GSD Puppy Won't Stop Biting

[Steven]

We have a 10 weeks old German shepherd. He likes to bite my three children, age 11, 9 & 7 on their feet and legs, often pretty hard, though didn't punch through the skin, but significant marks and scratches are seen. I have been interfering the biting by using the Bite Inhibition Games and training him by following the Biting, Mouthing and Nipping guide, as well as Take/Leave It and Drop It guide. None seems to work. He does not bite me though. He would sometimes come close to me, sniff a little or slightly drag on my pants, but doesn't bite. But when he sees the kids, he would run towards them and start biting. The kids then would move away their legs while saying 'ouch', but the puppy won't stop. I've tried to have the kids stay still without reaction, thinking not to stimulate the puppy more, but the bites are hard and really cause pain, the kids wouldn't be willing to try it again. 

This biting problem really dramatically lowered the joy of having a GSD puppy in the family. The kids literally turned from excitement to frustration and terrified. I'm in urgent need of correcting this behavior. 

[Emma]

I'm having the same problem with my new 4 month old English Shepherd puppy.  He bites my husband and adult son and draws blood and leaves bruises.  I have been working on the same basic commands that you mentioned but the biting continues.  He doesn't bite me that often however he will occasionally nip at me if I try to touch him on the head or brush him.  I take him for walks in the driveway and he still tries to nip at me even though I freeze and turn my back to him when he does this.  The biting is so upsetting that I've been seriously considering surrendering him.  We're afraid that he is going to seriously hurt one of us, especially when he gets bigger and has adult teeth.  It's frustrating because I don't want to be dominated by a puppy and I also don't want to resort to hitting him to make him stop hurting us.  I just don't know what to do.

[Adrienne]

Hi Steven, 

Welcome to the forums,

You are on the right path with the bite inhibition games and training the other cues. They seem to be working in not getting your puppy to nip you too often. However, when it comes to children, we are exposing a very young puppy to a level of distraction that he is not ready for.  Here's the thing: puppy biting is totally normal behavior in puppies. All puppies go through the "landshark phase." Pups who don't go through is are either sick, have been traumatized or have endured some unusual deficit disorder. 

Puppies use their mouths to play because they don't have dexterous fingers and hands as we do. If we watch puppies interact, we will see how they are constantly nipping each other in play. Puppies find legs, floppy ears and tails irresistible to play with because they move and provide interactive fun. Movement triggers predatory drive and therefore a puppy moving away and running will be readily chased. A moving tail will be nipped. The forward moving legs will be quite an attraction too with funny episodes of a pup trying to walk while the other pup is latched on to a leg with a crocodile hold.

Deprived from a littermate to focus on, it is natural for puppies to therefore want to play with the humans in their family in the same way they play among each other. Biting when playing with owners/family members is therefore a very normal activity most commonly seen in puppies and dogs under the age of 1. If you just bought home a puppy, it's therefore very typical (and expected!) that he will try to interact with you or others by mouthing and nipping. 

With no more puppies to play with, once introduced to their new homes, puppies will therefore be seeking out play with the humans they share their homes with. It's not unusual for children to be the preferred nipping targets of puppies and young dogs. Moving erratically, running and screaming or talking in high-pitched voices, children act a lot like dogs and their body movements are perceived as an irresistible invitation to play.

I am glad to hear that your German shepherd puppy is not breaking the skin which means he is able of inhibiting his bite, but with needle sharp teeth, unfortunately teeth scratches and marks aren't unusual. 

In such cases, when there are young children in the home, it is best to not expose the puppy to them when they are actively playing or doing anything that overstimulates the puppy. Puppies get over threshold in these cases and it's difficult for them to listen. https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

It would be helpful therefore to use management strategies that prevent putting your GSD puppy in the position of being overstimulated and wanting to constantly bite. The goal of management is to prevent dogs from rehearsing problematic behaviors while we work on teaching them more appropriate behaviors. This could mean, using a baby gate so that puppy and children have their own play areas, keeping your puppy tethered or on leash with an adult when he is in the same yard or room with the children, or keeping him in his play pen, crate or behind a pet fence etc. 

Management also entails not putting the puppy into situations that are too over stimulating or overwhelming which may prompt excessive nipping behaviors. Children should not pet the puppy if this causes the puppy to turn nippy. 

