mouthing lab

Question
Hello!
Thank you for having this free forum! We rescued a chocolate from a shelter who found him as a stray. They said he is about a year old. He is a great dog that nows sit and walks nicely on a leash. My problem is that he will mouth myself or children if we sometimes pull at his collar. He will accidently bite our fingers when taking a treat. He will after fetching a ball run and jump on me and mouth my hand with the ball in his mouth. He doesn't do any of these in a aggressive way, it just seems he needs to learn manners. How can I get him to take a treat "gently" and "give" the ball on command? Thank you! Joy

Answer
It's not aggressive,but rather rough play

When he bites fingers,tap him on the nose and say 'out' and praise him when he stops

For him to give up his ball,offer him a treat in exchange,and put your hand out flat so he won't grab your fingers

There isn't any way to teach a dog to take greats more gently,I had a dog that did that his whole life! But by putting the treat either on the floor or putting your hand out flat will keep your fingers safe