Barking a children

[Rita and Fazzy]

Fazzy will be a year old on the 22nd  :-(  I don't want him to move out of the "months" into the "years"...but that's off subject.  Anyway, it's been lately that I've noticed that he has started barking at children...and if we're at the park, he starts running in circles, bouncing, leaping like a crazy silly puppy...but bark bark bark.  Not sure why he's started this recently.  He's loves everyone, very rarely barks at a stranger, but lately, it's the kids.  Not all kids, just some.  Today we went into a pet supply store and there was a little boy in there and Fazz just kept watching him, bark bark, he was pretty focused on him.  He wasn't trying to get to him or anything, he was just watching and barking.  I will admit, as he has grown up, we didn't get him around much in the way of children - we don't have any and no one around us has children.  But, like I said, it's just lately that he's started the barking at them.

Has anyone else had this issue, and if so, how did you handle it??  Is this a fear thing, or ???

 

Thanks all!!

Rita

[KLN]

Have you let him get close to any of the kids and seen what his reaction is? I know nothing about animal behavior but I will tell you that my cocker spaniel has an uncanny way and draw to kids. She watches over my niece and nephew (and friends kids) like a guard dog. When they were infants she did not leave their side...she would sit and watch them go (left/right/left/right) in their swings for hours or sit next to them. And now that they are older she is sooo good with them. Maybe he is just curious about them?

[Rita and Fazzy]

Well, in the dog park setting, when he gets all "puppy crazy", running in circles, bouncing, hopping around and barking at a child....if the child tries to get close, he backs up and continues to bark.  Sometimes, once he calms down, the child can approach and he's ok, he's fine.  Then, all of a sudden, once they are further away again, he'll start barking.  Today I was at my brothers house with him, my nephew showed up with his 15 month old son and once Fazz saw him it was bark bark bark bark bark bark....I finally took him on a short walk around the outside of the house, but once he saw him again, it was bark bark bark.  We all went inside, and while the childs mom was holding him, Fazz went up and sniffed at him, and did it again when Blake was standing on his own.  But a few minutes later, it was bark bark bark again.  Not sure what it's all about.  At his daycare, there is a "little person" that works there and he's very used to her, but when I picked him up on Friday, she had her daughter with her, who is about the same height as her, and he was bark bark bark bark at the little girl.  I'm at a loss.  Need to figure it out.