nipping/biting

Question
We have a 3 month old English black Labrador.  When we bought him from the breeder, the breeder told us he is very stubborn and independent and will need a great deal of consistency and patience to train him.  This is true!  I have raised Guide Dogs for the blind (golden retrievers and German shepherds), but never a Labrador.  We do live in an apartment, but I try to take him out for a 25 minute walk twice a day, we play fetch in the apartment, and I do several sessions of training (sit, down, stay, leave it) each day.  With me he behaves and is relatively obedient with what I have trained him on.  However, when my husband comes home from work our dog nips at his pants and shorts.  When they go for a walk my husband sometimes tries to run with him to wear him out, but then the puppy starts to nip and bite at his calf.  In our five weeks of having him, our puppy has sunken in his teeth to his leg 4 times and made a bruise each time.  We say no forcefully, we have tried to hold his mouth shut, and we have tried to take him by the scruff of his face and say no!  However, after about 3 days of each new consequence he learns the habit and once we let go he jumps forward and nips at us again!  We want to exercise him, but fear that if we try to jog/run with him he will bite us (not just nip).  Now in the house we try to redirect his biting with toys, but he often comes back for my husbands pant legs.  Can you help?

Answer
Young Labs, which I know best, and other puppies tend to very bad about biting. You see a litter of them, and all the ones that are awake are biting another one or themselves. I am not even sure they realize that when they are alone, if they quit biting, they would quit being bitten. At 3 to 4 months they are getting their adult teeth, and it seems they spend every waking moment biting or chewing. One thing you can do at that stage is to knot and wet a piece of cloth. Then freeze it. The cooling will soothe the gums. Only let the puppy have it when you are there to watch it. I maintain a Lab's favorite chew toy is another Lab. Otherwise they settle for any person they can. They keep hoping to find one that won't yelp, jerk their hand away, and leave.

You and especially your husband need to deny him your attention every time he bites.  Some Labs can be strong willed and need corrected time after time to end a behavior like that.  At 3 months, it will take even longer to break the habit.