Poodle Puppy Biting

Question
We purchased our standard poodle puppy at 8 weeks old (he just turned 6 months), from day one he would mouth and bite us every time we pet him.  It has been a constant battle.  He just finished his intermediate puppy class and we had a private lesson this week, so he's been in school 15 out of the first 24 weeks of his life.  We take him everywhere we go and he meets many people and dogs.  We walk him and take him to the park every day.  He's always excited to meet new people and new dogs, though he always gets overexcited and he doesn't read the other dogs signal "Back off!"  Even when they are growling at him he's still responding with a smile and a wagging tail as if to say "So you wanna play?"  I say this because when he would bite the other puppies too hard while they were playing and they yelped and bit him back he didn't seem to get the hint, just like when he would bite us and we would yelp to let him know it hurt he never seemed to understand.  And here we are 4 months later (fortunately he's lost his sharp baby teeth) and he still primarily mouths my wife and I.  He has gotten better, but I wonder why he does this?  Is this normal for a standard poodle puppy?  Will he outgrow it?  Thank you in advance for your 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 just have to keep on correcting them, hundreds of times, not dozens. Provide sturdy, safe toys such as Kongs and Nylabones. Avoid things they can chew pieces off and choke on them. Keep them away from electrical cords. Crates are essential for most young Labs and other dogs.

The pet stores are full of toys that many dogs will quickly chew up into pieces they could choke on or cause intestinal blockages. If you are not there to watch, stick to sturdy stuff such as Nylabones and Kongs. Keep a close eye on chew toys and quickly discard anything that is coming apart in pieces. Rawhide is especially bad because it swells after being swallowed. I don't trust any of the consumable chews. The dogs just gnaw them down to a dangerous size too quickly. These problems are the worst with, but not limited to, large, aggressive chewers such as Labs.

Most breeds are about same.  Having let it go so long, it will be even harder to correct.  Just keep at it.  The first time a tooth contacts a hand, you yelp and leave.