiblewithyour lifestyle and personality.In addition to examining the family system, you should also consider your individual personality type and your pet bird's natural temperament. But a word of warning before we do this: Any individual bird may differ from the temperament generaliza- tions customarily assigned to its species as a group. The following descriptions that we provide are merely to serve as pointers, a place to start if you are considering what kind of bird to get.

Matching Your Personality with the Right Bird

In both of his earlier books,Dogs on the Couchanlƒ