biting hands.

[brawny]

Hey all, this is my first message to this board, but I'm sure I will write often. I have a new rott that I just love to death. She is 11 weeks old and crate trained.

I am having a problem and not sure how to go about fixing it, or whether it needs fixing, maybe it is just natural and I need to live with it. That is why I am coming to y'all here on this board, experienced rottweiler owners.

Not everytime I pet her, but a lot of the time, she will enjoy it for a moment, then reach back and try and bite my hand that is petting her. I know by her actions that she is in "play mode", but I would like to be able to pet her without having to keep my hands moving, or be bitten.
My vet suggested just holding her in the submissive position till she calms down, but it doesn't seem to work well. She just wants to play by biting my hands that are petting her.

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Mr. Smith

[moondog]

I'm sure you'll get lots of different answers because there is more than one way to deal with it depending on the nature of your particular puppy, but this is what I did when my dog was a mouthy little baby...

My weapon of choice was a stuffed toy and I kept her mouth full of one whenever she decided she wanted to chomp on me or my clothes. If I was petting her and she went for my hand, I would say "HEY! That's NOT a chew toy!" (in a FIRM voice) as I was stuffing her mouth with a toy using my other hand. I would give the toy tiny little shakes while she was mouthing to encourage her interest in it while telling her "THIS is a chew toy!" (in a happy voice) , and continue to pet with my other hand. Once she caught on to that, I taught her to go get a toy when she was feeling too rambunctious, which she started doing on her own after a few months and still does to this day when she gets wound up (she's 7 now).

Hope that helps :)