I don't remember a time when I wasn't afraid of dogs. When I was younger, it was more of a timid nervousness. I didn't encounter many dogs, but when I did, it was mostly negative (jumping, chasing, luckily no dog bites.) From there it grew into a phobia. In high school, I would walk on the opposite side of the street if I saw a dog. A few times I even altered my walking route when I saw a particular dog out loose. I would avoid friends' houses who owned dogs. Now, I often don't want to go to the playground that is directly behind our house because there are so many dogs running in the field nearby. It takes a lot of courage for me to take a simple walk around my neighborhood. If I don't watch it, I will be too scared to leave my house. Would therapy help? It's certainly affecting my daily life, and my children are starting to pick up on my fear.

I think therapy of some kind would be helpful. Do you have a trusted friend with a calm dog that you could gradually get to know?

I've heard that's a good route to go. It would help my preschool-aged daughter, too. I suppose I should ask my neighbor. ;) I just need to work up the courage.

As the owner of a friendly dog, I can tell you there are a surprising number of people these days who have little exposure to dogs, and a lot of fear. In the olden days when dogs ran loose, you kind of had to get over it.

I think cognitive behavioral therapy would work well. A good therapist acts as a coach, helping you uncover your triggering thoughts and slowly confront the fear. It's very focused and efficient.

I'm so glad to hear this! I found a LSW that may be able to help. I'll have to call and ask for more details. As much as I'm scared to confront this fear (I have others to conquer, as well), I'm tired of limiting myself to my fenced backyard.

I'm kind of afraid of dogs. Not my own dogs and not as much as I used to be. I'm more of a cat person but we have 3 dogs and only 1 cat. I didn't grow up with dogs.

I think that getting to know a dog who is nice would help some. Learning some things about dog training helped me too because some things work even on dogs who haven't been trained, like growling at the dog to communicate that you're the leader in the situation and you're displeased.

Not that you would want to go around growling at random dogs, but it's good to know what a generic dog would respond to in case you needed to know it.

Just a thought!

I used to be afraid of dogs too - I'd do the same thing as you, alter my route because of dogs, avoid places, etc. My hubby loves dogs and so gradual exposure has lessened my fear. We even got a dog six months ago and I love him to bits. I'm still somewhat nervous around unknown dogs, but I can control it and it doesn't control me anymore. Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

I just wanted to say that you are very courageous and loving to decide to confront your fear. I see a lot of people who transfer their fears to their children and it always a very sad thing to see the young people learn those fears.

I am impressed that you see what is happening and wish to change it. I had a very strong phobia for decades. I tried two very different ways to overcome it --- one involved a sort of shock therapy --- massive exposure to the feared thing, until your mind eventually just ceases to react to the thing at all. It did work, but only temporarily for me. The gradual, gentle, guided exposure that others have mentioned here has been more effective for me, and also much easier to face doing.

Good luck! The loyalty and friendship of a good dog is really one of life's pleasures, so I hope that you learn to enjoy it.

I am petrified of dogs. My daughter has had a couple of dogs that I've managed to get used to, but I would never dare be with the dog without her or one of the grandkids. Her latest dog is a nice yellow lab, but I'm still nervous.

I refused to visit teach in homes with dogs. I don't dare walk around the neighborhood. I tried walking at the neighborhood park where dogs are supposed to be on leashes, but sometimes they go off leash. I've had dogs bound up to me and intellectually I know that they are probably friendly, but my heart starts to race and I want to run.

I also think that they can sense that I'm afraid and I've had owners say that their dog who has acted aggressively with me is never aggressive.

If I had it to do over, I would definitely get therapy.

The good news is that I didn't pass my fear on to my kids.

Good luck with your challenge.

releve, you pointed out one of my pet peeves. I've been around a lot of dogs, and I've seen a lot of differences in their temperament and personalities. I hate it when a fang-baring dog lunges at me snarling and slobbering and the owner says, "He never does that." And he never does it to me again, because I never again set foot on that property.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2014 02:55AM by donbagley.

I hate that too. I think some people get dogs like that just so they can intimidate people.

I have to say that my dog is very friendly and loving. He really wouldn't hurt a fly. There are people on this board who have met him and know him. He will kiss you to death before he ever thought about growling at you.

However, there have been three people he has met that his first response was to growl with his hackles up. I don't know why. I didn't know the people. But he must have sensed something.

Usually he just looks at people and gives them kisses.

So sometimes those people might be telling you the truth.

Your dog is a sweetheart. I know all about him. I'm just thinking about when I've been on walks, and there will be someone standing at the end of their property holding a snarling dog, but not leading that dog away, and claiming that he or she can't understand why the dog is behaving with such hostility, like I'm a bad person or something.

Those people need to be better doggy parents ;)

My dog does that sometimes too -- and you'll see downthread I mentioned what a sweet dog she is.

In watching human vs. dog behavior, it has become clear to me why my dog "alerts" on one person, but not another.

