Hi everyone!

I'm sad that my first post here is about this, but I'm seriously at my wits end and not sure of how to handle this situation.

My boyfriend and I brought home an 8 week old Pem about a week ago (making the puppy 9 weeks old now). The first night we brought him home, he was very upset from the car, and so we did everything we could to try to make him feel happy and safe in the house. My boyfriend and I both (despite a heavy sense of foreboding on my part) let our new addition lick and nibble on our fingers since it seemed to calm him. Almost immediately when we took him out to play the next day or two he would go right for our hands.

At this point, immediately, I snapped my fingers, said "No" firmly and redirected him to a bone, or another toy he could chew on instead of my fingers. When I moved that object in front of his face, I would tell him "OK!" and then praise him when he took it and chewed on it. We've continued training from there, and at this point if he starts to gnaw on something he shouldn't (wood furniture mostly) I'll snap my fingers, say "No!" firmly, and he'll stop. I praise him when he sniffs around the furniture and passes it without chewing on it. When we play I'll get his attention with a toy, toss it away, and tell him "Take it!" We're still working on leave it, and down, but he will sit and stay for me as well as take a toy when I throw it and bring it back.

My boyfriend is a completely different story. I'm not sure when he stopped LETTING the puppy chew on his fingers, but I'm pretty sure it was at least a day after I stopped letting him (I stopped him the next day after reading that it could develop a bad behavior). When he goes in to play with the puppy, Rufus goes insane. He is constantly jumping on him trying to nip at his hands/feet/any part he can get to. If my boyfriend says "No" or yelps, it gets Rufus more riled up. He's tried standing up and ignoring him, but then he tugs at my boyfriends' clothes. When he says no to that, Rufus persists. When he ignores him, he gets more riled up. I purchased the book Mother Knows Best at the recommendation of a few breeders I've spoken to as I heard it was a good book for people who are new puppy parents, and her advice is to to stop play when puppy nips/tugs at something he shouldn't and say "No!". If he persists, step two is hold his collar and shake him slightly (very very lightly to get his attention) and say "No!" again. If he's still all riled up, then its 2-3 minute time out in the crate. My boyfriend has given Rufus a lot of crate time outs where he leaves the room and turns off the lights to signal playtime is over if he plays like that, the other two steps are done but they only get Rufus more frenzied. Rufus is still persisting in acting like that. We tried redirecting to other toys, no change. I told my boyfriend this morning to feed Rufus, to see if that would help, but Rufus came out and just went nuts on him again, and ignored his food completely. When I put his food out he vacuums it right up. I've tried staying in the room and trying to redirect Rufus and he completely ignores me and any method I try to use, from calling him to trying to put another toy in his mouth to offering him treats.

I know he's 9 weeks old and he's probably treating my boyfriend as a littermate, but he acts like this when my brother comes over and with our male housemate as well. I'm starting to get concerned that this is going to be a bad habit/behavior that will carry over into his adult years if we don't nip it in the bud now, but I'm at a total loss as to how to do that effectively.

Does anyone have any suggestions or proven methods?

I should note, Rufus growls and barks sometimes when he plays with my boyfriend, but it's never really in an angry threatening way. His nips and tugs are not angry or overly hard unless he gets excited. It's not an attack, I know he's just trying to play. I just want to mark for you all that he is definitely not trying to do anything but play.

Thank you all in advance. If you need more details please ask.