Dog Treats

[BorderCollieSam]

Hello, i have a 6 week old Border Collie Pup and although he can't go outside until his injections have completed at 12 weeks, i have started basic training with him in our home.

 

My question is, obviously i would like to give him some treats to reward his obedience and encourage his progress, however the treats i have purchased (Bonio Milk Bones) and Bakers Treats, both say for puppies from 4 months - Adult......

 

Can i give him these with no ill effects? I have given him a couple and things seem to be ok........?

[Sue R]

Ideally, training treats should be very small and soft and tasty, like little bits of cheese, white meat chicken, cooked ground beef (drained of fat), and such. This type of treat is very rewarding, easy for you to handle and give to the pup, a quick chew (don't really need any chewing), and generally not upsetting (in reasonable amounts) to a pup. It's the taste that counts, not the size of the treat, in terms of it being a reward.

 

I would avoid commercial treats (and I am not familiar with either that you list) because they tend to be largely made with lower-quality ingredients (wheat, corn, food coloring, flavorings, by-products), tend to be larger than is really useful for training (you want to be able to treat multiple times as needed and that's why you need a pretty tiny treat, especially for a pup), tend to require chewing (which takes the pup's attention off you and off what you are trying to accomplish), and just not as good for your pup.

 

Get (or make) yourself a little training treat pouch (you can always use one of those nail bags from a home improvement/hardware store if you have them over where you are, and it gives you room for toys, your leash, and so on as well) and put a little plastic bag in it (if it's not a moisture-resistant fabric and if you are concerned about these natural "wet" treats marking your bag or clothes) for the treats.

 

With small treats, you can keep several "hidden" in your hand (covered by a couple of fingers or lined up between thumb and forefinger), and dispense them to the pup as needed without having to "reload" your hand for each treat.

 

One of my favorite treats to use when training a pup especially is string cheese. That is mozzarella-type cheese that comes in one-ounce pieces (about five or six inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter). You cut one in half and then pull each half apart into "strings", and tuck one between thumb and forefinger. Instead of dispensing bits of cheese, you let a little bit stick out at the tip of your thumb and the pup can nibble it off or lick at it for a treat.

 

I like this particularly for something where I would like to be treating multiple treats - like for first teaching a pup to stay for a few seconds or luring the pup into a position (like sitting or lying down). It is also very easy to keep in your hand and not be dropping your treats all over the floor, which is a problem that I sometimes have, being somewhat clumsy. And, should the pup not give you the response you are looking for, it is easy to just move your thumb slightly to cover the end of the cheese and voila, the "kitchen is closed" and there is no treat without the desired response.

 

Best wishes!

[BorderCollieSam]

Ideally, training treats should be very small and soft and tasty, like little bits of cheese, white meat chicken, cooked ground beef (drained of fat), and such. This type of treat is very rewarding, easy for you to handle and give to the pup, a quick chew (don't really need any chewing), and generally not upsetting (in reasonable amounts) to a pup. It's the taste that counts, not the size of the treat, in terms of it being a reward.

 

I would avoid commercial treats (and I am not familiar with either that you list) because they tend to be largely made with lower-quality ingredients (wheat, corn, food coloring, flavorings, by-products), tend to be larger than is really useful for training (you want to be able to treat multiple times as needed and that's why you need a pretty tiny treat, especially for a pup), tend to require chewing (which takes the pup's attention off you and off what you are trying to accomplish), and just not as good for your pup.

 

Get (or make) yourself a little training treat pouch (you can always use one of those nail bags from a home improvement/hardware store if you have them over where you are, and it gives you room for toys, your leash, and so on as well) and put a little plastic bag in it (if it's not a moisture-resistant fabric and if you are concerned about these natural "wet" treats marking your bag or clothes) for the treats.

 

With small treats, you can keep several "hidden" in your hand (covered by a couple of fingers or lined up between thumb and forefinger), and dispense them to the pup as needed without having to "reload" your hand for each treat.

