Book Review #5: The Click that Does the Trick by Robin Deutsch

Here's what I like about this book: "The Click That Does The Trick" focuses on step by step training of tricks with parrots.  General behavior training and parrot handling and nutrition and stuff like that is really important - but this book doesn't cover any of that: just tricks.  Actually, it covers two things: tricks and building the props for the tricks.

When learning to train tricks, you have to learn to get a fairly complex series of tiny steps before the trick looks complete.  Sometimes you have to start at the end and work backward - sometimes you have to start at the beginning and work forwards - sometimes you have to start in the middle and work outwards.  Choosing the best sequence to follow for each behavior is a matter of experience and "design" of your tricks.  This book gives great examples of figuring out a step-by-step plan and deciding on clear objectives before staring the training.

The book is easy to read and has lots of pictures.  You probably won't use "every trick in the book" (not every bird can balance on a ball and walk it across a stage), but you will find a lot of great tricks (from easy to advanced) that you can teach - you will also find example after example of how to plan and train a complex behavior.

The last section of the books shows how you can build your own basketball hoop and birdee bowling alley and several other props out of PVC and wood.