In the meanwhile, when children are away, the puppy can be taught various easy behaviors to engage in. At 10 weeks your puppy is very young, but we can do some basic sits, hand targets and downs. I also find training a response to the smacking sound helpful: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/ to redirect as needed. 

With a short attention span, training sessions in pups of this age should be very brief no more than 5 minutes, better 2-3 minutes several times a day making the sessions fun and upbeat.

When around children, the children should act as calm as possible and the puppy should be encouraged to engage in alternate behaviors that do not involve nipping. Bottle games https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/high-school/the-bottle-game/ treasure hunts https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/elementary/the-treasure-hunt/ and tossing balls tossed across the room can help provide outlets for play. Kibble toss games work great too as the pup has fun chasing a portion of his daily meal rather than eating it all in one setting. 

Puppies who are teething should be provided with suitable age-appropriate chew toys. I like to use a frozen wash rag for teething puppies as outlined here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/behavior-training/chewing/

The problem with the pup not being responsive to leave it, drop it or other cues in presence of the children is likely because the puppy is very, very young to learn these cues at a fluent level. Just consider that an average dog obedience class lasts 6 to 8 weeks, and with these classes, they aren't even taught at a fluent level because not around the many distractions of the real world (joggers running, cars, bicycles).

A puppy of this age will therefore need lots of fun sessions initially with no children around and then gradually practicing with the children at a distance, initially acting calmly, then gradually adding distractions etc. For instance, you can train your pup to respond to the smacking sound initially in a quiet room with no children, https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/  and then progress gradually to respond to it when watching the children play in the yard from a window, https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/ and then can progress with the pup on leash watching the children play in the yard from the deck at a distance, and then practicing on a long line (long leash like 10-15 feet).

The desire to play at this age is very strong and children entice puppies to chase and play in the only way they know. Children can participate in training when the puppy is in a calmer state (preferable while leashed to an adult so he can be removed if starts to nip) by sitting down on the couch (on the floor is too overstimulating for pups) and one by one calmly asking for behaviors such as hand targeting, sits and downs. If the puppy struggles, it's sign that he's too over threshold to learn and needs more gradual, less overwhelming settings. 

So to recap, the fastest option right now is to use management when the puppy cannot be trained, and then dedicating every day time to training and focusing on brain games, initially away from the children, and then systematically creating low-level exposures over time, gradually progressing at the puppy's pace. Something that can further help management-wise if the biting is directed at children feet and legs primarily, is having the children wear thick jeans and tall Wellington boots which can allow them to "turn into a tree" and therefore stand still without feeling the sharp teeth. 

I know how frustrating this can be! When I was 6, my dad came home with a special gift: a black Lab puppy. I was ecstatic and the happiest child ever. Until when the pup started biting my legs and my mom grew concerned about me running around and squealing in pain with a mix between a crocodile and landshark firmly attached to my leg. She finally, out of desperation, decided to give the puppy away although I still missed the pup and cried. 

Fast forward a few weeks and my cousin gets a puppy too for her kids. The poodle puppy was biting and scratch their kids arms and legs up to the point of them crying. She also gave away the puppy assuming the pup was coming from bad breeders. With my mom and my cousin talking things over, we assumed that some pups must be just nuts and not family friendly. Until later on, as I grew up and moved out and decided to get my first dogs. I finally understood that biting is a normal part of puppyhood, --of course, no longer being a child made it easier. I sort of regret now though not haven had the amazing experience of growing up with a dog. 

You can read many threads here about biting puppies in families with children by searching the forums. Fortunately, most pups outgrow this phase when given gentle guidance. Any physical corrections (like tapping on the nose, alpha rolls, etc) tend to exacerbate the problem, often lead to more problems down the road. Puppy classes under the guidance of a good positive reinforcement trainer can help provide the puppy safe play opportunities with other pups (which can help drain some energy) while also working on hands-on obedience training and children are often welcomed to participate. 

I hope this helps, keep me posted on how things go!

Best,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: If your dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

 

[Adrienne]

3 hours ago, Emma said:

I'm having the same problem with my new 4 month old English Shepherd puppy.  He bites my husband and adult son and draws blood and leaves bruises.  I have been working on the same basic commands that you mentioned but the biting continues.  He doesn't bite me that often however he will occasionally nip at me if I try to touch him on the head or brush him.  I take him for walks in the driveway and he still tries to nip at me even though I freeze and turn my back to him when he does this.  The biting is so upsetting that I've been seriously considering surrendering him.  We're afraid that he is going to seriously hurt one of us, especially when he gets bigger and has adult teeth.  It's frustrating because I don't want to be dominated by a puppy and I also don't want to resort to hitting him to make him stop hurting us.  I just don't know what to do.

