Boston fear aggression

Question
Hi Marie,
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my 2 1/2 year old Boston to death!

Brutus is a neutered, gorgeous Choc Brown/Red and White Boston.    My boyfriend and I got Brutus from a breeder when he was 12 weeks old.

He loves to play with dogs and has been socialized with dogs since we got him.
He goes 3x a week to doggy day camp where he plays all day, and mostly with big dogs or fiesty small dogs.
He can play pretty hard core and is not afraid of rough dog play or big dogs.

On the off days from camp we live walking distance from a dog park and he goes there for about 45 min on the days he does not go to camp.
Also he has at least 1 walk daily.
So he gets plenty of exercise.

When he is not doing those things, Brutus likes to snuggle with us on the couch or in bed, snoring away, and he loves to be rocked by me.

We have had several trainers and behaviorists evaluate Brutus bc he has his quirks.

He can be a fearful dog with people.
The thing is he is really so damned cute (not just saying that bc I'm his Mom), that everyone wants to get over enthused when they meet him and he shys away from that.

I tell people just to ignore him , and when they do that within a minute Bru comes up and sniffs them and deems them OK and then they are friends.   

Even with us, he still does not like when we put our hand over his head while he is standing up to pet him.   But we learned what works with Brutus and what does not and we know how to approach him properly according to his comfort level.  

As you can probably tell, Brutus is a VERY important part of our household.   

Here is the problem.
Brutus is fearful of certain children.   I say fearful of children bc that is what I have been told by behaviorists.   Before I knew the reason behind it, I would say he was aggressive towards certain children, but now I get that its fear.

We do not have children.

At certain times Brutus can run up to a child and bark, jump up on them, or even nip at their hand.

Then another time with another kid, he ignores them.

It's random,  we never really know when he will act like that, and when he will not care about a kid being in his presence.

When its a controlled environment and I can talk with the child, I always go up to the child and tell them to ignore Brutus at first and then I give them some treats to put in their little hands and have Bru lick them off.  
I always stand with the child while this is going on just to make sure.

The kids get a kick out Bru licking the treat from their hand, and Brutus will usually be ok with the kid after a few times of doing that.
I cant swear that later on Brutus would not jump up or nip the kids hand, but mostly he would be ok given the treats he was given by the child.

At the dog park, he will sometimes run up to a kid and bark and bark at them, sometimes jump up on them, sometimes nip their hand.
He has never hurt anyone, but has scared a few.   None of these kids had ever done anything to Brutus to provoke this.  

But then the next day he will not even acknowledge a kid is at the park or wherever.  

There are no patterns that I can detect.

Sometimes if I get the vibe from Bru's body language that he is in one of his kid barking moods, I will stand and hover and let Brutus know that he cannot do that just by looking at him or giving him a brief "no" sound, or standing near the kid and watching him.

Brutus will detect this and not do anything at that time.  Quite often thats what I do to keep Brutus from acting out towards a child.

I KNOW Brutus is fearful and shy around people.  I have tried different behavior techniques to build confidence that I got from other behaviorists (Nothing in Life is Free, Desensitizing him when meeting new people techniques).

I know I have built his confidence somewhat and I know I have established our relationship to where he listens to me,  and yet this kid thing still seems like it has the potential to be a problem, and is something I have not been able to fix.

Can you pls shed any insights?

Do I just do what I've been doing and try to monitor him when kids are around  (hover and watch him) and do I just give kids in controlled environments, like my home or someone else's home, treats to establish a positive experience?

Do I just have to accept that my beloved baby Brutus has these personality quirks and live our lives around them?

I really have tried.
Started when he was about a year old.
Now he is 2 1/2.

Just when I think maybe the problem has passed bc he has not acted that way towards a kid in a while, he will prove me wrong.

I'd greatly appreciate any thoughts.

Thanks
Tamara  

Answer
Hi Tamara:  Wow, thanks for all the info...it helps me to see the whole picture... I can see you love your boy.  The most important thing I can tell you is this has to be handled now.  This is very serious because someone may report him someday for nipping at their child.  If he breaks the skin with just "one tooth" - he could be contained for 10 days at animal control...He would be classified as a level 2-3 ( unprovoked bite)/ with animal control.  He would have a police record.... and if it happens again, they will only give him a few chances..

You are in need of a dog trainer that will come to your home.  This person will work on his turf.  Later on they will venture out with you to the dog park.  I fear for him if you don't get a private trainer.  There is just no other way to say this..... I wouldn't want to see him quarantined at the animal control.


Sorry that I can't be of more help...This is the only solution.  You need professional help - An OUTSIDE person to help him ( and you ....)


BEST wishes, let me know what happens.


Marie Peppers
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