Brutus

Question
Hello,  I have a male neutered 1 1/2 year old Boston Terrier named Brutus.  Not that this matters, but hes absolutely gorgeous, a choc brown color vs black.

We got Brutus from a Breeder that we found online at 3 mos old.  I dont know much about the breeder except they sounded nice on the phone.

Brutus is a very well socialized dog.  He loves to play with other dogs and has many dog friends.  We send him currently to an all day doggy day care 2x a week where he plays all day.  The other days he either goes to the dog park for an hour or plays with a a dog friend.

Though he loves to play and loves dogs, he is a bit nervous around people he does not know.  Esp when they dont approach him the right way, he does well when someone lets him sniff their hand first.

He is totally affectionate and loving to us, and also to those he knows well, but hes nervous at first towards people he does not know well.
With dogs he doesnt seem nervous at all.
Kind of seems like the person has to earn his trust.

We take him on trips with us quite often.  He's only 1 1/2 and hes been on a plane prob like 7 times.  He travels well and adjusts well to new environments.

When Bru was about 6-7 mos old, after he was neutered, he started acting like the Dog Park Bully.  His play got a bit too rough towards the dogs who didnt want to play rough.  He would nip at them continuously and when their owner would pick them up to protect (which is not the smartest thing to do but people do it) he jumped up and tried to get to them.  And he can jump HIGH.
Of course the owners were mad, and Brutus looked obnoxious.

At that time I called a behaviorist who assessed Brutus and said he was nervous and acting out as a bully to overcompensate.  He gave us exercises to build up Bru's self confidence and to give us more control over him and make him respect us more.
These worked remarkably.
In like 3 weeks, Brutus was a changed dog and resumed playing with his dog friends at the park still in a rough and tumble kind of way, but more in a nicer way.
People at the park even commented, so I know I am not just being the proud parent.

This all happened about 6 mos ago.

Brutus listens to my commands almost all the time.  The only time I have a problem with him ignoring me is when hes at the dog park or distracted by playing with dogs.

Now about 2 mos ago Brutus started to do a new behavior that I do not like and am looking to you for help to change.

At random (to me at least) he decides he does not like certain children.
(we dont have children)
Before a few mos ago, he never seemed to care one way or the other about children.  He acted the same towards them as he would an adult.

Several times, at the dog park when a kid would be walking not even bothering or noticing him at all,  occasionally he runs up to them and barks and jumps at them.
Sometimes he scares them, sometimes the kids are not fazed, but either way it doesnt seem to matter to Brutus.

But then sometimes he doesnt seem fazed by kids at all, like he used to act.

So its random. but its a behavior that is fairly new that I am not liking.  

A child he knew really well who loved to play with him, a 2 1/2 year old boy, was over one time and reached to pet him goodbye (as he has done so many times before) and Bru bit his arm.
I was not there, but the story I got was Brutus did not break skin, but he did nip him and growl.

This was so out of character bc Brutus knew this kid and played with him very consistently since we got him.

Now, I dont know what this boy did bc I was not there, but I am also thinking, what about the kids who he barks really badly at and runs and jumps at the park who show him no attention at all?

Brutus by nature is not much of a barker.
At home he barks if the doorbell rings or if he hears stuff outside.

He does not seem to do this new bark/terrorize thing with adults or dogs, only kids as of 2 mos ago.

I dont understand why, and I want to know what I can do.

I dont want to never take him to the dog park again.  At this point, hes in dog day care there are no kids, and playdates there are no kids, but at the park I have to follow him around and herd him away from the direction of a kid if I see a kid there.  

I am wondering if you think Brutus may have Generalized Anxiety.   Maybe his Dog Park bully thing towards dogs has now been corrected and later redirected towards a new thing. kids?

My vet said if I wanted to I could put him on Chlomicalm but he was not sure if that would help or not.

Brutus does not have separation anxiety, so I wasnt sure if I wanted to use drugs for his appeared general anxiety.

From things I have read, people say he does not seem to have a major disorder so I shouldnt drug him, but then I have also heard that its a mild drug so maybe I should?  I am hesitant, but I also want to fix this and make him happy and not anxious.

Please let me know your thoughts.
I hope I have given you enough info, but please feel free to ask for more if you need more.

Thanks
Tamara  

Answer
Hi Tamara, I agree with you about not wanting to drug your dog. Any drug will have some sort of side effect. We only use meds in extreme cases where medically necessary. The reason that the Boston Terrier breed has an unpredictable personality is because of it's roots, crossing Bull Terriers and Bull Dogs, both of which can be aggressive breeds. The Boston Terrier was used in pit fights back in the 1800's, as you may know. This is why owners must make time to socialize these active little dogs. You sound like you are doing a great job with socializing him.  Dog parks are difficult because your dog can be perfect and pick up bad habits from the other "out of control" dogs at the parks. Being a clever and quick learner, also can make him pick up bad habits quickly and be quite saucy. Usually they are a one-person dog and adjust well to family living. Running children can be a huge temptation. I suspect your job will be to correct any bad behavior with kids until Brutus is perfect 100% of the time. This may take some time. Send me a note and let me know the exercises that your animal behaviorist taught you, that will help me a lot. Put Brutus on his lead and collar. Elicit the help of a friend with a child, probably best to use strangers. Do not let Brutus sniff them or get to know them ahead of time.  Have the child run by, playing, jumping, making noise, and any kind of distraction you may encounter with a child. When Brutus wants to go to the child, say "LEAVE IT", to get him back focused on you. Praise him for ignoring the child. Repeat and repeat this exercise until you can have him off lead, sitting by you and you can say the command but he will not move. Don't forget praise where praise is due. Eventually he will look to you for the okay to approach the child. Tell any children you encounter how to approach a dog in a friendly manner, with their fingers curled in, hand under the chin of the dog, eyes not looking directly at him.... If he begins to show any signs of aggression or jumps on them, command "leave it" and take him away from the child. All dogs have a certain amount of anxiety, some more than others. There used to be a lot of irresponsible Boston Terrier breeders, but they have done a goo job working good temperaments into the breed. As his Alpha dog, you should always be in complete control, even if you are in a different room. If I am in a situation where I cannot see my dogs, I ask them "GENTLE IN THERE?". Since the all know the "GENTLE" command, they will stop any rough housing immediately and come sit by me, usually tails wagging as if to say,"I have been a gentle dog". You have done a great job socializing him, giving him play time, and asking behaviorists for advice. So I know that you will be fine with this problem as well.  Please leave me some feedback, nominations if you wish, and keep me posted. The only way we can tell we are doing a good job as volunteers is by your feedback or reposting us. It is much easier to see results in our classes. So let me know how it goes with Brutus. Thank you for writing. Regards, Susan