How Do I GET OVER MY FEAR OF DOGS?

Question

I really want to get close to and pet and play with the furry little fur ball really bad, but something
always stops me when i see the dog, I really get scared if the dogs gonna jump on me or start barking and run to me,
i esspecially hate it when people ask me in my face why
do i have to be scared. It makes me feel so mad at myself.
I asl myself why do i have to be like this and why cant i come up witha soution.

Answer 1

You are among many many people who fear dogs. You want to get over it! That's great. What you might start doing is looking at pets by going to pet stores where people bring in pets but they are more distracted by what is going on so they are not likely to approach you. Also, if you have friends with dogs that are friendly and who are willing to help you, let them gradually introduce you to their dogs. When that is no longer frightening , take it a step further. Go to a dog park at a time when few people are there and go with that friend and trusted dog. It may be very frightening at first, but once a few dogs approach you and you get through it, it won't be so frightening. When you are comfortable with that, go to the dog park at a busier time.
Just do this all gradually and if you have to back pedal a bit, it's okay. No rush. Just gradually expose yourself to more contact with dogs. You will get beyond your fear. You will because you WANT to.

Answer 2

I'm so sorry, that's really mean and insensitive of those people!

Sometimes we have irrational fears that we have to work hard to overcome. It's not just a decision you can make. I did some websearching just now and couldn't find anything they didn't want money for. :( But, none of the books or CDs or downloads were very expensive so you can maybe try it out.

My suggestion: try visiting a local animal shelter. Maybe seeing the dogs there in such a helpless, needy position will make them a bit less scary to you. Also, you can watch the volunteers and visitors interacting with the dogs from a safe place. You can approach the pens and kennels slowly. Stop when you start feeling anxious, but don't back up, and stay at that distance until it gets easier, then push yourself closer. When you're comfortable standing right outside the bars or fence, you can try asking the volunteers if they can show you the friendliest, calmest dog. Have them hold the dog for you at first. You don't have to touch right away. That's going to be the very last step. The most important part would be to go very slow and never push yourself so far you get really scared. You need to push yourself to where you feel anxious and then stay there until the feeling fades. Sometimes it might take lots of tries, but stick with it. Try not to go during busy times when there's a lot of bustling around and the volunteers might be too busy with potential adopters to help you out.

Take it easy on yourself and don't feel dumb or cowardly or angry with yourself, ok?

Some dogs are big and rambunctious and it CAN be scary to be run at or jumped at. And a big dog barking angrily is a blood chilling sound even for doglovers.

When those people say ignorant things to you about it, try to tell yourself that they don't understand and that's their problem. You're doing what you can to improve yourself and that's what's important. I know it's easier said then done, but try not to let it get you down.

Answer 3

First off, quit feeling mad about it. More than likely when you were little a dog scared you and that is the fear you feel today. Talk to your family and see if they can give you any incite to what might of happened. Then educate yourself about dogs and take it slow. Find someone that has an older dog, preferably small that you can visit with that will just lay on your lap. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day, and your fears has a reason (at least in your mind) You have to "retrain" your mind to accept the animal and that it is ok. Remember your not the only one scared of dogs.

Answer 4

Good for you for wanting to confront your fear. Most dogs are truly wonderful and there is a reason people love them so much. But if you haven't been exposed to them much, some can be intimidating. I'm a dog lover but I respect people who are afraid and try not to impose my dogs on them. Even as in love with dogs as I am, there are dogs that I am cautious around. But the majority are wonderful and its just a matter of you learning how to cope with different dogs and situations that may come up.

You could start by handling a small puppy, but little puppies do wiggle and jump and puppy bite (not dangerous but they do have their little teeth and not so much in the way of manners). So if you are really scared, a puppy might even be too much for you at first.