 

One of my favorite treats to use when training a pup especially is string cheese. That is mozzarella-type cheese that comes in one-ounce pieces (about five or six inches long and 1/2 inch in diameter). You cut one in half and then pull each half apart into "strings", and tuck one between thumb and forefinger. Instead of dispensing bits of cheese, you let a little bit stick out at the tip of your thumb and the pup can nibble it off or lick at it for a treat.

 

I like this particularly for something where I would like to be treating multiple treats - like for first teaching a pup to stay for a few seconds or luring the pup into a position (like sitting or lying down). It is also very easy to keep in your hand and not be dropping your treats all over the floor, which is a problem that I sometimes have, being somewhat clumsy. And, should the pup not give you the response you are looking for, it is easy to just move your thumb slightly to cover the end of the cheese and voila, the "kitchen is closed" and there is no treat without the desired response.

 

Best wishes!

 

Sue,

 

Many thanks for your reply, you have enlightened me and gave me lots of 'better' ideas than that i was using previously.

 

The problem i had was the treats i had purchased were taking my pup a long time to chew/eat so i was only rewarding once at the end of the final action when we had finshed, due to my puppy needing to lay down and chew his treat which was taking about 5 minutes - hense the reason i was leaving until the end!

 

Whereas, you mentioning to me about the tiny pieces of chicken cut up, thats a fantastic ideas because i can reward little and often with little or no disruption to our training routine......

 

My puppy is only 6 weeks old, nearly 7 weeks, and allready i can get him to sit and stay for a count of 10 seconds, however i am still having to push his bum down whilst placing my palm on his chest, but i only got him last Friday so he isn't doing bad in 4 days!

 

Also, i don't know if you can answer me this question also......

 

I had a Border Collie many years ago and she 'naturally' without any training when off the leash and told to heel, she would do a circle around me and come up on my left hand side.....

 

She didn't know anything like sit or down, i had to teach her all of this together with some other tricks which she picked up very quickly, however how did she know to heel like she did??

 

My new puppy is from a working mum and dad on a farm, however my other Border Collie spoken about above was not (i don't think) from a working pair.........

[Ninso]

I had a Border Collie many years ago and she 'naturally' without any training when off the leash and told to heel, she would do a circle around me and come up on my left hand side.....

 

She didn't know anything like sit or down, i had to teach her all of this together with some other tricks which she picked up very quickly, however how did she know to heel like she did??

 

Somebody must have taught her what "heel" meant at some point. You don't mention whether you had her for her entire life, but either somebody taught her before she came into your life or you taught her inadvertently. Dogs don't naturally respond to human commands--i.e., a dog might "naturally" walk next to your side when you walk (thus "heeling), but would not "naturally" do it on command.

[BorderCollieSam]

Somebody must have taught her what "heel" meant at some point. You don't mention whether you had her for her entire life, but either somebody taught her before she came into your life or you taught her inadvertently. Dogs don't naturally respond to human commands--i.e., a dog might "naturally" walk next to your side when you walk (thus "heeling), but would not "naturally" do it on command.

 

Hi Ninso,

 

I got my previous Border Collie (referred to above) at around 6months-1year due to its owner not having the time for her due to a newborn baby.

 

However, the own that i got her from had very little time for himself let alone a dog and i can't understand that he would have taught her how to heel like that......as i understand most 'heels' are just the dog slowing up or coming in line with your side when walking, but this dog actually did full circle around behind you and back up alongside your left hand side.

 

It looked really cleaver, but not the normal way of teaching heel is it?

[Sue R]

Back when I was young (in the Dark Ages) and had friends who were into AKC obedience, the come to heel position was that the dog was front and center facing you, and then went clockwise around you, and came to the position at your left side. So, what you describe sounds like what I was taught was the proper way back years ago. The manuever to heel by the dog going straight from in front of you to the position at your left was considered a more advanced one.

