How to Release Dove & Keep Them Coming Back

Doves are widely used in weddings, funerals and magic shows for their ability to return after release. This is due in part to a homing feature that most varieties of dove naturally possess, but it also depends on patient training by the individual who owns them. Doves are simple birds, and not known for their intelligence, but consistency and repetition will make training a dove to return a very easy process, provided you have the time.

Things You'll Need

  • Bird perch
  • Bird cage
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Instructions

    • 1

      Get familiar with your bird. It's best to train them young, but you want to wait until they are comfortable in their cage and willing to let you touch them. Usually it takes a week or so for the bird to get acquainted with its surroundings.

    • 2

      Build on the bird's natural desire to find a perch. Doves are not long distance fliers (typically) and tend to seek the nearest refuge when they find themselves in the air. Start small by setting the bird on your finger, pulling back about 1 or 2 feet from the bird perch, and dropping your hand quickly so that the bird has to fly. It will naturally fly the small distance to rest on the perch.

    • 3

      Repeat step two multiple times, stepping back 6 inches each time. The bird is being conditioned to seek out the perch and you'll find that it is returning to the perch instead of flying to other locations that might be nearer.

    • 4

      Teach the bird to turn after the bird has become consistent at returning to the perch. Move up to a distance of about 3 or 4 feet from the perch, allowing the dove to perch on your finger. This time, before removing your finger, turn slightly either to the right or the left. Always turn the same direction because your bird can't learn to turn both ways. Then remove your finger and the bird will navigate the small turn to return to the perch.

    • 5

      Repeat step four over and over, gradually turning away from the perch before release more and more until the bird is turning a complete 180 degrees to return to the perch.

    • 6

      Continue this training process each day. Be patient and repeat each level of training many times. Fifteen minutes each day is much better than several hours in one day, as the pigeon will need time to rest. You'll be able to gradually increase the distance as much as you want so long as you don't try to skip any levels of training along the way.