Hi Emma, 

Please see my response to Steven above as it explains why puppies tend to bite and how this behavior is ingrained and takes some time to tackle. In the meanwhile, management is important while we work on providing gradual, baby steps as our pups learn new ways to interact with us and get better in controlling their impulses. 

Are there some specific contexts when the biting occurs on top of when being touched on the head or brushed? If so, please list them as that would be important to know. Also, is there ever any growling or baring of teeth or aggressive displays when he bites? Did you just recently get this puppy? If so, did he come from a breeder, rescue or pet store? 

There are some handling and bite inhibition exercises outlined below, but you may want to use extra caution and use gardener's gloves since your pup draws blood at least until he develops a softer mouth. You may want to skip the car wash game done from sitting on the floor if your puppy get too excited when you sit on the floor or tries to bite your face. It may work best by sitting on the couch and the puppy just standing and walking back and forth as you pet him while he moves by to get his tossed kibble/treats. 

Handling games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/

Bite inhibition games: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

You may also find it helpful investing on a flirt pole and allowing him to play with that as you take him on walks as a management strategy to prevent rehearsal of the nipping behavior. However, you want to also aim on start training him indoors to walk besides you in the hallways rewarding him often for walking next to you:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/ 

and every now and then make your smacking sound with a treat at eye level:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

so to do just a step of two of attention heeling:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

Then try bringing this activity to the driveway, always making sure to make the training fun and rewarding. Remember puppies have short attention spans so we need to train for short periods of time (just about 5 minutes initially several times a day can help). When pups get tired, they tend to get cranky which leads to more biting so make sure your pup has several opportunities to wind down and sleep. 

Physically correcting puppies (like through muzzle grabs, alpha rolls, scruff shakes) or other forms of intimidation tend to lead to more problems down the road. From the puppy biting out of play or seeking engagement, we risk getting a puppy who bites defensively which becomes a much bigger problem and much more difficult to solve.  Puppies aren't trying to dominate anyone, they are just like toddlers who are act out at times just because they haven't learned any better and they have very little impulse control. You can read more about the dominance misconception here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

Disclaimer: If your dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others.

[Steven]

Thank you Adrienne for spending the time and patience to addressing my concerns. By following your instructions, I had my kids wearing skiing boots at home and ignore the puppy when he bites. So my two boys wore boots, while my 11 year old daughter refused because she wants to keep her 'style'. It turned out the puppy lose interest of biting the two boys because they ignore him. But he still chases and bites my daughter. It's obvious that the puppy is seeking attention and wants to play (as the tail was waggling). I'll have my daughter to wear boots and see how it goes. 

I really appreciate the detail answers. I have been feeling like holding on the end of my rope. Now I can see the hope through the tunnel.

[Emma]

Hi Adrienne,

 

Thank you for your prompt response.  The puppy usually doesn't growl or bare his teeth.  He may have done this once or twice.  We've had him for six weeks now.  We got him from an Amish breeder.  They seemed like very nice, calm people.  I'm not sure if they ever trained him although he seemed docile when we first got him because everything was so new to him and he was getting used to his new environment. 

The first few weeks that we had the puppy he was aggressively biting us and we would scream at him to stop and try to run away.  This made him more excited and I was at my wits end.  I texted the breeder and asked her if this was normal.  She said it was absolutely not normal for a dog to aggressively bite and we should roll up a newspaper and tap him on the rump whenever he would bite us.  We did this and the very next day the aggressive biting stopped.  He was now only nipping at us.  We still have the rolled up newspaper but we have not ever had to use it again.

I've read all of your advice and I believe you've given me some valuable insight into why he's biting.  He does seem to bite my husband when he comes home from work and when there is a lot of excitement.  I feel like I have to train my husband too because he tends to get the puppy riled up; although he's not doing it intentionally.  My son wears shorts around the house so the puppy sees a lot of flesh and tends to nip at it.  Also, the puppy doesn't see either of them often so when he does see them it's very exciting to him.  I'm starting to watch for triggers.  I didn't realize it but he's calm around me because I'm not providing many triggers.  He sees me all the time and I'm calm and quiet with him.

