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Well, I'm not that much of a softie, but I can tell you that puppies aren't out to take over the pack. LOL. They are out to learn with their mouths by feeling things and by trying to play. They just need to learn that human skin is way to sensative for rough stuff. If you remove yourself, you remove the reinforcement for that rough play.
What does the pupppy like? He likes to play with you. He will learn that rough play equals end of the thing he likes best. Gentle play equals continuing interaction and playtime with you. If you're consistant, learning behavior will prevail.
I don't believe that puppies are out to take over your life or are "dominant." Some have a stronger personality or are more pushy than others, yes. I have a Doberman who has a very pushy personality but it's redirected.
Adult beta dogs will jocky for a higher position within the beta group. Omega dogs are happy just where they are. Alpha dogs don't make a fuss about much of anything, organizing a hunt for large game, breeding and not a whole lot more. Only when an alpha is unable to provide for the others are they challenged but not by mere puppies. Mother dogs correct their pups. Human "moms" can use mental manipulation and employ the laws of learning to pups. Reinforce behavior you like. Don't reinforce behavior you don't like. Remove any payoff for undesireable behavior and provide a preferable alternative for the pup where he can rack up more reinforceable wins to take to the bank. The more successes (which you set him up for), the more a behavior will be repeated. If a behavior does not cause anything good for the dog, it will extinguish after a while. This is behavioral "law." Remove the payoff for his biting hard consistantly. And provide an alternative.
If a dog paws at the refrigerator, for instance, it doesn't cause the door to open so he can get food so he might try it a couple of times but since it doesn't work, most of our dogs don't stand there and paw at the frige door all the time. But pawing at a door to go out makes us open the door. So, that behavior works and the dog learns to repeat that. If biting at your hand hard works to engage you in play, attention, (even bad attention) or any reaction, he'll tend to try again and again unless your attention is very harsh. If that behavior brings him nothing that he likes....nothing at all, it will extinguish. But he'll try for a while because it's worked up to now. It's been reinforced or it wouldn't continue to exist. So he'll try until he finally gives up. It will tend to get worse before it stops. That's when he gives it one last whooplah (extinction burst) and then he'll buckle down and start trying the alternative behavior you've provided for him which DOES bring him something good (better than biting) and worth repeating in order to get.
Does that make sense?
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