Fear Of Dogs?

Question

When I was very young I was nipped by a dog on my ankle and it has left me scared of dogs. How can I get over my fear? My family makes fun of me because I am terrified of dogs and used to lock myself in my room and they would bring their nearly 200lb. dog to my parents house. How can I make them stop mocking me?

Answer 1

the best way to to face it...go somewhere controled dogs will be.or if friends have friendly dogs. u could go to ur local shelter tell the person in charge u are afraid of dogs and want to over come it. its like falling off a horse if ur not hurt that bad u need to get back on it right then. if not fear and thought will over take u. u could try just learning about them. when u know more there is less to fear.

also i heard/read some where...if u are attacked by an animal it becomes part of u...like in spirit.

also i was bit by 2 differ dogs at a young age...both times in the face...i carry light scars. one was my fault i stepped on his injured tail another was a strange dog who was a cocker and i did nothing to it just sat down to give a treatand it lived with kids. however fear of dogs is something i did not take way. respect and the dumbness to fear no dog. and fearing dogs would be hard to do in my family. they out # humans....lol.

also tell them to stop the teasing...its not gonna help!.....just try to be near the dog that comes to visit....for most dogs biting is a last resort. or from something u did. like stepping on already hurting tail..(which by the way after that happened he was my guard dog he would walk every where with me.

good luck dogs are wonderful animals.

Answer 2

a fear of dogs is something that should not be mocked. It will only make it worse. Tell ur family how u feel. Meanwhile, take small steps towards being less afraid. Don't do it all at once. A 200lb giant is not the best way to start. First, learn as mcuh as u can about dogs at ur local library. Read up on the different breeds and there personalities. Yes, some dogs are a bit scary looking, like shepherds and pit bulls, but others, such as bassett hounds and chiuahuas look anything but menacing. find ones that u think aren't so scary. This will hopefully make u feel better about urself. Then, maybe take a trip to a petstore or shelter. Have someone take u around and show u the dogs (thorugh the cages). Make sure to tell them ur fear before u start off. Puppies are usually the best way to start. They're so cute! If ur feeling brave, ask to hold one. If not, just come back another day. Rember, start small and go slowly. This will take a long time. hopefully, wen ur done, u will be less afarid!! good luk hope i helped<33

Answer 3

You can start by volunteering at a dog shelter to get used to being around dogs. Try to find a young puppy to visit or a puppy kindergarten class and attend it. Once you get comfy around pups, try a toy breed, possibly volunteer for a breed rescue and have a small older dog stay with you.Work up on size. I was attacked by a Chessie when I was a kid but since I always loved animals I never was scared of dogs, so I too, have problems with people afraid of dogs. Possibly a shrink may have more ideas? I know they have fearful people watch movies about the fearful critter/thing, so maybe a dog movie? Homeward Bound or some such? Good luck, most dogs are sweet creatures and the best company.

Answer 4

Fear agression/fear biting is just what it is. A dog who is afraid will bite when whatever it is afraid of approaches. Your dog is insecure, and afraid. You probably should try to socialize your dog more, and work with him. Tell the people who are coming to your house to just ignore him. This will take the pressure off your dog, and make it easier for them to not be afraid. A dog like this won't usually go after what its sared of in order to bite. It will only bite if forced into a situation; like someone trying to pet it. If a fearful dog cannot flee; it will bite. Always give your dog an out, but don't console your dog when it acts this way because you will be reinforcing the bad behavior. Ignore or correct the bad behavior, and praise your dog when he shows interest in people. It will take a while, but by building your dogs confidence he should stop being fearful.

Answer 5

Well, you can't really stop them from mocking you. You can prove that your not scared by getting a dog yourself.
Start off with a good puppy thats young, so you can teach it tricks and not get it to bite. Try with a smaller dog, bigger dogs may get, you know, a little bit more aggressive.
I suggest a pekingese. They are very loyal to there owner.

Don't worry about your fear. Everyone has fears and people are always scared of atleast one thing.
The only advice I can give you is to work on your fear.
If you are absoluetly scared and don't want a dog at all, than you need to talk to your family and tell them straight up that you are def. scared.

Answer 6

I was bit by a dog when I was three, and I think what helped is that my parents had the dog euthanized, but kept our other dog. I grew up knowing not all dogs are bad, just that one I came across. If my parents had gotten rid of all of our dogs I probably would be terrified of them now. I love them, I have two large black labs now. Just realize that not all dogs are bad, and that they can probably sense your fear and feel more drawn to you. Try to relax and pet them, that will put you and the dog at ease. Good luck with this!

Answer 7

Try contacting a group in your area that has therapy dogs. Look up your state, city or count along with "therapy dogs" in google or yahoo to find them.

Therapy dogs go to nursing homes, hospitals, schools and other places to help give comfort to people. These dogs must pass a temperament and behaviour test to qualify. You can probably find some people with therapy dogs that would be willing to slowly introduce you to dogs again and help you feel comforted that not all dogs are going to harm you.

I hope you are able to overcome it because no one will ever love you the way a dog can. And no one else ever thinks you are as great as a dog does!

Best Wishes!

Answer 8

well phobias are always hard to get over. try a therypist or start your closure with a small loving dog. this way it wont scare you and you will feel better around them. i had a big dog jump ontop of me when i was about 5 and was scared for awhile but then i had a friend who had a very loving and compationate dog and it made me feel better. now i am a major dog lover. and about your family. you need to have self confadence in yourself. your family is mocking you because you let them. face your fear and prove them wrong.

Answer 9

I think the way to do it is to start by handling smaller, very friendly dog. One thing I suggest is to call a trainer. They usually have the most well-behaved, well-trained dogs in the world. Book a session with them and their dog. They will teach you how to behave around dogs and you'll be able to handle one that is very well-behaved. It might cost you a few dollars, but its a way to get used to them in a safe, controlled setting. Then you'll be more prepared when the 200 pounder comes over.

Answer 10

I also have this fear, I've had it since I was a baby. There's not much you can do to make them stop mocking you, but eventually you will grow out of it some, it will still be there but it will become more tolerable for you to deal with. They just don't understand your fear.