What I'd do is try and find a local dog trainer, preferably one that focuses on teacheing positive reinforcement techniques to dogs - it is a gentle approach to training dogs and results in gentle well-mannered dogs. Ask if you can meet one of their very well trained dogs, and perhaps even an older dog that is very quiet and non-threatening to you. Any good trainer can get his or her dog to behave nicely around you, with good manners and at the same time the trainer can give you tips on how best to approach a dog in the future. You'll get two benefits - you'll be able to work on your fear in a safe, non-threatening situation and you'll have someone who'll be able to teach you how to handle people and their dogs who are less well-behaved, so you'll have some skills to help you deal with more difficult situations in the future. Who knows, once you understand dogs better, you might turn into a dog person or even a dog owner....anything's possible. Good luck to you and I hope you find an approach that helps you - I think you have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Answer 5

First you have to address why you are frightened of dogs. Was it an incident in childhood? If so then take a good look at what really happened, you have probably blown the incident out of proportion. If it was something that you were taught by friends or family then take a good look at those people, chances are they are afraid of a lot of things and misery loves company.
Once you figure out why you're afraid then go out and get a puppy, one of the small breeds, and take it to puppy kindergarten. Learn how to train it because nothing teaches a dog to be dominant quicker than the smell of its owner's fear.
Also, nothing is a greater companion than a well trained dog.

Answer 6

Start by playing with a small puppy. Puppies are ALWAYS friendly and love to play. I used to have a fear of rottweilers. A rottweiler bit my hat when i was very young, though he didn't get my skin or do any damage, my mom drilled it into my head that rottweilers were mean dangerous dogs. So i stayed away from ALL rottweilers until about two years ago. I went to school to become a vet tech, and being scared of rottweilers would just Not work. So i had to face the huge dogs. I started out by always having someone else with me when i had to work with them. And i was always VERY cautious. Well, i finally met the nicest rottweiler in the world. His name was Zeus, and he was a HUGE teddy bear!! He was so gentle and loving. Being able to pet him, and hug him completely changed my mind about rottweilers. I always new they were not bad dogs, but i didn't want to get too close when i was affraid of them. Now that i know there is nothing to be affraid of, i can love on rottweilers all the time when they come into the clinic.

I am not saying to start out by meeting a bunch of rottweilers, while most of them are huge babies, they can be quite intimidating due to their size. But i think if you find a small dog that is very friendly and loves everyone, you can pet him, and hug him, and realize that dogs are really not bad animals. And though there are some dogs that will bite, most of them just want to be your friend. Talk to the dogs owner, ask them if they love strangers, and go from there. Good Luck, if i can hug and kiss a 140 rottweiler with no fears, i know you can get over your fear of dogs!

Answer 7

Hey, I'm 44 yrs old and still get heart palpitations when i see a dog. I had a major problem last year when a neighbour had a new dog, and i had to walk past it every day, and it would go crazy barking at me. So what i did was, i went to the neighbour, explained the situation and asked him to introduce me to the dog. So he invited me into his house, the dog could see i wasn't a threat and didn't bark or anything. This happened a couple of days in a row, eventually the dog never barked whenever i walked past. So, one down 37 million to go. :-)

Answer 8

The best way to get over with that fear is by facing it. I learn that and it seems to work all the time. Go out and play with puppies first and see how you feel around them and if you still get scared from them then just keep trying until you totally feel confurtable with it. Dogs could get scary sometimes since one of the dog bit my brother's ankel when we were kids. But we still had dog later on and we started with puppy and we love our dog. That was back home in India but dogs are here are not that bad. I hope you would get rid of your fear soon or you could by one of that Nintendo DS dog game. I heard it feels like playing with real puppies and dogs. Computer but heah its still a dog game.

Answer 9

Depends where your fear comes from - have you always been afraid or did you have a bad expereience? I personally was scared of larger breeds after I was attacked by my nieghbors Rotti. I read a lot about different breeds and slowly spent time with less aggressive dogs. I now own a boxer and hang out regularly with my friend's pit bulls - I have no fear of any breed. My suggestion would be to spend time with a breed that's larger but not agressive like a Golden Retriever...

Answer 10

Have courage. Definition of courage: "Knowing you're afraid of doing something but doing it anyway". Also, start out with one of your friends that has a gentle dog. Also, remind yourself that you are bigger than the dog and realise that the dog is most likely more afraid of you than you are of the dog - really! As the saying goes "Just Do It". There are a lot more things to be scared of in this world don't ya know. :)