mayday!!! we need help with our new puppy

Question
Hi, there.
Hope you can help!!  Forgive me if I ramble, but I haven't slept in a month... coincidentally - around the time the puppy came home.  "Dempsey" is our almost 11 week old Boxer puppy. She is the first puppy for our family (we've always been adult dog rescuers, i.e. from the humane society). Here's Dempsey's routine - in the morning, while the kids are getting ready for school, she eats, plays, goes for a walk, etc. I leave for work at 9:30 and she goes in her crate. The kids get home at 2 and let her out. ( 99% of the time, there are no accidents in the crate!)Dempsey is constantly playing or cuddling or napping or eating from 2 until bedtime (about 10 pm). She has no problem going piddles outside, as long as we watch her vigilantly. Occasionally, she will even lead one of us to the back door to take her to her piddle spot in the yard. (Very impressive, no?).. by all accounts, i think she's doing really well. She's healthy, active, and seems very confident. Here are the problems....

1. she is no where near ready for unsupervised play and the minute we take our eyes off her, she poopies. i feel that she KNOWS (i.e "gets it") that it is a good thing when she goes out (treats, praise, etc) but she doesn't know its a BAD thing to go inside (we just clean it up and move on)
2. she has slept through the night with no bathroom emergencies (so, it's clear she is able to do so) but lately she has decided she'd rather play at night than sleep. this is a disaster because we chose to allow her to sleep with us in bed, rather than the crate.. since we (ok *i*) felt guilty that she's in the crate during the day......
3. she is very agressive when she plays - nipping and biting. we try to direct her attention to her toys (which are ok to bite, etc) but i don't think its clear to her that some things are ok to bite and some things aren't...... it's a lot to figure out for a puppy!!

and so, here are the questions:
1. can we start putting her in her crate at night so we can get some sleep? she's been home for 4 weeks.

2. any ideas you can suggest for better potty training? we've got her on a food/water schedule that should promote fewer night time poopies - she's done with food at 7 and water at 9....

3. should we just hope she'll outgrow the hand/ankle/clothing biting? i can't imagine that we should try to prohibit ALL biting (even of her chew toys) i mean, she's a DOG. right?

Answer
Amy, you are on the right track, you just need to keep it up! I see no reason why she can't go in her crate at night. Put the crate next to your bed so she doesn't feel like she's being banished or punished. If she cries, ignore her. This is going to be the most difficult thing to do, but is VERY IMPORTANT. If you acknowledge her while she's making a racket, she learns that making a racket gets you to pay her attention, so she'll keep doing it! Aack! LoL

Your food and water schedule sounds good. Just keep doing what you've been doing. The key is consistency.

The biting and nipping is normal puppy behavior. However, just because it's normal doesn't mean it's okay for her to do it! If redirecting her to a toy isn't working, you could try squirting her in the mouth with water, or a water/white vinegar solution, whenever she continues to bite and nip after you tell her NO. Using a small squirt bottle that can be fairly easily hidden is best; you don't want her to see where it's coming from. After you tell her NO, redirect to a toy. If she comes after you again, tell her NO and squirt her in the mouth. If she comes after you again, tell her NO, and then get up with the toy and walk away. She may continue to try and nip at your feet as you walk away. If she does, just stop until she loses interest and goes on her way.

Do you take her for walks, or exercise her at all? Taking her for walks every day should help get rid of some of that excess energy.