Originally Posted by
Labradorks
Puppies are born biting. It's what they do. One correction is typically not going to change the behavior they are wired for. Biting is as natural to them as playing. Of course you need to let them know what is and is not desirable, but you have to remember that he is doing what comes natural to him and you have to show him what you want instead, not just focus on what you do not want.
Puppies also don't understand good behavior versus bad behavior. They understand the dog behaviors they were born with and they understand that doing X will get them to Y (food, playing, attention, affection, toys, going outside, walks, etc.). If X = an undesirable behavior and leads to Y, the puppy will obviously continue doing it. And if it worked for awhile and suddenly stops, the puppy may ramp it up. Perhaps X = biting and that's no longer working. So, he might bite harder. Or, out of frustration, he might throw barking in there. Oh, that got your attention? Well, now biting PLUS barking works! So, next time that is what you're going to get. Barking can also be a sign of frustration and they can really work themselves up. When a dog is already frantic and you try punishment, depending on the dog's temperament, it can wind them up even more and make it worse.
If the dog is throwing a tantrum -- lunging, biting and barking -- it means he wants something but does not know how to win it. So, show him. Currently, when he displays an undesirable behavior you ignore him and/or punish him and/or give him what he wants, even though you may not realize it (i.e., negative attention). Perhaps try showing him what you want and praise him. Your first step would be to not allow him to get frantic. Your second step would be to ask for a quiet sit (or down, whatever you want to do) for a half a second and reward him, either going back to playing or with a treat. Then, increase the time you are asking for the desirable behavior.
Eventually you want him to know that the undesirable behavior doesn't work BUT he'll also have something that DOES work that he can use and help him win. An alternative. Imagine starting a new job where you don't really know the language or the culture, just that you are supposed to be sewing shirts. The first day you sew a shirt and the boss just says, "no!". The next day, you sew the same shirt, but this time it's green instead of blue and your boss says, "no!". On day three you might sew a pink shirt with white buttons. Your boss says, "no!" This goes on for weeks! Depending on your temperament, you might shut down (give up), you might become frantic (oh my god, oh my god, oh my god what do I do???) or you might just keep trying different variations of "shirt". Wouldn't it have been nice if your boss had just gotten a translator and said, "Sew me a black mens shirt, size large, with black buttons."?
It's OK to say, "Puppy, this isn't going to help you get what you want" by ignoring undesirable behaviors, but also, find a way to tell the puppy, "This is what you can do instead."