cuckoo behavior

Question
Hello Carol,
I asked you a question a few weeks ago about my new shorty puppy, Marlo, and I really appreciated your answer - I have great faith that you know what you're talking about!  So I'm back with another question.  This morning, I woke up, ate breakfast while Marlo slept in my lap, we went for a 40 min. walk, fed Marlo, and then I put him in his crate while I took a shower.  When I got out, he was chewing on things he shouldn't, so I did what normally works which is a loud noise to startle him (clap and no!) and then i sort of push him away from said forbidden item and have him sit until he looks up at me.  Well, this morning that didn't work, he wanted to play, he was kind of romping back and forth instead of sitting and when I went to push his butt down he was play biting with my hand, it escalated, i "bit" him back with my hand and it just got out of control.  I tried to kind of walk him down, rather than chase him, but at this point he was just too agitated and excited.  I wound up getting so frustrated that I put him in his pen and I DONT want this to be associated with punishment, but I was at a loss! I didn't feel good about the way this went down at all, and I need help on how to deal with this situation in the future!  Please help me!

Answer
Hi Amy,
I think you just got Marlo in a playful mood!
I know it's frustrating when you are trying to be serious and they just want to play. Biting is unacceptable at anytime so you were right when you tried to correct him. I have a couple of suggestions for you to try. First, when he is chewing on something that he shouldn't be - you (correctly) broke  his concentration on the item, but at this point you should GIVE him an approved item like a rawhide or a chewy toy. You want to send a message of no you can't have that item, but you CAN have this one! Keep redirecting him away from the forbidden item and reinforce the approved chewy.
Second, when he bites you, whether in play or otherwise, there are quite a few techniques that you can use to stop it, but for puppies, I have found the following technique works best.
Think about when puppies are playing together, then they get a little aggressive, biting etc. If one puppy gets too rough with another one, the puppy that gets "hurt" will CRY out in pain and stop playing with the other puppy. The puppy turns away and refuses to play with the puppy that hurt him. Next time your pup bites you, try crying LOUDLY like a puppy and turn your back on him, refusing to engage in this behavior! You'll be amazed at his expression and how fast it works!
I know it sounds a little nutty, but it really does work.
Later, as he gets older, you can use the "bite back" technique like you did (acting like the MOTHER dog) - that's how they correct their puppies, a firm but gentle "bite" to remind them not to play so rough. I agree with you that the crate shouldn't be used as punishment, so try to avoid it if you can, but sometimes they just NEED to be contained so don't feel so upset about it.
GOOD LUCK!!!