As a proud owner of cockatiel you must be curious to know all the important 'must know' information on Cockatiels. For one, they have the longest life span of any pet and you can reasonably expect them to be with you for the rest of your life. The average lifespan of a Cockatiel is upto 25 years. Some Cockatoos are said to have lived for 70 years

Your pet is going to be with you for the rest of your life hence discussing about training the pet becomes pertinent. First, you should understand that there's no one-size-fits-all Cockatiel training plan. You will have to make one that is in sync with your individual specimen and your own daily routine. However the considerations in developing a plan may be common.

Remember, the training plan applies as much to you as to your Cockatiel.

 **Important DOs and DON'Ts**

Training should take place in short but frequent sessions. Never hit or scream at your bird. Conduct training sessions in a room that is quiet and away from all distractions and noises. Reward and praise your bird when it does something right. Always end your training session on a positive note. Get your bird to follow commands from all family members. Start with simple tricks progressing to more difficult ones. Stop the training session if your bird is not responding or is disinterested.

There are four basic disciplines for effective training: Step Up command, Step Down Command, laddering and returning to cage. Learn these as they would come in handy all throughout your training sessions.

**Step Up command**

Step up command is necessary to get your Cockatiel to climb onto and off your arm/shoulder and to come out of the cage. Choose the word you'd like your bird to associate the command with before you start starting. And do not change this word.

**Step Down Command**

To teach your bird to step down, place whatever you want your pet to step onto above its legs, and follow the same procedure as and when training the bird to step up. Don't forget to say, "step down" while trying to get your pet to step down. You will have to be consistent with the command. If you change it, you will confuse the bird.

**Laddering**

The next trick you should teach your Cockatiel is to "ladder". The bird will have to be trained to step up from the finger on one hand to a finger on the other hand that is held higher. Each time you want the bird to climb higher, use the step up command. Bring back your bird to its cage before it gets tired. If your bird flies away from you while you bring it back to the cage then you should keep the bird on your hand or finger and keep it close to your waist or chest. This will block its vision and keep it from flying. Do this whilst talking to your bird.

**Returning to the cage**

Place your hand near the cage door so that the bird can get back into the cage. Stand close to the cage so that your bird can't escape. Don't forget to lock the cage once the bird is in. Slowly, you can train it to go back into the cage without having to force it. Use a command like "Go home" every time you return it to the cage. Keep a treat handy to give, once it gets back into the cage without a fuss. Slowly it will learn to get back into the cage without you having to take it there. Don't force it to get into the cage as this will frighten your bird and it will never learn the command.

Finally, it is very important to keep a record of the training schedules and training objectives achieved for periodic evaluation. This will help you to plan the succeeding training sessions.

The above is an excerpt from the free newsletter on "Definitive Guide To Cockatiels" published by Geostar Publishing & Services LLC.

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Here's to a happier pet-owing experience!

Jessica Harrison

Geostar Publishing & Services LLC

6423, Woodbine Court,

St. Louis, Missouri,

63109, USA

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About the Author

Jessica Harrison is the author of the best selling eBook "DefinitiveGuideToCockatiels" published by Geostar Publishing & Services LLC.