 

I actually have had (and do have) a couple of natural heeling dogs but they have not walked alongside me but rather right behind me (or behind a horse, tractor, etc.). These were dogs that I did not train and who seemed to assume that position of their own choice and under their own circumstances, but were quite consistent with it. I think there are just some stock-bred dogs that have that in their nature, as the one I have now also tends to be best at walking along behind the stock and driving (in her very gentle way). As Tania said, they did this naturally and without a command but the one tends to prefer to "heel" on command in the behind-me position even though she has been taught to heel alongside. It's just her nature.

 

I would avoid positioning a pup by any pushing or maneuvering with my hand. Use your lure hand (the one with the treat) to get the position by carefully moving the hand to get the desired result. For a sit, that is as simple as taking the treat hand in front of the pup's nose so she sees the treat, and lifting/passing the hand up and just over her head. Her natural reaction will be to sit (as her head goes up, her bottom goes down) and, as soon as she does, reward with a word (like "yes!") and give the treat.

 

Remember the three D's when teaching sits, downs, stays, and stands - duration (time), distance (how far you are from the dog), and distractions (what else is happening or just present that might distract the dog). Start with a very short time, with yourself right there by the pup (in front is often good as that will encourage the pup to watch you and stay put), and with as little distraction as possible. Build on these a small step at a time and don't progress until you get the current work steady at a certain level of D's.

 

Best wishes!

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

Nothing to add to what Sue told you. Treating after every desired behaviour is easier for the dog to "get", since he will soon learn he's getting rewarded for what he did right. Stuff that I have used as treats are some of the following; small bits of hot dogs, chicken breast, cheese, cooked stew meat, but our current training favorite is Natural Balance food roll. Especially for a puppy, the smaller and easier to eat the pieces are, the better.

[Tassie]

Hello, i have a 6 week old Border Collie Pup and although he can't go outside until his injections have completed at 12 weeks, i have started basic training with him in our home.

 

My question is, obviously i would like to give him some treats to reward his obedience and encourage his progress, however the treats i have purchased (Bonio Milk Bones) and Bakers Treats, both say for puppies from 4 months - Adult......

 

Can i give him these with no ill effects? I have given him a couple and things seem to be ok........?

 

 

Agree with what the others have said about small, soft treats, to enable rapid reinforcement.

 

I'm just a little concerned about what you said about the pup not being able to go outside (I'm presuming you mean off your property) until second shots at 12 weeks. To me, this is a long time for a pup not be shown the big world outside. Talk with your veterinarian, of course, but the more current thinking is that it is good to get a young pup out and about from about 8 or 9 weeks, talking the necessary precautions to avoid picking up parvovirus.

 

What I've done is checked with my vet and other sources that there is no active parvo around my area at present, and then taken my pup out to areas that are pretty clean, and not frequented by lots of (possibly unvaccinated) dogs. Even if you carry your pup in your arms, it is good to get the pup out and about to see and hear as many different things as possible in a safe and secure way. Lots of car rides, visiting shops where you can, playing with friends' vaccinated and nicely mannered dogs etc. etc.

 

Current thinking here in Oz at least tends to be that lack of socialisation (exposure to the outside world, noises, different kinds of people, children, other animals, etc. etc.) as youngsters is more of a risk to a dog in the long term, than the risk of picking up infection if exposure to the outside world is done in a careful manner.

 

Given that you pup has left the litter a couple of weeks ahead of what is usually considered desirable, he's missed quite a bit of the doggy manners training he would have got in the litter, so it would be great if you could organize some sort of replcement of that. It's the time pups learn things like appropriate behaviour to adults (dogs), bite inhibition, and nice playing.

[Tassie]

And you might be interested in reading Ian Dunbar's little booklet - what to do after you get your puppy. In the spirit of shelter dog prevention, the Dunbars are allowing free downloads of the booklet in pdf form. You can find it Here.

