You have to kind of think like a "mommy dog" in these moments. What would his mom or even another dog do if he was biting them and they didn't appreciate it? They would gently bite at his neck and sometimes if the pup is really going at it, pin him down. Grabbing the scruff is just something "mom" would do to transport him, not correct him. Sooo, what I do that works great, is simulate a quick correcting bite to the neck using your fingers. Just use your fingers to quickly and firmly (but obviously not too hard) poke the side of his neck. You have to do this in a "dominant" way though, otherwise he'll just think you're playing. You may have to "pin" him for a second that way. I also make a good firm noise - say "ouch" or "no" really firmly while you do it (another dog would growl or bark). If he doesn't stop, then you can pick him up by the scruff (you can lift him that way, it won't hurt him and it's not mean) and put him on the ground. If you get up and walk away, it's kind of like he "won" the game and that could actually reinforce the behavior. HE has to move when he bites, not you. Make sense? The only thing here is that he's a puppy and it's natural for him to want to play this way (that's what he did with his litter mates
), so you do have to play with him, but he does have to learn the difference between biting a toy vs. your hand though, he just doesn't understand that yet and has to be taught. So make sure you also give him plenty of play time and enough toys to chew on for his teething.
. This is what I've done and it works for me
