Monday, October 31, 2011

The Good Bird App is Here!

I have been working on this one for awhile, and it is finally here! Announcing the Good Bird app for Android phones! Iphone users your version is almost ready : ) The Good Bird App let's you practice training my parrot Delbert to talk on cue. In other words you get to practice capturing behaviors and inserting the cue. If you just want to hear Delbert talk and give him treats there is an option for that too. Here is the link to download the Good Bird app for Android phones:

Here are the instructions:

Train Delbert the Parrot
Here is your chance to practice training a parrot. The animated Delbert is based on professional animal trainer Barbara Heidenreich's talking Yellow Naped Amazon parrot. You will notice Delbert says quite a few things. The vocalizations the animated parrot makes are actual recordings of the real Delbert. Your goal is to try to capture one of his vocal behaviors and put it on cue.

When your session begins Delbert will start offering behaviors he knows how to do. When Delbert presents a vocal behavior you want to train, reinforce him with a food treat. Simply place your finger on the treat and slide it into his beak. Just like in real life, if you quickly and consistently reinforce the behavior you want, the parrot will offer it more frequently. When this happens pick a cue and try to insert it just before you think the behavior will be offered. You will notice a variety of cues to choose from. The cue gains meaning when inserted just before the behavior is presented and then reinforced. If you have played correctly Delbert will present the behavior you have chosen on cue. To practice your training skills, delete the session and retrain the behavior using a different cue.

Repeat the process for all the different behaviors Delbert knows. You can save your training session and come back to it later. You can also delete your sessions and start over at any time to fine tune your training skills. The animated Delbert learns quicker than a real parrot, however just like in real life you may need to be a patient and observant trainer in order to capture the behavior you want.

Play with Delbert the Parrot
Have fun cueing Delbert the Yellow Naped Amazon parrot to talk and sing. Select your cue and watch him present his behavior. Be sure to reinforce him with a treat for being a good parrot.

Here is the link again. The app is educational and fun and it costs just $1.99. I hope you will check it out. I will post  links for the iphone version as soon as it is available.

Enjoy!
Barbara Heidenreich
http://www.goodbirdinc.com/

1 comment:

Lake Oswego Veterinary said...

Wow, our most avid parrot lovers will love this app!