Sheltie refuses to be pet on his head and back

Question
Hello,

I have a four month old sheltie who seems to love everybody and will gladly follow me or my children around the house.  He is extremely playful and has tons of energy.  The problem I'm having is that he refuses to let anybody pet the top of his head or his back.  I've read that a hand placed above a dog's head is considered a dominating gesture, so I'm assuming that he simply doesn't want to be dominated.

He will jump up and try to wrap his front paws around your wrist (and then try to chew on you) if you try to pet him anywhere other than his chest or "cheeks".  I don't want to give him the idea that he is the alpha over his human family but I'm not even sure if that is really what his behavior means.

I will occasionally pick him up and either cradle him on his back for a few seconds or hold him with his head under my chin until he relaxes.  My hope is that this will help him to accept me as his leader.  Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!  

Thanks so much!

Answer
It's not uncommon for dogs to not like being petted on top of the head. It's sort of invasive and a little scary, and many herding breeds have a pretty big space bubble. It sounds like he's being pretty polite in asking you not to do it. I don't think it has anything to do with dominance - just that it's not something comfortable for him. Imagine some really tall person coming up to you and petting you on the head - would you like it? I'd get a book on Ttouch ("Getting in TTouch with Your Puppy" by Linda Tellington-Jones is excellent)and start working on getting him more comfortable being handled in various ways, simply because there are times in his life when he may be getting medical care, etc. when it is necessary for him to be okay with it. Sandy Case BFA MEd CPDT www.positivelycanine.com