Training Ducks...

[Wokawidget]

Hi,

Has anyone else trained their duck(s)?

So far my Campbell knows the following commands:

1) Dinner time - Quacks loads and comes running for her dinner
2) Come here - Come to you, admittedly a little slow
3) What's this? - Snuffles where I point with my finger
4) Worms - Mealworm treats. Quacks and gets very excited. Makes that cackling noise ducks do.
5) Bedtime - Runs to the back door when it's time to go outside to bed in the chicken coup
6) Outside - Runs the the back door to be let out
7) Inside - Runs to backdoor to be let in
8) Bathtime - Gets excited at the thought of splashing in luke warm bath
9) All Done - After a bath when I have semi dried her off she gets excited at being lifted out of the bath
10) Tomatos - Similar to worms. Tomatos are her drug of choice

I know some are slightly tenuous, but her reaction to words makes be believe she does know what they mean. Saying "Woof" to her in the bath gets no reaction...where "All Done" gets her excited.

alas, I am having trouble training her to fetch sticks

While I have trained many dogs over the years this is the 1st time with a duck.
Does anyone have any tips?

Woka

 

[nettie]

I've taught my ducks a few things here and there. With ducks, it's all about repetition And not getting frustrated. My ducks live inside so they've had to learn a few things like not grazing the carpet, not to bite, etc... I taught them two different "Tricks" while they were little, and my duck victor recently learned a new one (But i don't know how much of it was "learned" rather than just a normal behavior I take advantage of. lol) I have videos....

And yes, Victor is actually a girl... We just haven't told him about it yet... lol. We don't want to hurt his feelings...

 

[ducks4you]

SSOOO CCCUUUTTEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JUST LOVE DUCKS!!!

 

[kingpincray]

I am trrrryig... I have a white indian runner-the only survivor of my hatch and she was really tame then.Then I keep reading how it is cruel to have only one duck so I was guilt tripped to get another one from a pet store, a swedish blue which was no where near tame, in fact a bit mad, so i named her Maddy Since then I have lost Chloe my indian runner to the wild side.

I am trying hard to win her affection back but haven't succeeded. What can I do?

In saying that, Maddy will follow Chloe anywhere including into a pet carrier box.

 

[Wokawidget]

Cool ducks. What kind of runner is that white and brown, I want one similar.
My Campbell wags her tail when you say "Where's that waggy tail?" and then touch her. I think they wag their tail because they're happy.

I have just taught Boglin' another trick over the last few days. She has a small soft dog basket and if you say "Basket" she goes and sits in it. Took 2-3 days of treats, but she now understands

Woka

 

[priss]

Mine wag when they happy and when they embarrassed! When they jump in the pool they wag, when they miss and fall over...they wag loool.
I wish I could teach mine tricks. The only thing mine will do on command is right before they go to bed if they all muddy or if I have guests over who want to feed them peas by hand and their beaks are all muddy then I can put a mini bucket of water in front of them and say stick your head in and get clean and they'll all do it. Mind you...try and stop em from stickin their heads in water, now THERE would be a trick. Kingpin, that so funny about Maddy followin Chloe even into the pet carrier box. I can just imagine Maddy quackin: 'So where we goin, what, wait...not in there, what are you MAD? Let's go check out the pool for peas, what, wait c'moonnn but I don't wannna go in there. Okay fine, fine, we go in there then we go check out the pool for peas, deal?'

I do think my ducks know their names though. Cos sometimes I call Mr. Snoogles, Snoogie and Doogie gets confused and Mr. Snoogles gets confused when I do it. And when Doogie gets kicked out the waterbowl and looks sad I always go 'Oh Dooooooog' and he always looks up at me. He knows that's his catchphrase. Like 'Lucy, you got some splainin to do'. loool.

 

[Duck_feeder]

Quote:
Victor is a fawn and white runner.

 

[Wokawidget]

Well...simple answer...ducks are very trainable...and learn quite quickly.

Using some treats it took me about 7 attempts to get her to run in a circle on the command "circle".
I then got her to walk around my legs on this command. She runs round and comes to heal like a dog....should have used the heal commond looking back on it.
She runs round and "laughs" in that excited duck way. Showed my friends and they tried it...but she ran across the room and circled me instead of them ) haha.
She now circles whoever says "Circle" to her and always runs around cackling to herself. This is her 1st proper trick and she learnt it with ease.

She knows "Basket" fully now and walks over to it when you tell her.

Almost understands "up" when we try to get her to jump on things...but shes too lazy and just looks at you to pick her up. I'll have that sorted soon.

 

[CityChicker]

Ducks are quite trainable and can learn to be manipulative and blatantly defy what they know they are supposed to do sometimes. They can be pretty easily taught things like where to go and at what time. My Anconas used to lead the pack over to the night run when they knew we were coming to round them up. They would walk just as calm as can be leading the other ducks to the gate and then right at the last couple feet to the door of the run, they would turn and run off cackling, like they knew the learned behavior, but wanted to have one with us.

The most adorable trained duck we have though is one of our Runner drakes (his hen does this too, but not every day like the drake). The drake absolutely loves to be picked up and held. He also thinks he is incapable of walking on his own out to their day pen. As soon as we kneel down and let them out of their duck house, he immediately hops up on your leg to be carried. He literally does it every, single, day. It is pretty darn cute and endearing.

It is funny that Runners are normally known for being skittish and a little crazy, but some of the calmest, tamest , most well behaved ducks I have ever had were Runners! Isn't that funny?