My 6 year old daughter is terrified of dogs and avoids going out, what can I do to help?

Question

She has always been wary of dogs for no reason that we can think of but just lately she is terrified and panics completely when she sees a dog. Now she is scared if there is a dog on the other side of the street. She has seen us around dogs and no one else in the family has a problem with them. We have tried to introduce her very friendly, quiet dogs and she used to approach them but now seems more upset than ever. I have tried to keep calm and talk to her about it and get her to tell us what her fears are exactly. I am find it increasingly difficult to keep calm about this and have run out of ideas on how to deal with it. Any suggestions gratefully received.

Answer 1

Snap. My daughter, aged 6, is also the same. I got her to like puppies however as they are small and cute, but she is wary of people walking past with their dogs. I think it's something kids have to grow out of but at the sametime, they are taught at school not to go near stray dogs or dogs they don't know for safety reasons.

Answer 2

Perhaps she needs to talk to a psychologist about her fears. Be with her to make her feel safe. This type of doctor is for behavioral problems while the psychiatrist is for the mind. Maybe she needs both. I was afraid of dogs when I was little but than I got caught in fight between a pack of dogs which roamed the country roads. I laid on the ground and didn't move, which by the way is the right thing to do. By not moving the distraction came off of me and to other members of the pack. It was none the less frightening. I am still nervous around big dogs.

Answer 3

I would keep introducing her to nice child friendly dogs ones that don't jump because that would scare her more.I would then bring on the puppies maybe try taking her to a petshop where they r kept behind closed doors.let her see you with them sometimes monkey see monkey do or try getting hoever she admires the most i mean totally adores and does anything for get that person to start playing with the dog or pup and eventually she will get over it or out grow it .It could be a stage on with fear she just needs to learn to deal with that particular fear.It might not be the dog it might be something it is capable of doing that she is affraid of.Well I hope I could help a little good luck.Oh ya be consistant like you would with dicipline don't give up.

Answer 4

Try the graded approach. First talk to her about how lovely dogs are. Then show her pictures of dogs. Then show her television programmes (videos) with dogs in them (good stories like Lassie might be appropriate). Then let her take a peek at a dog through a window. Finally, teach her to approach a dog (preferably small one) one step at a time, with you right by her side should she panic. Might take a few weeks, but worth it in the end.

Answer 5

I was just like that but it got worse and became any animal. I freaked out at my friends house and mum had to pick me up, but i had always been alright with her dog.

I think it would have made me worse if mum had kept trying to get me to be with dogs. It would have hurt me and made me feel like i couldn't trust her. But thats me .... If she doesnt like seeeing a dog accross the street how terrified must she feel if a dog is brought so close to her? I know how i felt.
So we went to the GP and i saw a psychiatrist. It sounds bad, but it wasn't she was great and i soon was able to cope with my fear. I am now 29 and have 3 young boys. I am still a little wary of dogs. But i have managed to rationalise my fear. My children are not afraid of dogs but will not run up to a strange dog without my or the owners permission which i think is sensible.
See what your GP says. The psychiatric nurse very gradually helped me, and relaxed me. I think the key was being rational, knowing it was OK to be wary and that didn't need to become a fear.

Answer 6

Get her a life-like dog puppet or fluffy toy. Get it as life-like as possible and let her adjust to this first before attempting to introduce her to the real thing. Do not bring her to an animal shelter as the barking from dogs there can at times be terrifying.

It might also be possible - if you have an open mind to this idea - that in a previous life she was attacked by a dog. Might be worth following up with someone who knows about these things.

Answer 7

Fear of a dog or other animal is VERY SCARY to a child. My advice is to borrow (or adopt) a SMALL fluffy dog. Bring it home, and sit on the couch with it. Pet it and talk to it, bring it potty.. all that while ignoring your daughter. Dont tell her you are going to get one. If you dont make a big deal, she wont make a big deal. Just sit calmly with it on your lap and allow her to come up to it and not it to her. She will when she is comfortable. If she starts crying tell her.. SHHHHH dont wake my puppy he is sleeping.. if you are going to cry go in the other room.......When she comes up to it and pets it, and she will because all of your attention is on that dog and not her... tell her.. "this is such a quiet little dog. He is a snuggler".. use soft words.. talk about it like it is a baby. After a bit ask her if she wants to hold it and TELL HER .. DO NOT HURT MY PUPPY. That gives her the power whether or not to let it hurt her. It will work. I know it will

Answer 8

Children are born without fear of anything. Having fear is a learned behavior. At some point someone showed fear of dogs to your daughter, she picked up on this and now she is terrified of them. Just ignore this and she may outgrow it or get her a puppy and tell her the puppy is her responsibility.

Answer 9

Find out if there is a local animal shelter near you...make enquries and find out if it would be ok to introduce your daughter to a puppy or a Dog of their choice in a controlled enviroment. Encourage her to talk and maybe have some physical contact.They will know what to choose. I'm sure if you offered to make a small donation to the organisation they may be willing to help or suggest an alternative. Her fear is a natural one it just varies from person to person. She may grow out of it...I think by you not making a fuss about it when she does is a start. I've seen mothers sweep their kids up off the street which just amplifies the fear.

Answer 10

Find a pet store that lets you play with the dogs that you're interested in. Don't tell the pet store what you're really doing, but if you're daughter sees that you're interested in a dog and you introduce her to it and play with it, it may help her to relax. Maybe you can take her to a friend or relatives house and let her play with their dog. Tell her what's going on before hand. Stay with her. Don't just spring a dog on her. You have to show her it's okay. There's lots of children's books and movies that have dogs in them. Maybe add a few to her collection. If all else fails, then that's just going to the one thing in life that she doesn't like. Everyone has one thing in life that they just don't like. My sister is 29 yrs old and can't tolerate dogs. She used to fear them just like your daughter. My mom tried to help her alot and she just eventually grew out of that phase. She doesn't fear dogs any more, but she has always preferred not to be around them. Besides that, my sister is almost perfect to me. So, why not let that be her one vice?

Answer 11

something has happened some kind of incident with a dog or something she perhaps has even seen on tv.
I'd take her to a child phychologist before forcing her to accept dogs.
They can probably figure this out.
Sometimes a child will say something to others like a doctor they won't to you like when she knows you want her to be near dogs.
When you have your answer as to what this is then you can help her.