When I got her, she had been in a shelter on death row -- who knows what kind of life she had before the shelter. So she was super fearful. I've worked a LOT with her to overcome her fearfulness and the main thing was just taking her out in public and exposing her to people, dogs, cats, squirrels, strollers, cars, bicycles (which used to terrify her and now she can ignore them). And hopefully, that exposure results in a positive outcome wherein she learns that people like her, want to rub her belly or feed her cinnamon rolls (I have this one neighbor... LOL). The more positive experiences she has, the less she reacts to people. 9 times out of 10, when she snarls or barks at someone, it's because THEY approached HER. They might even have leaned over to pet her and then gone for the top of her head. Three mistakes right there. So my rules:

1. Never approach an unknown dog. If the dog approaches you with its head down, and tail maybe wagging but not up (neutral position), then you are good to go. When people ask to pet my dog, I ask them to stand real still and let her approach them and get a good sniff inspection before they reach down to pet her.

2. Never lean over a dog. That is threatening to them because you are much taller than they are. Height indicates rank to them, somewhat.

3. Never reach out to pet the top of a dog's head. This blocks your eyes from their view and they cannot see your face. Dogs are incredible at reading facial expression and body language. Reaching over a dog's head is threatening. Turn your palm up toward the dog, keep your fingers together and make a "paw". Hold you paw out, palm up, so the dog can sniff. If you're getting a friendly reaction, you can reach UNDER and scritch the dog's chin. Once they accept that, often then you can pet them anywhere. It's also a good idea to ask the owner if a given dog has sensitive spots -- some dogs hate to be touched on their ears or their paws or near their tail. My dog could care less, as long as you're rubbing her. But if you walk toward her and then lean over her and reach for her head, she WILL bark and it will scare the pee outta you. (I yank her back and walk away quickly, shouting apologies over my shoulder.) The bark, btw, is an early warning sign that means "back OFF! you're freakin' me out!"

Good article on reading doggy body language:

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/virtual-pet-behaviorist/dog-behavior/canine-body-language

Another one with handy dandy visual aids:
http://moderndogmagazine.com/articles/how-read-your-dogs-body-language/415

Another one:
http://www.nj.com/pets/index.ssf/2011/10/dog_language_101_how_to_read_c.html

Note: I forgot to mention not making direct eye contact with unknown dogs. Many consider this threatening. You definitely want to look at the dog to read its body language, but do not stare right into their eyes. It would freak me out.

I wonder if being around a small breed young puppy might desensitize you. It is really hard to be afraid of a tiny,fluffy baby.I am not suggesting you get a puppy,but if you know someone who has one,it might be worth a try.

You want to talk with a therapist of course. But, you also need to confront the fear head on. Start with a dog like a golden retriever or a Labrador. They are extremely friendly breeds and don't bark a lot to scare you. Visit them at the dog shelter where the environment is controlled and they are not going to jump on you. Most times when dogs jump on you it is to be friendly, but when you are afraid, it is best that they don't jump on you. Bona dea's idea os great but I'd suggest a golden retriever or Lab puppy. Not much in life cuter than a puppy or kitten.

I have mentioned two big breeds. The reason for this is that some of the smaller breeds are barkier and some are grouchier. I know of a chihuahua that terrorizes much bigger dogs just because she is intimidating. Pomeranians are friendly but barky. Poodles are a mixed bag.

Remember that any dog can be friendly if raised by the right person, but at first and for you I recommend you hang out for a short time (like 5 minutes or even less to start with) with a goldy or a Lab.

As an animal lover and former dog kennel owner, it is worth it to have animals (dogs/cats/birds etc) in your life. They are good friends. Their love for you is unconditional.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2014 01:08AM by verilyverily.

until I got one (now two). My husband picked up a lab puppy, and it frightened me when he was going through his chewing/nipping phase. What I learned is that it wasn't that big of a deal to get nipped (and we trained it out of him). Most dogs are never going to actually bite people.

I think it builds more dog confidence to be around bigger breeds, and I've heard they are less likely to bite than little dogs. Once you are comfortable around a Newfoundland, Lab, or Rottweiler, you aren't going to be intimidated by a shitzu.

I've been afraid of them since childhood, as well. I quit a sales job many years ago because there were so many unleashed dogs running around on my route. Exposure to friends' dogs over the years has helped to the point that it's usually only larger dogs that make me nervous now, particularly strange ones off leash.

It really helped me to be exposed to some friendly smaller dogs first. Getting used to little dogs' friskiness and jumping made the same behavior in larger dogs seem less threatening.

This is your answer. Research local psychiatrists, psychologists, hypnotists until you find one who does regression therapy into past lives. That person will regress you to the event in a past life that initiates this current trauma. With that new understanding your fear of dogs will completely disappear.
Dr. Brian Weiss has written several important books on the subject. Here is an Amazon link to one great example. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_5?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=brian%20weiss&sprefix=brian%2Cstripbooks%2C395
Good luck!!

