Living and Learning With Parrots

"It is the best money I have ever spent on my birds!"

Susan Berezuk

 

"You know what one of the greatest aspects of that weekend was...Saturday evening at your house! It was AWESOME to have some more "relaxed" time to hang out and chat with all those other Parrot people!'

Julie Denoyer

 

"The workshop was fantastic. I'm still on a high."

Lori Gibbons

 

"That was a wonderful, informative week-end!"

Jacquie Blackburn

 

These are some of the comments received following Dr. Friedman's two-day course in Applied Behavior Analysis held in the banquet room of sisters Restaurant in Scarborough, Ontario in april 2006. forty-five parrot lovers from Michigan, Montreal, Sudbury and cities and towns closer to Toronto gathered to hear and learn from Dr. Susan Friedman, a respected behaviorist from Utah. They included veterinarians, parrot breeders, veterinary technicians, parrot hobbyists, a dog trainer from New York and three thread leaders from Dr. Friedman's PBAS list. The weekend seminar was called Living and Learning with Parrots.

 

Without understanding the relationship between behavior and the environment in which it occurs, we often inadvertently, teach our parrot behaviors that we then find objectionable, and that often result in re-homing, abuse, neglect or surrender to a parrot refuge. Workshop participants were introduced to how parrots learn, how we teach them and positive, non-intrusive strategies for helping our parrots to live companionably in our living rooms.

 

Lunch, each day, consisted of Sisters buffet brunch, a feast by anyone's standards. and coffee breaks on both days included draws for the door prizes, a wonderful selection of "parrot-phernalia" donated by various well-wishers.

 

On Saturday evening, my husband Lorne, and I, were delighted to host an informal get-together in our home, an open invitation to all the workshop participants. Participants gathered over light refreshments, got to know each other better, shared parrot stories and chatted more informally with Dr. Friedman. Our Moluccan, Bertie, too, seemed absolutely delighted that so many people had come to visit her. Our first day came to a tired but very satisfied close.

 

Day 2, Sunday, was jam-packed with information too. But far from being wearied or fidgeting from information overload, Dr. Friedman's relaxed interactive style of lecturing ensured continued participation, with most feeling ready for a day 3 that wasn't to be.

 

Offered in Canada for the first time, the seminar was an unqualified success. I feel privileged to have met Dr. Friedman, one of the few persons I've met who lives what she teaches. I also met two other graduates of Dr. Friedman's on-line LLP course, who are also members of her PBAS list, practicing their skills as they help other parrot caregivers with problem behaviors. This was a rare opportunity indeed. Best of all, everyone left having enjoyed a fun learning experience.

 

June 2006