[Ninso]

as i understand most 'heels' are just the dog slowing up or coming in line with your side when walking, but this dog actually did full circle around behind you and back up alongside your left hand side.

 

It looked really cleaver, but not the normal way of teaching heel is it?

 

I taught my first dog to heel that way--I first taught her what was meant by "heel position" by having her come around behind me and sit at my left side, then I would take one step forward, saying "heel" and she would take a step forward to keep in line with me. My current dog, when I say "heel" will just do a small loop at my left side and come into position, but will also come to heel position by looping around me from the right on the command "around." Both finishes are required in Rally obedience. Of course, if you are in motion, "heel" should mean the dog is walking next to your side, not looping around you while you're walking. I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to, but if that's the case the dog probably knew no other meaning to "heel" than "do a circle around me."

[BustopherJones]

When Annie went to Puppy Kindergarten (after which came Family Dog Training, Basic Agility, Remedial Puppy Kindergarten, Reform School, etc.), the handlers specifically recommended two things as reward treats for very young dogs. One was all-natural bologna cut into small pieces; the other was small pieces of Italian meatballs (dogs LOVE the smell of garlic, and the little bit contained in the meatballs is good for them). Annie preferred the meatballs, but I always had to carry disposable wipes to help with the smell. My vet also suggested Old Mother Hubbard training bitz, which we used in the later stages of traiining.

[BorderCollieSam]

Back when I was young (in the Dark Ages) and had friends who were into AKC obedience, the come to heel position was that the dog was front and center facing you, and then went clockwise around you, and came to the position at your left side. So, what you describe sounds like what I was taught was the proper way back years ago. The manuever to heel by the dog going straight from in front of you to the position at your left was considered a more advanced one.

 

I actually have had (and do have) a couple of natural heeling dogs but they have not walked alongside me but rather right behind me (or behind a horse, tractor, etc.). These were dogs that I did not train and who seemed to assume that position of their own choice and under their own circumstances, but were quite consistent with it. I think there are just some stock-bred dogs that have that in their nature, as the one I have now also tends to be best at walking along behind the stock and driving (in her very gentle way). As Tania said, they did this naturally and without a command but the one tends to prefer to "heel" on command in the behind-me position even though she has been taught to heel alongside. It's just her nature.

 

I would avoid positioning a pup by any pushing or maneuvering with my hand. Use your lure hand (the one with the treat) to get the position by carefully moving the hand to get the desired result. For a sit, that is as simple as taking the treat hand in front of the pup's nose so she sees the treat, and lifting/passing the hand up and just over her head. Her natural reaction will be to sit (as her head goes up, her bottom goes down) and, as soon as she does, reward with a word (like "yes!") and give the treat.

 

Remember the three D's when teaching sits, downs, stays, and stands - duration (time), distance (how far you are from the dog), and distractions (what else is happening or just present that might distract the dog). Start with a very short time, with yourself right there by the pup (in front is often good as that will encourage the pup to watch you and stay put), and with as little distraction as possible. Build on these a small step at a time and don't progress until you get the current work steady at a certain level of D's.

 

Best wishes!

 

Hi Sue, thanks for your reply.

 

Its nice to learn that the type of heal my previous Border Collie did was something that was taught (even though i hadn't somebody must have within her young life before me (a matter of months).....

 

Although i think it looked really smart, as i was only a teen at the time, and all my friends used to comment on how obedient my dog was, it was annoying when i used to take her jogging with me as whenever she got too far in front of me she would do the circle heel and nearly make me fall over her or have to stop my running mid flow!

 

With regard to the sitting, Sam has today started sitting all on his own without me having to help him, i've just said to my wife that i'm really proud of him learning this within the few short days we've had him. I got him last Thursday but didn't start training him until about Sunday, so he's learnt Sit and stay within 5 days!

 

Looks like by the time he can go out, another 6 weeks time, he'll be ready for the real training!

