Puppy Afraid of Kids

I have a 9 month old German Shorthaired Pointer....(Pikey)

He has never really been around kids smaller than 2 1/2 feet tall. The only time i had a run in was with a 2 yr old girl and he had the submissive peeing and whimpering. We always socialized him well but there were never kids around, just adults and dogs. Well he is starting to get older and I do not want him to be scared of youngsters. It can turn into a big problem. Today I put a puppet on and talked to him in a real nice voice and Pikey lost it...Very aggressive barking, showing of teeth. I know this could just be the reaction to the puppet but does anyone have any idea how to socialize him with kids. I feel it would be hard to say....Can you lend me your kid so i can train my dog!...any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Derek

Kids can be pretty scary. I know, I have 3 of them! They don't act anything like adults. They move fast and make loud noises.

You need to desensitize. Really rather simple, but time consuming.

Find a popular park. Take your dog, on a leash and a packet of cat treats. Find a nice spot to sit far away from the action. Best way to find a location - start walking towards the park. When the dog starts to get aggitated, take a few steps backwards and have a seat. You might want to take a good book, because you will be there for a bit. Any barking or other bad behavior should be met with a stern "knock it off" and any good behavior (laying down and relaxing) should be met with a tasty little cat treat.

Continue this, moving closer to the park as the dog's comfort level allows.

When we had our mastiff and it was a puppy we gradually introduced him to children also took him for walks near shops schools in parks etc what you need is a dog confident child not too little

thanks for the suggestions We will try them out.

My CATS are terrified of those noisy little people :D