I never expected to achieve this breakthrough moment on day seven. 

If you've missed out on Morgan's previous seven days, then this may not seem as big of a breakthrough as it actually is. So catch yourself up!

I didn't expect it so soon at all but I was excited and hopeful for when it would present itself. I literally left off on my last video saying that this was going to be a big deal, a big breakthrough moment. And it is, it's literally a game changer. This one moment speaks to so many different aspects of the work I've been doing with Morgan. 

I think my breakthrough moment came in huge part to implementing the clicker. This really changed the game, so to speak, in Morgan's mind. It was no longer just a means to be with me, it became a trick and something she was engaged in learning. When she realized it was exactly what I wanted from her (even though I assumed saying "good" was getting the same point across) she began to work harder for it. I think it also distracted her attention like the touch training did in regards to the scale... 

Instead of being nervous I would not catch her properly, or focusing on trying to fly to my back/shoulder... she began focusing on simply earning the click. 

If this does not properly depict how training an animal is literally a way of communicating clearly with them, I do not know what does! Ok, I am sure there are other things that will help you understand but damn, this is a good one. 

Aside from my breakthrough - I've also been bitten twice already by Morgan. This is not normal for me. When I worked with Storm the amazon parrot for 45 days, I never got bit once. When I worked with Rasta the alexandrine parakeet for the entire summer, I got bit ONCE! To be bitten twice already in the span of under 7 days is a real disappointment to myself. 

And literally, the bites all came at once. It was when I wasn't filming unfortunately (because I'd LOVE to be able to dissect THAT video footage!) ... I was having a session with Morgan when Patty came in and I let her be a part of it. I did not realize at that time how bleak their relationship with one another was, and that Morgan would in turn lash out at me because of it. Limitations understood. Now I am much more aware of how affected she is by Patty's presence during our sessions - some of which I continue to try to work through while others end up being spoiled and concluded. 

As much as I'd like to provide the perfect training environment, it's just not realistic because life is, well, unpredictable. So we just gotta roll with it and work through all the nuances of life. Looking forward to sharing those future nuances with you in our next video!