 He's not trying to be bad and he's not trying to hurt us; he just excited.  I understand that this puppy responds much better to kindness and attention than being tapped on the rump.  I'm glad because I don't ever want to be cruel to him.  I want to earn his trust and love.  I also understand that I was too hasty in trying to brush him.  Your tips are working wonders.  It never occurred to me to give him a treat while brushing him.  That worked like a charm and now he equates the brush with a treat.  We're all so happy with the dramatic improvements.  I've noticed that he loves being trained.  He looks forward to it and is super eager to learn new commands.  He just loves the positive attention he gets when we're training.  If I didn't find this course online I really believe that I would have gotten rid of this dog.  I was overwhelmed and had no idea what I was doing.  Thank you.

 

[Adrienne]

12 hours ago, Steven said:

Thank you Adrienne for spending the time and patience to addressing my concerns. By following your instructions, I had my kids wearing skiing boots at home and ignore the puppy when he bites. So my two boys wore boots, while my 11 year old daughter refused because she wants to keep her 'style'. It turned out the puppy lose interest of biting the two boys because they ignore him. But he still chases and bites my daughter. It's obvious that the puppy is seeking attention and wants to play (as the tail was waggling). I'll have my daughter to wear boots and see how it goes. 

I really appreciate the detail answers. I have been feeling like holding on the end of my rope. Now I can see the hope through the tunnel.

I am glad to hear the skiing boots strategy has been working for you. It helps a lot to stop moving body parts and squealing in pain like a hurt animal which often excites puppies more thinking we are up for the game. It's unfortunate that puppies have sharp teeth, while us humans and children in particular have very delicate skin. Otherwise play with them would be very fun. 

However, there is an evolutionary reason for why puppies have very sharp teeth. They need to learn to gauge the pressure of their bites before their jaws get much stronger so that, when they play, interact with other dogs (and with us too!) they won't cause much damage. With us humans, it's important to let them know that we have even more sensitive skin that other dogs. And we do this through feedback, praising/rewarding when the pup uses a very gently mouth. A good place to start is by teaching the puppy to take treats gently: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

More games for redirection:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/bite-inhibition-games/

It's also important to work on handling exercises:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/exercises-to-teach-puppies-to-tolerate-touch/

And with young pups, exercises to prevent resource guarding:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/the-importance-of-preventing-resource-guarding-in-puppies/

Puppy nipping/biting doesn't stop overnight, it's a gradual progress, waxing and waning over time, but with feedback to reduce its intensity, management to prevent rehearsal of over threshold behaviors and encouraging engagement in alternate behaviors, with time you should see a reduction in the intensity and frequency of the biting. At first, there should be small signs of progress, the biting initially reduces in pressure and intensity, and then gradually reduces in frequency. Most pups get better by the time they are 5 months, although some may take a bit longer. 

Keep me posted on how things go, I am always here to do more troubleshooting or if you have other questions.

Best,

Adrienne 

 

[Adrienne]

6 hours ago, Emma said:

Hi Adrienne,

 

Thank you for your prompt response.  The puppy usually doesn't growl or bare his teeth.  He may have done this once or twice.  We've had him for six weeks now.  We got him from an Amish breeder.  They seemed like very nice, calm people.  I'm not sure if they ever trained him although he seemed docile when we first got him because everything was so new to him and he was getting used to his new environment. 

The first few weeks that we had the puppy he was aggressively biting us and we would scream at him to stop and try to run away.  This made him more excited and I was at my wits end.  I texted the breeder and asked her if this was normal.  She said it was absolutely not normal for a dog to aggressively bite and we should roll up a newspaper and tap him on the rump whenever he would bite us.  We did this and the very next day the aggressive biting stopped.  He was now only nipping at us.  We still have the rolled up newspaper but we have not ever had to use it again.

I've read all of your advice and I believe you've given me some valuable insight into why he's biting.  He does seem to bite my husband when he comes home from work and when there is a lot of excitement.  I feel like I have to train my husband too because he tends to get the puppy riled up; although he's not doing it intentionally.  My son wears shorts around the house so the puppy sees a lot of flesh and tends to nip at it.  Also, the puppy doesn't see either of them often so when he does see them it's very exciting to him.  I'm starting to watch for triggers.  I didn't realize it but he's calm around me because I'm not providing many triggers.  He sees me all the time and I'm calm and quiet with him.

