How To Overcome Your Fear Of Dogs

How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

A fear of the unknown and the unexpected, it is caused by chemicals that are generated by the nervous system to alert your brain that there is danger or a troublesome situation. These hormonal changes in the body make you perceive the danger as real. But a perceived threat is not always an actual threat. However, the adrenaline rush is inevitable when you see a perceived threat. 

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

Many people say that if you fear dogs, you should just get one yourself. This isn't always the answer, as forcing yourself to doing things you don't want to do can make you even more frightened. Fears are intense, horrifying and mostly irrational as they are born out of a bad experience of your own or sometimes by hearing another person’s exaggerated version of events. Anyone can overcome their fears, whether it’s the fear of water, heights or certain animals. 

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

Sometimes cynophobia develops after a bad experience with an animal or simply through lack of exposure to them, but often this originates as a type of panic disorder, for no apparent reason. A lot of parents teach their kids to avoid dogs. Kids freak out easily, shouting and yelling at the sight of a dog, and they end up doing things that unnerve the dog. An incomplete or even a confused understanding of canine behaviour could lead to full-blown anxiety.

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

Like all phobias, the fear of dogs can vary dramatically from person to person. It's also possible to be afraid of a specific dog breed but have no problems with other types of dogs. People aren't alone in their fears; sometimes the problem arises because dogs can be afraid of people too and in order to protect themselves they start barking or jumping onto you.  

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

With professional help, the fear of dogs can usually be treated; however, many cynophobics avoid seeking treatment because they’re embarrassed about talking about their fear. A number of psychotherapies like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, Hypnosis, etc. have shown tremendous results in treating cynophobia. Desensitization is also a type of therapy, recommended to overcome all kinds of phobias, where the patient is slowly and gradually exposed to the object they are not comfortable with till they are able to relax with it around. 

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

Here are some useful tips to overcome your fear and accept the fact that a dog can be your best friend:

1. Dogs can be quite scary if you are scared. But tell yourself you aren't scared, and maybe ask a friend who has a dog to show you pictures of them together or go to their house and slowly and steadily acquaint yourself with their dog’s behaviour.

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

2. If you have entered a house where you weren’t aware that there was a pet inside, don’t panic. Settle down first and the dog will also enter a submissive stage after some time. Then you can approach it or call it to you but make sure the owner is nearby, just to ensure that you are safe.

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

3. Always be calm; breathe in and out then step closer to the dog but do not look into its eyes. The dog may jump up to you or lick you but it won’t harm you.

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How to Overcome Your Fear of Dogs

4. Do not get scared of the dog because of its size. Dogs like Labradors may be large in size but they are one of the gentlest creatures.

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