Training my bearded dragon.

[Bearded dragon lover]

So i want to start to train my bearded dragon to come to me. I was thinking that I train him to go where my finger goes but im having trouble getting him to listen to me. To be fair its like hes not even paying attention to me just wandering around and doing his own thing when I attempt to train him or what not. I am hoping anybody has had luck training there bearded dragon and has any advice for me because I just really need help understanding how I can successfully train my dragon

 

[IAmAMirage]

So i want to start to train my bearded dragon to come to me. I was thinking that I train him to go where my finger goes but im having trouble getting him to listen to me. To be fair its like hes not even paying attention to me just wandering around and doing his own thing when I attempt to train him or what not. I am hoping anybody has had luck training there bearded dragon and has any advice for me because I just really need help understanding how I can successfully train my dragon

As far as I know, you can't really train beardies. You should ask @xp29, He's had lots of beardies.

 

[xp29]

As far as I know, you can't really train beardies. You should ask @xp29, He's had lots of beardies.

I've seen videos of beardies that were supposedly trained but it was more or less the beardie had been taught it would get food when called I think. Beardies are not dumb, they have reasonable intelligence but they also try to do pretty much what ever they want, they can be quite stubborn about it to.
With food training you might teach yours to come when called but I suspect as soon as it figures out there isn't food every time it will stop coming on command.

 

[ChileanTaco]

Bearded dragons can be trained. But I think for them other things are important (to most beardies) than for maybe most animals. My dragon for example won't come for an insect more than 1 - 2 of his body lengths away, despite his vision is for sure superb (he for example reacts to things going on outside of the window, or is very interested in watching me doing things) and directly for feeding time, of course he walks more than 1 - 2 body length. But an individual insect offered? Not worth it for him. So training him to come over when called as there is food would just not work. When called - my dragon recognizes his name, likely not as explicitly his name but as a sound I make before something interesting happens* - he looks, sometimes just with moving his eyes, whether there is something interesting, and then stays put. He's also not a dragon that runs to the glass once I approach or come home (some do) - he looks, and then he's fine with this like "I see my human is here, that's good!"
There exist studies in which bearded dragons are trained to open a door behind which there is an insect, then the behavior is filmed and other bearded dragons watching the movie are imitating it.
Also my dragon learned a lot of things, like that when he wants to come out, he has to go to an elevated place in his enclosure so I can get him out (enclosure opens from the top and is deeper than an armlength).
Also, he's learned a greeting behavior that is not a completely natural behavior: I pet his beard from the lip all the way down and only then he licks. Despite the licking is clearly one of his natural behaviors, the complete behavior, he's only doing so for greeting.

*He's always reacting to it. Despite I'm not always doing something special. I mention this regarding:

With food training you might teach yours to come when called but I suspect as soon as it figures out there isn't food every time it will stop coming on command.

So that I'm not always doing something (like: petting him, giving extra insects, taking him out) after saying "Taco!" doesn't make it less interesting for him.

 

[Bearded dragon lover]

Yeah I saw that you said that he does not come to the glass and just says yay my human is hear, but one thing I think i may have done wrong is when I frist got him I went straight to handling sence I am kinda impulsive and wanted one for a long time. So now if feels like when I look at him it feels like he want to be picked up. I mean he does not struggle or anything very obedient. But i think I have set the precident that I AM THE ONE who picks him up and he waits for me. Because when I cuddle with him after lights I know he likes it. His beard does not blacken and he snuggles right in with me. But he never actively comes to me when light turns off even though I always sit but his enclosure minutes have light go out and try to get him to come to me. He kinda just sits there for 3 minutes like hes waiting for me, but after a little bit and kinda just wanders off into his sleeping place. So i don't know. He certain does not mind snuggling and being with me but never actively shows appreciating as in coming when I call. So that's why he think thats the kinda guy he is. Maybe as years go by he will start to really come to me. If anyone thinks there dragon is the same or if I did make a mistake handling so early or any explanations on what I just said, feel free to comment.

 

[xp29]

Yeah I saw that you said that he does not come to the glass and just says yay my human is hear, but one thing I think i may have done wrong is when I frist got him I went straight to handling sence I am kinda impulsive and wanted one for a long time. So now if feels like when I look at him it feels like he want to be picked up. I mean he does not struggle or anything very obedient. But i think I have set the precident that I AM THE ONE who picks him up and he waits for me. Because when I cuddle with him after lights I know he likes it. His beard does not blacken and he snuggles right in with me. But he never actively comes to me when light turns off even though I always sit but his enclosure minutes have light go out and try to get him to come to me. He kinda just sits there for 3 minutes like hes waiting for me, but after a little bit and kinda just wanders off into his sleeping place. So i don't know. He certain does not mind snuggling and being with me but never actively shows appreciating as in coming when I call. So that's why he think thats the kinda guy he is. Maybe as years go by he will start to really come to me. If anyone thinks there dragon is the same or if I did make a mistake handling so early or any explanations on what I just said, feel free to comment.

Most usually don't handle them for the first week or so, I've gone both ways and didn't notice a difference. I think a whole lot of it comes down to individual personality. I've had lots of beardies and even though there is certain things they have in common, they've all had wildly different personalities.