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Posted by Pat B! on April 5, 2008, 11:30 am, in reply to "Thanks, Karen, and another question"
70.14.12.84
He needs to learn what it's okay to put his mouth on, and what it's not okay to do that to. And he needs to learn bite inhibition - not to apply pressure on anything other than food or a toy.
One thing you'll notice is what's called an "extinction burst". When a behavior - such as play biting - has been successful (translation in this case - it's been a fun game to bite and grab and be just generally an uncontrolled puppy) and is no longer successful (translation: the trainer is beginning to change the situation so that biting no longer leads to fun) the animal will often intensify his efforts for a period of time before abandoning the behavior. In human children, this is what's known as a "temper tantrum".
It's very important not to give in during an extinction burst, or you'll just make future efforts to eradicate the behavior that much harder. Stick with the training plan. Don't give in. Don't get discouraged in the midst of an extinction burst because you think the training isn't working - the extinction burst itself is proof that it IS.
So do the "yelp" and "separation" thing - especially with the clothing. If you are persistent and consistent, you WILL succeed!
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