I am having the same problem and am working it out. I adopted an 8 week old puppy from a shelter and was told it was a pitbull mix. Since my puppy had blue merle markings and I knew the pitbull does not carry that gene, I began to search the breeds that do have the gene and learned that what I adopted is a Catahoula Hound. I want to say here that his is the smartest dog I have ever owned. He will be 14 weeks in a few days, and I cannot brag enough on him.

Here is what I have learned about the biting and nipping. The puppy should never be allowed to bite human skin. I tried every way that I knew of to curb it; slapping with a newspaper, slapping with my hand, squeezing the lips so that he bites himself, and all those efforts only made him worse. Here is what I did and still do when necessary...I yelled at the top of my voice NO!. And I changed the tone of my voice to one as deep and masculine (I am a woman) as I could. He pulled back in shock, and he is much improved. Never play tug-o-war with your dog as it will only make her worse. It encourages biting. It can be a fun game, but the puppy learns to tug-o-war with your hand! Also, when retrieving a ball never pull the ball or other object from the puppy's mouth as she will release the object and nip at your hand. Wait for her to release the ball or toy willingly, then tell her she is a good dog. It helps to wiggle the ball a little, and if the puppy turns her head away, let go of the ball. She will learn that you are not going to play those games.

I do not have a barking problem with my pup. The problem I do have is his jumping up on me. I again tried those old methods that I had been taught about how to break this habit and they did not work, because if I move to shove him down, or bring up my knee to knock him back, he thinks I am playing and will run around and jump on me from behind, or grab my pant legs and nip. Here is what seems to work. If he jumps on me, I stop immediately and turn around. I will not face him or look at him. I even cross my arms on my chest and stare strait ahead. He gets no attention and no satisfaction from my actions, and he is almost completely cured of jumping.