Altitude has a lot to do with attitude, at least when it comes to parrots. Pet parrots who see themselves as dominant to their owners can often be retrained just by getting their height adjusted.

The rule is known among behaviorists as "your head, my heart" and requires you to keep your bird's head no higher than your heart. That means canceling shoulder rides in favor of letting your bird perch on your waist-level arm or hand. It also means removing cage-top play gyms and lowering the height of the cage itself by removing the stand on which most models rest.

When your bird no longer looks down on you physically, he won't be as likely to look down on you socially. You'll then be in a better position to train him in the basics of well-mannered behavior.