The mouthing is always an issue with this age as that is all they know from their littermates when they leave us.   As time passes and their teething needs diminish it just stops by itself, but coming up to that and not being bloody all the time is important.

 

Roger's method is for an adult (children may be to rough or gentle and you need the right quick pull for this to work) to sit down on the floor with the puppy and immediately when he puts his teeth on him take your index finger and thumb and grab the loose skin on the back of the neck and give a firm quick up and down jerk and using as high pitched a tone as possible yell "ouch" or "Awck"  to startle him.  Three times usually stops it for the time.    Whenever he is mouthing use the "scruff shake" this is not to hurt the puppy of course and you don't lift him off the ground, it's ok if he gives a little yipe when you do it.   Usually the yipe is because he doesn't want to be interfered with.  Sometimes the puppy will go away and soon enough will return to play but should behave better each episode.

 

I feel that when the puppy is really bad about this mouthing that the Bitter Apple (we have tried the Yuk brand and some others but Bitter Apple always seems to work best) will work very well too and helps puppy to be redirected to something more appropriate to put into his mouth like a small toy or a small ball appropriate in size not so he could swallow it.   You squirt a very small amount (it does contain alcohol so you don't want to use much in the mouth) into his mouth and squirt it all over your hands, up the arms and ankles and legs and they will stop mouthing.   You can then play and pet them more comfortably.   Again you just want one small squirt into the mouth and you need to do that so he gets a good taste of it, the reason people say that those products don't work is because they don't get enough in their mouth usually from whatever it was sprayed on to cause them distaste.

 

Along with that as you can teach sit and and other obedience commands (like "spin right" and "spin left" ) then you can start interacting to expend his energies more so that when you do want to sit down with him he will be calmer and quieter.   Please remember when he is mouthing not to be lifting your hand up and away from him as he will just keep following your hand, never play with his face with your hands always try to use a toy and try to get it into his mouth or retrieving it, not teasing him back and forth with it as this encourages the mouthing.   It helps to make a fist with your  hands if he is mouthing and use the Bitter Apple as if he can't get a part of your hand in his mouth he will probably turn to put something else in his mouth.   His teeth and gums are in a pretty constant state of discomfort when he is this age and still has his baby teeth growing and then they will fall out between 3.5 to 4 months on the average and his adult teeth will be coming in and he will still be uncomfortable so lots of good things to chew on will help satisfy his need to chew and relieve the pain and discomfort.   He doesn't necessarily just mouth there is a reason for it.   They now have teething toys that you can put into the fridge to get them cold just like for babies.   I haven't used them so take care that they don't come apart too easily and stuff.    Flexible Nylabone like the fish can be refrigerated to help soothe and attract his attention and there are other puppy age appropriate ones that can be refrigerated too to help.  

 

Take heart as this stage will actually pass fairly quickly and he will be onto becoming that wonderful companion that you want in this area.

 

If the above don't give you some relief please let me know and we will seek out some other manner of help for you.   I also sometimes just put my hand around the muzzle and hold it GENTLY, but firmly, and say "no bite" to help him understand that I am in charge as I see the momma dogs do this a lot and I do mean a lot.   That is one of the ways they teach them to stop nursing and being shark toothed around them.

 

STOP PLAY BITING VIDEO

 

 

I so hope this is helpful to you .