 

P.S - Whilst picking some of his mess up tonight i noticed he has worms, the farmer i purchased him from said he had been wormed, but i popped down the vets this evening and purchased some worming paste. I also asked the chances of it being passed onto a human (because i cuddle him and make a fuss of him like kissing his face, head, and ears and he also licks me) and the vet told me not to let him get near my face/mouth.....

[BorderCollieSam]

Nothing to add to what Sue told you. Treating after every desired behaviour is easier for the dog to "get", since he will soon learn he's getting rewarded for what he did right. Stuff that I have used as treats are some of the following; small bits of hot dogs, chicken breast, cheese, cooked stew meat, but our current training favorite is Natural Balance food roll. Especially for a puppy, the smaller and easier to eat the pieces are, the better.

 

Hi Daisy,

 

I had some chicken pieces in my hand last night for him, and he did really well so held my hand out for him and he went for the chicken so quickly (was so eager as i had been teasing him with it to motivate him) and he took my finger with it and made quite a large cut in my finger and also drew blood.

 

I'll have to make sure i keep my fingers out of the now!

[BorderCollieSam]

Agree with what the others have said about small, soft treats, to enable rapid reinforcement.

 

I'm just a little concerned about what you said about the pup not being able to go outside (I'm presuming you mean off your property) until second shots at 12 weeks. To me, this is a long time for a pup not be shown the big world outside. Talk with your veterinarian, of course, but the more current thinking is that it is good to get a young pup out and about from about 8 or 9 weeks, talking the necessary precautions to avoid picking up parvovirus.

 

What I've done is checked with my vet and other sources that there is no active parvo around my area at present, and then taken my pup out to areas that are pretty clean, and not frequented by lots of (possibly unvaccinated) dogs. Even if you carry your pup in your arms, it is good to get the pup out and about to see and hear as many different things as possible in a safe and secure way. Lots of car rides, visiting shops where you can, playing with friends' vaccinated and nicely mannered dogs etc. etc.

 

Current thinking here in Oz at least tends to be that lack of socialisation (exposure to the outside world, noises, different kinds of people, children, other animals, etc. etc.) as youngsters is more of a risk to a dog in the long term, than the risk of picking up infection if exposure to the outside world is done in a careful manner.

 

Given that you pup has left the litter a couple of weeks ahead of what is usually considered desirable, he's missed quite a bit of the doggy manners training he would have got in the litter, so it would be great if you could organize some sort of replcement of that. It's the time pups learn things like appropriate behaviour to adults (dogs), bite inhibition, and nice playing.

 

Hi Tassie, i'll have a word with my vet, i'm a little old school as haven't had a dog for well over 10 years, possibly nearer 14-15 years, and back then my mum allways said they weren't to go out until there 12 week injections have been completed.

 

With regard to the biting, he's definetely trying his hardes to bite and nip our hands! I said to my wife that its probably because he hasn't learnt to lick properly and display his affection in a kind way yet.....although i do get the odd lick now and again...

[Ms.DaisyDuke]

In regards to the biting, then I wouldn't tease him too much with the food to make him that excited. Also, as separate training, I would teach him how to have a gentle mouth.

Here is a good link on "mouthing".

http://www.arf.ab.ca/learn/trainingtips-mouthing.shtml

[Sue R]

Sam - You remarked that you got him on Thursday and didn't start training until Sunday but you need to realize that you are always training, especially with a pup, as a pup is like a sponge. That means that you can be training bad habits as well as good without realizing it.

 

As for being rough-mouthed, try the link that Ms. Daisy Duke posted and remember that as soon as the pup gets "over eager" or rough about a treat, the "kitchen is closed" (you close your hand into a fist and give a correction, a sound like a low growl or sharp "arrrh" or "uht" - hard to spell! - or even a sharp yelp of distress, as that can work very well with some pups). In particular when this happens, let the pup look at or nose your hand and, when he looks to your face, then say "yes" and reward - but only if he is polite.

