When I say "establish dominance", I don't mean "be big and scary", but do keep in mind that birds are flock animals and that there's always an alpha bird in every flock. Be that alpha bird.

How do you do that? Here's a few tips:

• If you have rules, enforce them. Don't let your bird do it just because he or she is "being sweet". Don't give yup just because your bird is being persistent. They're rules, they're either there for a good reason or shouldn't be there.
• If you're going to create special exceptions to the rules, then create a special command associated with that. For instance, I don't let my cockatoo (pictured above) on shoulders, except when I do think he's being sweet and want him there I always say "shoulder time!" If he climbs up on my shoulder through my inattention, I take him down; only later do I lete him up there, always saying "shoulder time!"
• Don't be afraid to give an out-of-control bird a "time out". Being covered in his or her cage isn't awful; it'll just give your bird a chance to calm down and then return to having positive interactions with people.
• Don't be afraid to give a bird who's about to misbehave a "time out." By the time you've figured out what misbehavior to expect, your bird has already started thinking hard about that misbehavior. If you give him or her a "time out" now, your bird will think you know what he or she is thinking! That makes for a much better-behaved bird.
• Always be taller.