Sparkles
a yellow-naped Amazon Parrot
Meet Sparkles, my very first parrot and roommate! With any pet, there is a background. When I was ten we purchased Sparkles while on a family vacation to Florida. She was a 6 month old parrot that LOVED to talk and give kisses. Although I would love to say she was my bird, she was actually my dads bird. They had a beautiful bond and did everything together. Due to some not-so-great interactions – aka family members that loved to tease her, she became fearful of men. Since my brother was in high school and there was a constant influx of teenage boys around, my dad asked me to take Sparkles with me to graduate school. She was the absolute best roommate! We went on daily walks together, shared lots and lots of chicken alfredo and sang songs at the top of our lungs!
As Sparkles got older, she developed environmental allergies and had to take daily liquid medication. I had no idea how I was going to do this. I spoke to my vet and they taught me the way that “everyone does it” – take the bird, throw a towel over their head, wrap them in it, hold them tight so they can’t escape, open their beak and squirt the medicine into the back of their mouth. Say what? Really?? The poor bird. She hates towels, being held down, and having something shoved in her mouth. Sigh….I went home and I tried it. It was awful … for the both of us. Sparkles screamed and squirmed the entire time trying to escape my hold. I ended up with medicine in my hair, all over her face and hurting the trust I built with Sparkles over the last 15 years. After, I sat there crying and apologizing to her and I told her I would figure out another way. I couldn’t believe I even tried it! Sparkles wasn’t just a bird to me…she was my best friend! I didn’t know about positive reinforcement or cooperative care at that time, but I thought long and hard about how I can make it as easy and care-free as possible for her. Finally, I had an idea!!!! What if I gave her her absolute favorite treat each time she took a drop of medicine? What was her favorite treat? Pistachios of course! Problem was, that first experience with the medicine dropper caused her to be petrified of the it. Can I actually help change feel better about the medicine dropper using her favorite treat?! What did I have to lose?
I started off very slow – if she moved her head/body towards the medicine dropper then a pistachio would appear. It took 10 days for her to bite the dropper with her beak. SUCCESS! Within 2 weeks, she was taking drops of baby food from the medicine dropper for a piece of pistachio. Within a month, drops of medicine for her treat. When we went for our 60 day vet check, I was so proud to show the vet that there is a different way for a bird to take her medicine. The vets office couldn’t believe it! It was the first time they saw an owner train their parrot to happily take their own medicine. That moment really stands out to me. I had no idea I would end up as a professional trainer, but at that time I was happy that Sparkles was happy. Who knew you can train a bird to take their medicine? I surely didn’t, but you know what? It made us happy and our bond strong! I didn’t know that I would only have her for another three years, but those three years were amazing for her.
Other things I taught Sparkles: how to wear a harness to go for walks, potty train her to potty on a specific tray, pick her own vegetables, retrieve a ball, and fly to my hand. Sparkles opened my eyes to what I now know of as positive reinforcement training!
Dazzle
my little brown dog
Dazzle is the reason I became interested in science based methods of behavior modification. Dazzle was the absolute cutest puppy, that was until she spotted another dog, a older man, a balding man, a man with a big belly okay..fine – all men, a bike, or plastic recycling cans. In those moments, she became a 30 lb barking kite at the end of her leash. Since we lived in Cambridge, it made it really difficult to walk her (or even leave the apartment). We had to walk her when no one else was around 4-5am and 10-11pm. Heck, I had to keep the shades down in our apartment since we lived on the first floor and the sight of a dog outside caused her to go bananas at the window. This was not healthy for her! Being a scientist, I looked for effective science-based methods and trainers that could help me help Dazzle. With these trainers, I worked to change Dazzle’s emotions about dogs, men, bikes, recycling cans, plastic wheels and anything else that she found very, very scary. Nowadays, Dazzle is a happy-go-lucky dog that loves to hike, catch bubbles and chase the occasional ball. In addition to leading a normal dog life, Dazzle and I compete regularly in agility and scent work. She loves it!
Prosecco
my very large enthusiastic red dog
I adopted Prosecco at the age of 10 weeks in July 2017, shortly after I thought I had figured out almost everything I needed to know about dogs, dog training and behavior modification. Boy, was I wrong. Prosecco taught me that behavior is the study of one. I credit him with challenging me everyday since to find more creative and effective solutions to common puppy/dog problems. He is a large 70lb Kelpie/Boxer mix with a bubbly personality to match his name. He hasn’t seen a person or child he didn’t want to meet….and when he does, he likes to jump up on them, or at least he use to. Prosecco loves agility. We recently competed in Agility Nationals and took 4th place in one of the final rounds.