 

Don't feel you are being mean - his mother would give him a good snap or cuff if he was rude and stepped out of bounds with her, and so would his littermates. That is one reason many people advocate not taking a pup from the dam and litter until at least seven weeks or even eight weeks. That is where and when a great deal of proper dog behavior is learned from mother and siblings.

 

Good that you spotted the worms and are treating for that. Unchecked, worms can be very harmful to a pup. Best wishes!

[BorderCollieSam]

When Annie went to Puppy Kindergarten (after which came Family Dog Training, Basic Agility, Remedial Puppy Kindergarten, Reform School, etc.), the handlers specifically recommended two things as reward treats for very young dogs. One was all-natural bologna cut into small pieces; the other was small pieces of Italian meatballs (dogs LOVE the smell of garlic, and the little bit contained in the meatballs is good for them). Annie preferred the meatballs, but I always had to carry disposable wipes to help with the smell. My vet also suggested Old Mother Hubbard training bitz, which we used in the later stages of traiining.

 

Metaballs ah?

 

I absolutely love Meatballs and also garlic, looks like we have found a common treat that we both will enjoy

[BorderCollieSam]

I taught my first dog to heel that way--I first taught her what was meant by "heel position" by having her come around behind me and sit at my left side, then I would take one step forward, saying "heel" and she would take a step forward to keep in line with me. My current dog, when I say "heel" will just do a small loop at my left side and come into position, but will also come to heel position by looping around me from the right on the command "around." Both finishes are required in Rally obedience. Of course, if you are in motion, "heel" should mean the dog is walking next to your side, not looping around you while you're walking. I'm not sure if that's what you're referring to, but if that's the case the dog probably knew no other meaning to "heel" than "do a circle around me."

 

Hi Ninso, yes that is what my previous Border Collie was doing, looping around me, and as mentioned above, when i went running with her she was nearly tripping me up becasue of her constant heeling style whenever she got too far in front!

 

Became a bit of a pain in the end!

 

I was only in my mid teens at the time, and although i taught her a lot in the years i had her, i never got her out of that habit....and thought it must have been some sort of natural herding inheritence, due to her only being a few months old when i got her and me not training her that way...

[BorderCollieSam]

In regards to the biting, then I wouldn't tease him too much with the food to make him that excited. Also, as separate training, I would teach him how to have a gentle mouth.

Here is a good link on "mouthing".

http://www.arf.ab.ca/learn/trainingtips-mouthing.shtml

 

Hi Daisy, thanks for the link.

 

Whilst reading the link you posted it reminded me of one of the training excercises i used to do many years ago, by offering someting to eat and saying 'gently' and closing your fist if the dog tries to get it too quickly, until in the end they are taking it gently and licking....

 

Funny how you forget things over the years.

[BorderCollieSam]

Sam - You remarked that you got him on Thursday and didn't start training until Sunday but you need to realize that you are always training, especially with a pup, as a pup is like a sponge. That means that you can be training bad habits as well as good without realizing it.

 

As for being rough-mouthed, try the link that Ms. Daisy Duke posted and remember that as soon as the pup gets "over eager" or rough about a treat, the "kitchen is closed" (you close your hand into a fist and give a correction, a sound like a low growl or sharp "arrrh" or "uht" - hard to spell! - or even a sharp yelp of distress, as that can work very well with some pups). In particular when this happens, let the pup look at or nose your hand and, when he looks to your face, then say "yes" and reward - but only if he is polite.

 

Don't feel you are being mean - his mother would give him a good snap or cuff if he was rude and stepped out of bounds with her, and so would his littermates. That is one reason many people advocate not taking a pup from the dam and litter until at least seven weeks or even eight weeks. That is where and when a great deal of proper dog behavior is learned from mother and siblings.

 

Good that you spotted the worms and are treating for that. Unchecked, worms can be very harmful to a pup. Best wishes!

