Quote Originally Posted by AxelFortWorth View Post
I really am enjoying this discussion. Thank you Dillon. I cannot wait to try some of it on my next PFRT.

Here is my question. What kind of different approaches are out there to get your hawk to make that first leap of faith and take the first bite?

I have only trained four birds so far, but I used the same technique each time. I have the hawk sit inside the house on his perch and present him/her with a juicy piece of meat.
One variable I changed was the size of the meat. I found that if I make it a bigger piece the hawk has a harder time to ignore it.
Another variable I guess was that I placed the meat on my fist while the bird was hooded. Once un-hooded I let him see it and go for it.

Any input on this will be appreciated. Obviously my approach worked, but that does not mean that there is not a better one involving Dillon's approach of manning a bird.
Hi Axel,

I've used all sorts of tricks to get a bird to take the first "leap of faith." Like you, I use a big piece of meat to try and coax them early on, and then use tidbits once jumping to the glove has been conditioned. Here are a couple things I've done in the past to hasten the process:

-Build "behavioral momentum" by stepping the bird off the perch for the food repeatedly, before asking it to jump.

-Try jumping the bird UP if jumping horizontally isn't working.

-Make sure your arm is distended away from your body so you are less intimidating to the bird.

-If the bird won't hop a short distance, try it leash-length right away. Falcons, especially, don't like to hop, but would rather fly. Others get confused and are convinced they can stretch out to reach the food without flying to the glove. A bit of distance prevents this.

-Teach this lesson from a perch that the bird is unlikely to get a firm grip on. If you use a bow perch, branch, or anything soft, I often see the hawk grip down on the perch instinctively, which prevents flying. I use a thin fence or a flat surface like a stump or even a table top with a piece of astroturf for traction.

-Consider teaching the bird to jump from one perch to another rather than straight to the glove. This is probably very unorthodox to most, but I've used it quite a bit. You set up two perches of the same height, about 18 inches apart. They should be chest-high. Then you simply place tidbits on the perch, and have it hop back and forth between the two. After the bird does this without hesitation, hold your glove on top of the perch for a few hops. The bird should start hopping from the perch to the fist in short order.