I finished the LLP course two weeks ago. I can certainly say it was one of the best parrot related investments of my time! It is extremely well run, very rewarding and enlightening, and will help everyone not only understand what they are doing when interacting and working with their parrots, but will help them work with them more productively and in a better way.
The LLP course, or Living and Learning with Parrots, is an eight week course on behavior, specifically as related to parrots, and on Applied Behavior Analysis, or ABA (also known on the internet as "positive reinforcement training", which is a misnomer). It is run by Susan Friedman (website), Lee McGuire, and several great volunteer teachers. Although I think everyone should take the course, if you don't have time for that, you can also do your parrots a huge favor by joining the yahoo list PBAS (Parrot Behavior Analysis Solutions), read the following articles by Susan Friedman, or check out Barbara Heidenrich's website, Good Bird Inc.
I have always used ABA with my parrots, and I can say it is absolutely the best, and in my opinion, the only method that should be used when working with parrots. When the time is taken to learn about ABA and how to use it, it is not only is it much easier on the parrot and yourself, it is also the "fastest" method when used correctly and by a dedicated person. Although it can seem daunting at first, especially if you are not familiar with it at all, once you take the time to understand it (perhaps by taking the LLP course!) ABA slowly becomes easier and more manageable - along with the relationship you share with your parrot!
And as a side note, the LLP course is not only full of useful behavior knowledge for using with parrots, but the knowledge can be applied to all animals, as well as the humans in your life, as the same behavior rules apply to all. Just another reason to check out ABA!
3 comments:
Thank you for the information. Was this course all over the phone? I went to the website and was not sure.
Sorry, I did not specify! LLP is an online course, done through a yahoo group. The lectures and other files are posted at the yahoo group, and you can either post your lecture answers & read teacher responses there, or have them sent directly to your email.
Hope this helps, and I know you will enjoy the class should you take it!
Congrats on completing the LLP course! That's wonderful news.
I'd have to say though that I don't think ABA and positive reinforcement training are interchangeable terms. When I think of ABA, I think of a much more systematic approach to behavioral analysis (which includes a big focus on antecedents and the full range of R+/R-/P+/P-) whereas positive reinforcement training the way it's popularly used is a pretty loose "philosophy" about using R+ to reward behaviors, but doesn't focus as much on behavioral analysis (not saying this .
Or at least that's how I see it.
But I'm really not as current on the vocabulary as I should be.
I should put the LLP course on my to-do list. Sounds like a great experience! Congrats again!
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