 

Hi Sue, i don't quite understand this:-

 

Sam keeps running after and attacking my wife and 2 daughters feet. But - he doesn't ever bother mine.....

 

If we are sitting on the couch, he will start trying to nip or chew my wife and daughters feet, but he will leave mine alone, if he comes up to me he will either lick my feet (which i don't mind) or lay down by my feet and go to sleep.

 

I don't know why he only goes for thier feet and not mine, he looks like he's playing when he does it....but as you can understand my wife and children aren't best pleased so i corrected him this morning and gave him some time out in another room whilst my children were getting dressed for school.

[bc4pack]

Do read that Ian Dunbar book.

 

Sad that the pup didn't spend more time with his litter. His missing out on vital dog to dog interactions and learning bite inhibition.

Don't wait till he's 12 weeks to socialize. You can do careful stuff now, particularly with a wide array of people.

 

One of the biggest reasons for down the road behavior issues is LACK OF SOCIALIZATION. Around the 16 week mark that critical socialization window closes and a neophobia window opens.

 

Of course one has to be fairly careful but exposure to 'known' puppy loving adult dogs is a good thing. Canine to canine manners are best taught by other canines.

 

There are plenty of places too where you can take a pup to let him 'see' the world.

 

Vets are starting to realize that the odds are greater that lack of socialization will 'harm' a dog versus the odds of 'catching something'.

Have you looked into a puppy class? First round of shots is the norm as for requirements.

 

HTH

[Sue R]

Sorry, I missed out on that question you asked me. I think you might get a lot more response if you were to post that as its own topic, with a clear title asking the questions you have so folks can see and then read (and hopefully answer) your question. Whenever you have a question like this, you can also try using the "search" function at the top of the page, to find topics that have already dealt with this or similar issues. They are a great resource.

 

My own thoughts are that the pup may have more respect for you if you are the one training and dealing with him regularly, just like a pup would have more respect for its mother that disciplines it. Discipline has several important aspects - fairness, appropriateness, timing, release - and, of course, requires consistency. A pup or dog that gets away with something even sometimes, may well feel it's worth trying it again because it might get away with it.

 

In other words, you need to respond to the undesired behavior in a manner that the pup can understand (fairness), in a reasonable manner (appropriateness), with timing that makes the correction understandable (timing), and then release when the desired result is given (release).

 

Your wife might be better able to do this than your children, and if you are the dog person, the responsibility will fall on you to protect your family from a normal, natural, rowdy, toothy little pup by teaching that pup what is acceptable behavior and what is not acceptable behavior.

 

When a pup nips a moving object (hands, legs, feet, hair) the first thing to try to stop the movement. When the pup stops the undesired behavior, then you can move again. Repeat as needed. The pup learns that the wrong behavior results in the loss of the movement that enticed it.

 

The next step (for motion-induced nipping or nipping without motion) is a sharp yelp (just like a littermate would do if play got too rough). That often gets a pup's attention and causes it to hesitate and back off. That is a behavior response that you want and so you release (no more discipline or correction but rather praise and petting) so the pup knows its response was good.

 

When my youngest dog was a pup, he could get pretty puppy-fierce. I would take him by the scruff of the neck, lift him so that his front paws (or all four paws) were off the ground (but supporting him with my other hand so he was safe), and growl softly or speak sternly and briefly into his face, and then wait for him to relax as I watched him. When I could feel him relax, I knew that he was responding to me and being submissive, and I could praise, pet, and let him down.

 

The problem I see is that perhaps your wife and certainly your children need to learn how to respond to this behavior and deal with it consistently and properly. If he's not doing it to you, you are probably already teaching him to respect you and what his limits are. He may be viewing them as equals and you as superior, and he needs to learn to respect them as part of your family and not as rough-and-tumble playmates.

 

I am sure others will give you much better advice if you ask this question in its own topic. Best wishes!