 He's not trying to be bad and he's not trying to hurt us; he just excited.  I understand that this puppy responds much better to kindness and attention than being tapped on the rump.  I'm glad because I don't ever want to be cruel to him.  I want to earn his trust and love.  I also understand that I was too hasty in trying to brush him.  Your tips are working wonders.  It never occurred to me to give him a treat while brushing him.  That worked like a charm and now he equates the brush with a treat.  We're all so happy with the dramatic improvements.  I've noticed that he loves being trained.  He looks forward to it and is super eager to learn new commands.  He just loves the positive attention he gets when we're training.  If I didn't find this course online I really believe that I would have gotten rid of this dog.  I was overwhelmed and had no idea what I was doing.  Thank you.

 

 

Thanks for the extra details, they are very helpful.

 

Amish breeders- a good percentage of them run puppy mills, but of course this doesn't apply to all of them.

 

I am glad to hear that your pup usually doesn't growl or bare teeth. You say though that it has happened once or twice, do you happen to remember in what circumstance? In these cases of the bites directed towards your husband and son that drew blood, do you remember as well what happened? Was he acting aggressive? Does he bite this hard still as of today? I see that you stated he is only nipping now.

 

Since you had him for only six weeks and it sounds like he is biting roughly to break skin, we can assume that the breeders or who had this puppy in their care didn't work much on bite inhibition. It is not too late though as he's still young.

 

The screaming and any fast withdrawal of hands movement often revs pups more, especially those of herding breeds (like shepherd dogs) and running of course is movement and once again entices them to chase. These pups need lots of feedback to learn to gauge the pressure of their bites, management to prevent rehearsing the problematic behavior, training to teach them to engage in alternate behaviors,  low level exposures to set them up for success, and outlets for natural behaviors.

 

Feedback-wise, we should be praising/rewarding when the pup uses a very gently mouth. Puppies have very sharp teeth. They need to learn to gauge the pressure of their bites before their jaws get much stronger so that, when they play, interact with other dogs (and with us too!) they won't cause much damage. With us humans, it's important to let them know that we have even more sensitive skin than dogs. A good place to start is by teaching the puppy to take treats gently: 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/train-dog-take-treats-gently/

 

Management simply entails preventing putting puppies into overstimulating and overwhelming situations that evoke wild nipping behaviors. The main goal of management is preventing rehearsal of the problem behavior. We can use management when we don't have time for training and for circumstances the pup isn't ready to cope with yet. Here's the thing: the more dogs are allowed to rehearse problematic behaviors, the better they get at it and the more habit-forming the behavior becomes. 

Below are some examples of management. Of course, these are just temporary, transient solutions until the pup learns to better gauge the force of his  biting and learns better impulse control.

For instance, when your husband and son are not around, since your pup doesn't seem to nip you much, he can be allowed more freedom around the home and should spend time training, playing and learning gentle mouth on human skin. When hubby comes home or you son comes over, then management options can be used and rotated as needed when we cannot train.

• Using a baby gate. A baby gate can provide a "split-plan" with puppies having their own area and guests another area.  A baby gate may also turn helpful to prevent a puppy from chasing people when they move from one room to another.
• Keeping the puppy in an exercise pen or behind a pet gate. Make sure your pup has water, toys and safe chew items to keep occupied.
• Tethering the puppy. The puppy can be tethered to something stable and safe, or to you (umbilical cord tethering) when your husband or son enter the home. Pups should always be supervised when tethered and they should never be tethered to objects when wearing a collar, but only when wearing a harness.
• Keeping the puppy on leash with you so he's at distance from them and cannot jump on them or nip them.

Training: When husband and son are away and the home is quiet, it's a good time to work on training the puppy. Puppies have short attention spans, especially the younger ones, so you want to split your training into several brief sessions lasting no more than 3-5 minutes at first. You can train a puppy to sit, lie down, leave it, drop it, hand target, lie on a mat and come when called. Later on, you can use these to your advantage in many situations.

