Use toys when you play with your puppy and do not use your hands. Using your hands to “bat” or shove your puppy around implies that your hands are toys and therefore fair game to puppy's teeth. Puppy's roughhouse naturally and their teeth (and biting) are a big part of that.
Have many toys for puppy to play with, ranging from stuffed to semi-soft to chew toys. Doggy toys aren't very expensive and are definitely cheaper than a surgeon or a replacement couch... Make sure the toys don't resemble things puppy isn't allowed to chew on. Chew toys that look like your cat are bad, but chew toys that look like bones or fire hydrants are fine.
Use a deterrent like Bitter Apple Spray or similar substance to keep puppy's mouth off things that aren't for puppy to chew on. When puppy grabs at you with his mouth, shove a toy between yourself and the puppy to show puppy what is acceptable. Don't say “no” or anything else to imply the toy is wrong, merely replace the unwanted behavior with the right behavior.
If your dog is prone to chewing, pulling or otherwise attacking your shoes, hands or even your pant legs, you might think that it's cute when he's a tiny pup but chances are that encouraging this behavior while he's a puppy will result in this behavior continuing when he's full grown. What might be 'cute' when they are pups could be downright dangerous when your dog is full grown.
One thing to be careful of. If you react in an excitable or startled manner to your puppy biting you, they are likely to think you're playing a game – this of course makes them think that this is a fun thing to do. Replacing the inappropriate behavior with an appropriate chew toy is far more effective and soon your puppy will understand that toys are for biting and mouthing and not your hand or clothing.
When puppy badly misbehaves, don't shake, hit, or loudly scold him. Instead, calmly pick him up and put him in a quiet spot (kennel, crate, etc.) and give him and yourself a few minutes to calm down. Then let him out and continue play. Do not use the kennel as a “punishment,” as you want him to be comfortable there. Instead, just put him away calmly for a few minutes and ignore his pleas until he's calmed down.
Teach your puppy fun games like fetching, hide-and-seek, and the like. Just remember that if playtime abruptly ends every time puppy has bad behavior, he'll stop being bad in order to extend playtime.
Having a puppy or new dog is very rewarding, but you must keep in mind that there are many hunting dog supplies out there that will help you train your dog as well. Some of the most popular dog training collars include: SportDOG Field Trainer and SportDOG 2500.
