Pets have a way of reminding us that even our best plans can get shuffled around. It's a good lesson in going with the flow.

Explaining just gives them an excuse to get upset.

Wow, paul286 finally convinced me to keep a spare parts shelf.

Positive reinforcement worked wonders when my budgie picked up the smoke alarm beep. Just ignored the bad sounds and rewarded the good ones with a treat. He lost interest in being annoying pretty fast once it stopped getting a reaction from everyone.

Did you use more weight to make up for the shorter time? I put a heavy book on top for twenty minutes and it turned out great... no cracks or anything. Honestly, short presses should be more common.