Training Puppy Not to Nip

by E
(Salt Lake City)

I recently got an Aussie puppy and he is now just over 8 weeks old. Over the past week, he started to nip at our pant legs and ankles quite a bit. We have tried yelling ouch loudly and saying no bite and also holding his mouth shut when that doesn't work. We have also tried turning away and ignoring him when he does this but that doesn't seem to work. This typically happens first thing in the morning after he has eaten and then again in the evenings - to the point that we have nicknamed him "Devil Dog" because he gets so crazy. We are crate-training him, however he's in there for less than 4 hours at a time and we are always home for lunch to take him out, feed him, play with him, etc. Is this normal behavior for Aussies? Any tips on how to get him to stop this? Aside from the nipping he is an incredibly well-behaved puppy - very smart (already sitting, coming and staying on command) and we've had very little trouble potty training him. It's just the mornings and evenings when all he wants to do is bite people (not his toys that we try to distract him with.)

Thanks for the help!