How to Leash Train Your Pigeon (Going for Walks)

To understand leash training, it helps to understand these two terms first. Positive reinforcement is adding a reinforcer. Negative reinforcement is taking one away.

With birds, we almost always want to use positive reinforcement, since this is how we get a bird to want to be with us instead of flying away. We can't force them.

Negative reinforcement is very common with dogs and horses. Think of pulling on a leash and the dog knowing to follow. Even though "negative" is in the name, it's meant in the mathematical sense, not as a judgment on the method.

Don't just take your bird outside and expect them to know what a leash is. Put it on indoors first and apply pressure so they learn to move off of it. Your bird is almost certainly going to try flying off with the leash on, so work on this a lot before heading outside.

A harness is highly recommended if your bird hasn't been recall trained and free flown outdoors. For my own well-trained birds, I just clip the leash to their diaper, since the leash is a tool and not a bandaid. If you're getting a bird from me, I wouldn't worry about this step much.

If you're working with an adult rescue you plan on taking outside, try applying pressure with the leash and moving them around with it, getting them to come toward you, then feeding them. This teaches your bird not to panic under pressure. Don't be afraid to guide them around a bit and then reward them. I know it seems mean, but your bird needs to understand what the harness means and not freak out when they fly and hit the end of it.

You can also just put the leash on and practice recall as if it weren't there. Walk around the house and see if they jump off naturally to see how they react. I recommend feeding quite a bit on your shoulder to reinforce that's where you want them.

Personally, I've never had anything actually go wrong with a leash on. My birds pretty much just fly in the air and I pick them back up. Haha.

Now that your bird understands pressure and what the leash means, and you know it's properly fitted and actually working, it's time to go outside.

I simply go for a walk. I keep a rough timer in my head and give my bird food every 5 to 10 minutes when they're doing well sitting on my shoulder. If they jump off, this resets my internal timer for giving food.

In the beginning, keep sessions short, especially for scared birds. Feed every 30 seconds to a minute and keep it brief so they associate walks with food and get heavily reinforced for staying on your shoulder. Move on to longer walks with more time between rewards after doing this a couple of times.

If they jump off, don't get frustrated or impatient. Pigeons naturally want to be on the ground foraging. They see colors on the ground and want to peck at or eat them. My free-flying birds all go through phases where they want to jump down and forage. Sometimes I pick them back up, other times I let them and they fly back to me when they're done. If I want a strict shoulder pet, I leash train them. Generally, I give my birds freedom and they choose to be with me due to extensive training. Every pigeon can be a little different.

But since this guide is about leash training, we want them staying on our shoulder. When they jump and fly mid-air, just pick them back up and put them on your shoulder. Over time they'll realize that jumping off the shoulder triggers the leash, and they'll stop doing it. On top of that, they'll realize it doesn't get them food either. Staying on the shoulder gets them food, jumping off gets them something weird and no food. It's just common sense for any pigeon, really.

For adult rescue pigeons that are more scared, use food to trigger relaxation. A scared pigeon holds their head up with wide open eyes. This isn't good, because like I said before, a leash is a tool, not a bandaid. Keep sessions short and reward frequently. It helps to do this when they're hungry, since animals in fight-or-flight mode are less likely to want to eat.