I was wondering, what happened, that the puppy started it, as with kitties and horses, the bad behavior, is usually man made. It appears, that is what happened in this case too.
First you have to impress, very strongly, to your co-worker, that "they" themselfs caused this bad behavior issue, by giving the puppy foodies from the table. Yes, that encourages the begging and biting. And as you said, if the puppy continues to bite, and its reported, they will seize the puppy. Kitties are treated different.
Not sure if your co-worker is a man or woman, or who is the head person in the family, but unless they want to lose the puppy, your co will have to assert his/her authority, in the family, and become the head of the pack, and stop the human bad behavior. You need to stress this very very strongly.
I can tell him/her how to handle that too, if needed.
You need to impress on them, they cannot send mixed signals to the puppy, teaching him/her not to be aggressive with food, then the next time, continue to feed him/her from the table.
You (a general you) approach this like you do with kitties. With kitties, there is a head of the pride, which is the human person. Just like in a pride, the head of the pride, always wins, and can always take any food (kill) from any other member of the pride. I tell mine, mommy always wins. I can take anything, food or toys, away from them, they know, I am the head of the pride. I teach them to always yield to me.
I do this for their own safety. So they don't bite, so they are not aggressive, and should they get into something, I can take it away from them, and in a dangerous situation, they yield to their training, and it saved the kittens lifes, at a show hotel fire.
With kitties, you approach it like their mommy kitty would, in disaplining them, per say, and teaching them kitty manners. You would do the same with puppies. How would their doggy mommy teach them? Dee? With dogs, they are are a "pack". There would be one dog, that is the "head of the pack". He would be able to take any food (kill) from any other member of the pack, and they would always yield to him.
Kitties I know, doggies I don't know, maybe Dee can explain how the head of the pack handles other members, and how doggie mommies teach the puppies.
Its the same principle, only the human, is the head of the pack, and there can be only one.
With kitties, when the momma kitty, pickes up the kitten in her mouth, the kitten instantly yeilds, its like scruffing the kitten. Now, this is a tool, and used correctly, like any tool, does its job.
Kittens are schedule feed. They are not fed anything by hand, that encourages them to bite, if you give treaties, they are placed in their bowl, or placed on the floor. Remember, we do not play with kittens with our hands or fingers, that encourages them to bite. Kittens are not fed any people food, they are not fed from the table, they are not fed scraps when you are preparing foods. They eat, only, what is put in their bowl, or placed on the floor. That teaches them routine and patience.
Mine learn as 8 week old kittens, when they can't get away with anything, so as they get bigger, they think they can't get away with anything.
Scruffing is used as a tool, and it must be used correctly, just as a momma kitty would, with her kittens.
Scruffing is used in a dangerous situation, when you must gain instant control, for your safety or for the kitties safety.
You scruff the kitten, and only pick up the front end, leaving the back end on the ground. Say the words, and remove the object, and put the kitten right back down.
This is not how you teach them, but rather, how you remedy a bad situation or direction, they are going in.
You teach them by words and sentences, with each word or sentence being applied to each phase of the training. Mine know a plethera of words and sentences and know what they mean and what they are supposed to do or not do.
I only had to scruff one kitten. He decided, he didn't want to share his mousey toy. Not sharing is fine, but he started to growl, when his brother approached.
He was reacting, as a member of the pride would, not sharing the kill, trying to be head of the pride.
Growling is not allowed, that only leads to more aggressive and dangerous behavior, and must be nipped in the bud. He is not the head of the pride, I am.
When he started to growl, with the mousey toy in his mouth, I scruffed him, picked up his front end, and took the mousey toy out of his mouth, and said "no growling, that is baddy boy stuff". I took the mousey toy and put it away.
He already knew what baddy boy stuff meant, he just learned what no growling means.
It didn't take him long to learn, when he growled, mousey toy went bye bye.
He miss behaved, he growled, he was punished, mousey toy went bye bye, he learned new words, no growling.
Couple of lessons, he never growled again. Still won't share his mousey toy, but he doesn't growl either.
The head of the pride.....me, just took his kill away from him, and he yeilded to me.
You approach it the same way with puppies, how the head of the pack would handle it, Dee can explain how that works.
Glad your co worker recognizes this is an issue and it needs to be corrected. Just hope the rest of the family is being trained too.