Make sure to start training in a quiet room and when the son and husband are not around. Then, practice in other areas of the home and under more distractions, adding them gradually. Use your pup's kibble if he likes it or try some low-calorie treats to reinforce those desirable behaviors. The science of positive reinforcement training tells us that when behaviors are reinforced (with food, treats, toys, life rewards) those behaviors tend to strengthen and repeat.

If your puppy is at any time not attentive, it can often mean that there's something too distracting going on or your puppy may need to go potty, is thirsty or is getting tired. Always keep sessions fun and brief and end them on a positive note to increase eagerness in training. 

Also work on the smacking sound, practicing in various parts of the home and gradually increasing distractions.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/the-airplane-game/the-smacking-sound/

Low level exposures: these are at a level that don't cause the dog to get overstimulated and go over threshold. We start with low level exposures and then gradually increase the level as the pup progresses. Here's a read on thresholds:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

 

So once you have a solid response to the smacking sound you can try practicing it when your pup sees your hubby come home from work from the window as explained here: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

And then once you have a solid response to that you can progress to having him on leash at distance from the door when hubby comes home, make your smacking sound and deliver treats. Deliver higher value treats as the distractions levels increase as you're competing with strong distractions and want to help your pup succeed in making good choices. 

Then once you have a solid response, you can start working on the same exercise closer to the door. 

At some point, you can have your husband participate as well when he has time,  practicing something similar to the exercise below. The goal is to make it clear that jumping/nipping makes the person leave, while calmer behavior makes the person enter and even toss a kibble /treat or two (keep them handy by the entrance of you can be the one tossing it when your dog behaves) to reinforce those calmer behaviors. 

Please note: I am acting exciting in the video below. I would suggest your husband ignore your dog as he enters (no talk, no touch, no eye contact) to help your dog succeed.  When your dog jumps or nips, you hubby turns around, and even leaves if the behavior persists. Rinse and repeat until you can obtain calmer greetings. As time goes by, you should be seeing calmer greetings as your dog will look forward to his treats/kibble tossed when he comes home. Asking for  a sit before dropping some kibble can be used too once he's calmer.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/case-studies/02-maggie-practice-greetings/

When you son comes over, it may best to keep him in a separate area until calmer. Seeing people less often increases their saliency and makes it more of a challenge. He can then try interacting with flirt pole or dragging a long tug toy around.  Long tug toys may help reduce the chances for puppy biting. The Tumbo Tough Tug Rope is 5 feet long and can dragged around behind. This can work well as pups will usually choose to to nip this rather than moving feet, clothes etc.

Training hand targets is also a great way to train puppy to interact differently with hands:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/preschool/targeting/

Provide Outlets for Natural Behaviors

Puppies have a natural need for playing and exploring the world through their mouths. Make sure to provide plenty of outlets during the day so that these needs are satiated. Provide brain games, feed meals in food puzzles, provide toys that your puppy can tug on and chase, stock up on a variety of age-appropriate chews to help teething puppies. Rotate toys to keep interest alive. 

 If you have access to a friend with another vaccinated puppy, you can organize play dates so that your pup can get rid of excess pent-up energy and play as he likes. 

Ensure Your Puppy isn't Tired!

Puppies can get particularly nippy when they tired or overstimulated. Even the most inhibited puppies can become mouth-crazed when tired or overly excited. Sort of like toddlers throwing a tantrum. It is best to provide your pup with a quiet place to relax and nap during the day, ideally before your puppy has a chance for starting to nip.

Track for Progress

You won't stop a puppy from nipping/biting children overnight, but with time you should see a reduction in the intensity and frequency of the biting. To better grasp whether progress is being made, keep track of the biting episodes. Even if there are small signs of progress, embrace those as they should pave the path for more and more progress.

Last but not least, if you are struggling and the pup still bites hard or your puppy acts aggressively, don't hesitate to consult with a  behavior professional using force-free behavior modification techniques. 

I am glad to hear you are already seeing progress with the handling exercises. Your breed is highly intelligent and they thrive on training. 

I am always here if you need more troubleshooting, and if you have any other questions. 

Best,

Adrienne 

Disclaimer: If your dog shows signs of potential aggression (lunging, barking, growling, snapping, biting) for safety, please consult with a dog behavior professional who uses force-free behavior modification techniques for direct in-person guidance. Articles, videos and general info found in the forums or course (or any online source) are not meant to replace in-person training/instruction. By using this course and forum, you are waiving any liability claims or other type of claims related to any dogs' behavior against you or others