Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!att!cbnewsd!heneghan
From: heneghan@cbnewsd.ATT.COM (joseph.t.heneghan)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: INDOOR: biting conure
Keywords: aggression breeds aggression
Message-ID: <12287@cbnewsd.ATT.COM>
Date: 20 Dec 89 15:50:21 GMT
References: <3358@cbnewsl.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: heneghan@cbnewsd.ATT.COM (joseph.t.heneghan,ihp,)
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 24

In article <3358@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> nora@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (nora.y.mclaughlin) writes:
>I just can't understand why all responses to peoples suggestions
>always results in somekind of sarcastic reply.  I know what tamed
>my bird and that was gentleness, and my bird is not afraid of my
>hand because it had a weapon in it.  And furthermore, as my
>keyword line states, "aggression breeds aggression" just read
>this net and you can see that.  Proof is in the pudding!  OK
>so strike your match.
I suspect that you were responding to my response. I was not trying
to be sarcastic. I just feel that negative reinforcement for bad
behaviour is appropriate for both birds and people. What's wrong with
aggressive behaviour?...it's still communicative. You can allways
read the title of an article and then not read the article because you
really don't care about the subject matter. 

Anyway, I try to be gentle with my bird. If he bites, he gets bopped,
not hard, but enough to let him know that his behaviour was unacceptable.
He has done just fine in this environment. In fact he's learning to
talk (from what I've read, wouldn't happen if the bird was unhappy). We're
working on "hello". He'll only say it when prompted, but he's getting 
clearer all the time. This is really exciting for me. I've never taught
a bird to talk. I've only taught children (sometimes I wish I had not).
				Merry Christmas,
				Joe heneghan