Dogs are very loyal and intelligent creatures. They are thought of as very lovable, loyal, and non-judgmental companions who are typically referred to as a man (or woman’s) best friend.
However, in the wrong context dogs can also be very vicious, and maybe it is usually because they feel the need to defend themselves. It could be that a person has entered the territory of a domain that a dog is protecting or it could be that a dog is badly trained.
Either way, it has brought upon a traumatic experience that could cause a person to be afraid of dogs. However, the fear may not necessarily be based on the past. It could be rather just an unfounded fear that could be based even on just a fictitious movie or other media that was meant to entertain rather than induce fears.
In any case, the best way to get rid of fear and panic associated with fear of dogs are shown below:
- Use conditioning techniques to help you overcome your fears. This may require some professional assistance by a qualified counselor. Usually the objective here would be to gradually exposed yourself to situations where dogs may be present until you overcome your fears. Eventually you may be able to hug and pet a dog again, but just be patient as it will take some time.
- Look a dog in the eye. While doing so you present yourself as a more confidence person, and the dog will be less likely to sense fear in you. In the end, nothing is likely to happen to you mainly because a dog will not attack you if they do not know you are afraid. This is one step closer to being friends with a dog.
- Use multimedia to help you overcome your fears. Detailed videos and close-up pictures of dogs can really help you deal with cynophobia. In fact, you could practice looking into the eye of a picture or video of a dog before you see one for the first time. If you have a computer or video playing source you can use it to zoom in and out when you need during this process.
- Do some research on dogs. This will further help overcome your fears, as this is what usually happens when you learn more about the facts about dogs. For instance, you can find out what breed of dogs actually attack and the likelihood that you would get harmed from a dog. Of course, you may also want to know the chances that you would get bit by a dog, and worse yet the probability of getting rabies.
- Seek professional counseling. It may seem a bit silly to you at first to seek professional counseling for something such as being afraid of dogs. However, it depends on how afraid of these canine animals you are.
If it is a minor fear that everyone has when confronted by a dog you do not know, that is normal. However, when the anxiety is so strong that you are unable to socialize at a friend or family member’s house because of an animal it can really put a damper on your life. Your counselor can help you come up with a step-by-step plan to face your fear of dogs.