I initially was looking into hypnotherapy as an answer. Thanks for the link.

"The Dog Whisperer" TV show. Not as a substitute for any of the good suggestions above, but as a bit of self-education. He 'rehabilitates' dogs which have adjustment problems, but he says he 'trains' their owners. I've learned a lot about how dogs think...and how simple it is to assert yourself on their level. Check it out!

I have watched that show a couple of times. I think it may have made me more nervous realizing that (a lot?) of owners don't know what they're doing. But watching it again from a different perspective may help.

I have the kind of dog that people who are afraid of dogs are terrified of. (Well, one kind.) She is a huge sweetie and a total love bug. She's got a route she walks around the neighborhood and if she spots a neighbor who has stopped to pet her once (ever), she will drag my happy ass over to visit that person. She leans on their legs until she's so giddy with delight that she flops over on her back. She's known around my neighborhood as the canine bellyrub whore. She'll lay down in the middle of the street for anyone who is nice to her.

So I hate it when people are afraid of dogs. I feel like you are missing out on one of the best kinds of love. But then again, people probably say the same thing about childless adults. :-)

Anyway, therapy would be a good idea because you will always be encountering dogs. Meeting with a dog trainer and/or learning about dog behavior and how to read their body language would probably go a long way as well. I am very good at that and can tell when a dog is curious, aggressive, friendly, or fearful, etc. I think just being able to look at a dog and have an idea if it's a friendly dog or not would help you A LOT.

My mom has an irrational fear of snakes. Sure, it's a good idea to respect snakes, and even be able to distinguish venomous from nonvenomous. However, my mother would never even entertain the notion of looking at a snake long enough to identify it. Never took the time to learn about snakes or educate her children about snakes.

Consequently, my sister has that same irrational fear only times a hundred. Her fear definitely classifies as full-on phobia, in my book. She can't even walk through a front yard if she heard there was a snake there six months ago. She was visiting me in Florida back in December and I was trying to think of cool things to do with her and her boyfriend. The first thing that popped into my mind is a glass-bottom boat tour of Wakulla Springs -- a natural spring with masses of underground caves. It's where Creature From The Black Lagoon was shot. Lots of alligators and turtles and nifty, tropical swamp birds. Swamp critters. I realized that meant: snakes. And if the tour operator spotted a big snake, he'd drive that boat right over to it so people could get a good look. Sometimes, they fall out of trees, on top of the boat's canopy. My sister would lose her damn mind and I couldn't think of anything worse to do to her than trap her on a boat she couldn't get off of and then drive her around to look at snakes. A manatee could jump out of the water and bop her on the nose and all she'd see is a thousand snakes that aren't there, trying to kill her. I mentioned to her that I considered and rejected the idea in about 30 seconds and she started shaking a little bit at the word "snake". No idea if she's passed this fear on to her kids but I'm pretty sure she got it from mom.

So get the therapy. Educate yourself. Learn to live in a world that has dogs in it. You never know, you might end up falling madly in love with a Bellyrub Whore™ who completely adores you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/25/2014 08:52AM by dogzilla.

A lot of great suggestions here.

I have a Friend who was similar, but he's gotten to know my dog really well over the last four years and is now thinking of getting his own.

I applaud you for wanting to get over your phobia, it's a hard thing to do.(that's why I rock climb, it pushes me to get over my fear of heights)

Good luck :)

Thanks for all the words of encouragement. Now the real test is to take the next step forward.

My sister was recently bit in her front yard by a very large breed dog in her neighborhood that was offleash. She's scared of dogs too. I recommended trying to first understand dog psychology and mannerisms. It's a popular show by very helpful in understanding dogs before you try and make any physcial contact; watch The Dog Whisperer. It really helps people understand how dogs are communicating with you. Passive, friendly, avoidence, dominance, agression etc... Once you understand dogs mentally, it will help making actual contact easier.

My wife is/was terrified of them. I am afraid she would run in traffic if a dog ran up to her.

She is a bit better but this is how it happened. My sister had a 110 pound German Shepard which was impeccably trained. It was huge, it was too big to be a military or police dog because they did not make vests large enough for it. The type of dog that would heel off lease, stay when you told it to stay, and terrify anyone who would even think about mugging you etc...

My wife got to know and trust this dog. We looked after it for a few weeks while my sister traveled to Asia. My wife would walk this dog proudly and people were amused that my wife who had always said she was terrified, now controlled this giant which was around the same size as her.

her big fear now is the happy jumpy untrained dogs. She is always afraid they will bite her ankle. She is better with them now and I am not as worried about her getting killed running away from one. She likes trained calm dogs.

My advice to start, is seek and find a trained and calm dog to get to know and understand dogs. Therapy dogs, etc... Dogs are a gift, their very dispositions are built to be around and love people.