Less common than fear of spiders and snakes, many people fear man’s best friend. Here’s how to recognize and handle a fear of dogs
Do you have a fear of dogs? Cynophobia, or the fear of dogs, is not as common as the fear of spiders (arachnophobia). Dogs don’t have eight legs or come in a variety of poisonous types—arguably less scary than spiders. Still, millions of people have a phobia of dogs. They are afraid of dogs for many reasons: maybe a dog chased them as a child, or they know someone who was bitten by a dog, or they themselves were bitten. For whatever reason, people can be scared of dogs to the point where it can affect their lifestyle, including preventing them from going over friends’ homes or taking walks outside. Understanding where this fear stems from and getting acquainted with available treatment techniques can help people with even the biggest fear of dogs overcome this phobia and start feeling friendlier towards mans best friend.Origins of the Phobia
Many people have a fear of dogs from a very young age, says Laurie Vitagliano, MD, chief medical officer at Northwell Health’s South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, New York. As with many other anxiety disorders, a person may have a genetic predisposition to developing a phobia such as cynophobia, she says. “But genetics do not necessarily mean that you will develop it,” she says. “Your environment and experience can have a great influence on whether you develop a phobia or not.”
If you’re not sure if you have cynophobia or you simply don’t prefer dogs, ask yourself whether you go out of your way to avoid dogs whenever you can. Does the perceived need to keep dogs out of your life interfere with your daily functioning? Do you feel like you are having a panic attack when you see a dog? Do you recognize that your fear of dogs is not only excessive but also unrealistic? You may have cynophobia.Symptoms
The symptoms of cynophobia can vary widely. Some individuals will start to have symptoms even when they are just thinking about potential contact with a dog, while the symptoms in another person begin only when the person is exposed directly to a dog, says Dr. Vitagliano.
Typically, a person with cynophobia begins to experience significant dread, anxiety, and worry at the thought of being exposed to a dog. “They will try to avoid any situation in which they might be around a dog,” Dr. Vitagliano says.
Symptoms can include:
Causes
Most cases of cynophobia develop during childhood. You may have had an unpleasant encounter with a dog at some point. Even if you weren’t bitten, you may have been chased or felt threatened. Or, even if you weren’t the victim of an unpleasant encounter yourself, you may have seen someone else being chased or bitten. If the person was physically hurt, and if she is a close friend or relative, you’re even more likely to develop a fear of dogs. Last of all, you may have acquired your fear of dogs indirectly—possibly from a parent with cynophobia, or from the media.
A theory devised by evolutionary psychologists holds that a fear of dogs gradually evolved as a survival mechanism many years ago. It would have been useful, in the days when hungry wild predators roamed, to be afraid of dogs and to get out of their way!Treatment Options
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is very effective at treating cynophobia, says Greta Hirsch, PhD, clinical director at the Ross Center in Washington, D.C., which treats individuals with anxiety and related disorders. “We work with the patient to create a graded fear hierarchy,” she says. “We might start by having the person imagine petting a dog.”
As the exposure brings the person closer to the object of their fear, the person keeps an anxiety journal and writes down the situation that is causing the anxiety level on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.
“For example, for someone with a severe dog phobia, a therapist may start out by exposing them to a picture or a video of a dog and then gradually over time, they would progress to perhaps a toy dog and then an actual dog,” Dr. Vitagliano says. “The time and intensity progression of the exposure will be individualized depending upon the person’s tolerance and symptom severity.”
CBT combined with exposure therapy is very effective with cynophobia, Dr. Vitagliano says. The behavioral part of CBT is to gradually expose the person to the feared object, in this case, dogs. “The cognitive part is looking at the person’s mistaken beliefs, where you think the dog is actually going to bite you,” Dr. Hirsch says. “We work on muscle tension. If a person is tense, then the body sends a signal to the brain that they are in danger.”
Some of the anxiety that comes with cynophobia is anticipatory anxiety, Dr. Hirsch says. “So it is important to recognize the thoughts that are leading to and maintaining the anxiety,” she says.Overcoming Fear
Determining the Extent of Your Fear
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1 Consider your personal history with dogs. Many
How I Got Over My Fear of Dogs
Rebecca, 21, shares her experience of cynophobia (an extreme fear of dogs) and explains what helped her cope with it.
I don’t really know where it started but ever since I was young I have had a fear of dogs – big, small, quiet, loud….any dog going. It caused me lots of stress. You don’t realise until you try to avoid them that they are everywhere!
My phobia had a big effect on my life. For example, before going to see a friend I would have to factor in whether they had a dog or not – and if so, whether I could ask them to put the dog away – or whether it was easier to just avoid it altogether. When I was out for a walk, I’d constantly cross the street to avoid the sight of dogs out walking with their owners. It affected me even in situations you wouldn’t expect, like at some restaurants and workplaces that permit dogs.
It is a phobia people really don’t understand as well. Often people’s response would be “but how can you be scared of something so small and cute?” Well, I wish I knew!
I tried hypnotherapy and CBT but neither worked. They were helpful in making me realise I have a phobia, but that was about it. That being said, alongside the phobias I also faced an eating disorder, OCD and depression, so there was a lot going on for me. These may work for you though, so by all means give them a try!
In the end, what worked best for me was actually exposing myself to my phobia in a process called ‘flooding’. Flooding is when you expose yourself to something that causes you anxiety (in my case dogs), until your anxiety calms down and you see there is no real threat.
For me, this happened at Christmas. My auntie and uncle had got a dog and I wasn’t going to miss Christmas for the sake of a dog. Was I going to make it awkward and embarrassing by asking them to put the dog away for the whole of the day? I couldn’t do that. Instead, I summoned all my courage and took the big step of allowing myself to be in the same room as the dog. Trust me, at first I was crying inside, but after some time I realised the dog didn’t want to hurt me, it just wanted a quick little sniff, smell and lick and to say hello!
Now, I still avoid dogs when and where possible, but I suppose I have learnt how to manage my phobia so that it doesn’t affect my life as much.
So, for all of you out there with phobias, whatever it is that you are afraid of, you can learn to manage. There is no point avoiding it your whole life – that won’t get you anywhere and it will be a tough life full of anxiety! It’s difficult, but you have to face your fear and learn to sit with it, when and where necessary. I promise you will be okay and you will get through it.
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