Hi,
Congrats on your new friend. He sounds lovely.
I do not subscribe to the "bluffing" theory at all. I've asked quite a few professionals for their opinions too. Here's one:
http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com.au/2015 ... f.html?m=1
Whenever any type of parrot bites there is a reason.
I'd say that Echo is not keen to go to his cage wants to avoid it, from what you have written. The way to deal with it is to make the reinforcement he gets for going to the cage greater than the reinforcement of staying out of the cage. For example, My bird steps up, I give him/her a treat, bird steps from finger to cage, I give a treat.
When I want my birds to be in the cage I give them a freshly loaded foraging toy or fresh browse to play with in their cage, as well as a treat for going there. Having something exciting to do while they are in the cage makes being in the cage more attractive.
I want my guys to think "last time I went to my cage and got locked in I found a treasure box with nummies an a paper straw in my foraging wheel and when I finished them I found some bottlebrush seeds an then it was bed time an I had some treatz and waz really tyred anyway so I sleeped. I bet there's something good in there today because my pet hooman just said to go to cage!"
Biting your fingers when you want him to step off your shoulder is much the same. It is hard to do when they are on your shoulder, but watch his body language before he bites. He will pin his eyes, fluff some head feathers etc. That is when you should back your hand off. And then you are back at question 1, how do I make stepping off my shoulders more attractive to the bird so he wants to do that instead of staying on my shoulder? Hold out a treat and lure him off your shoulder is an easy start.
You have not provided enough details on the ear biting for me to be able to make suggestions on that. My birds will grab my ear if they are having trouble balancing on my shoulders. There can be heaps of other reasons...
personally I'd keep dog away from bird at this stage.
Both my birds are flighted, always have been. They recall and do heaps of tricks. Every part of the bird is built to fly. If you are using the right methods to train you should never have to clip a bird to train it. One of my birds was raised in an aviary and I still didn't need to clip her wings to train her.
It is very important to make your house safe for a parrot though, teach him about windows and keep doors to the outside closed at all times. Check the top of internal doors for parrots before closing them, check shoulders for parrots before leaving the house etc. (The last one sounds obvious but you would be surprised at how many people have lost birds due to walking outside with one on their shoulder)..
For fun and useful training games, you can try "target training"
![Happy :)](./images/smilies/1.gif)
this post is long enough so try a search for info on it. Youtube user "feathered antics" has my favourite video explanation on the subject
I encourage you to start thinking deeply about why an undomesticated creature (ie parrot) should do what it is told by you without biting. A parrot does not have any innate sense of right or wrong, it repeats behaviour that resulted in outcomes it finds reinforcing ... This is the basis of how to become a very effective parrot trainer. Read over
http://www.behaviorworks.org (parrot articles are in the learning and behaviour section of written works) and goodbirdinc. This will help you understand how to have a great relationship with your little buddy. Don't blindly follow advice anyone on a forum. Research the credentials of the links they provide. There is some seriously bad advice out there, especially relating to ringnecks. If you find an article which "bluffing" that is written by a qualified, accredited bird trainer or behaviourist please share it with me as I have not found one yet!
I hope this post helps get you started on the right foot.
Regards,
Claire