What if “Man’s Best Friend” isn’t your friend at all and more like your worst enemy? Are you destined to go through life constantly avoiding dogs or the people who own them? Not hardly. But there are certain things you can do that make the uneasiness lessen when you find yourself around them. For example, you can learn how to overcome the fear of dogs if you take your time and realize that at first, the animal won’t be sure about you, either.
Take it slow:
When you are around a dog you are not familiar with, the best thing to do is take it slow in making friends with the dog. Remember that the dog doesn’t know you either, so he has mixed feelings about you as well. You can ease the tension by gently offering your hand to let the dog sniff it and get a sense that you will not hurt him.
Once you have done that, just let the dog take the lead and see how he reacts. If he is calm, you might even offer him a treat to show him you like him, and food is always an excellent way to entice a dog to be friendly.
Don’t insist on petting the dog right away. He may still harbor ambivalent feelings about you, and if you reach over to pet him, he may get scared and react badly. Instead, take your time and let the dog get used to being around you.
He may warm up to you in time, but don’t rush it. He will let you know the timetable, and when he is ready to accept you, he will let you know how he acts around you.
Don’t force him to like you. He will do that in his own time, and you must give him that time to be around someone new.
Don’t act like you are afraid of him:
If you act afraid around him, he will sense it, get upset, and react badly. So instead, the better way to handle it is to work as if you two have been friends for years. Even if you don’t truly feel a connection to the dog, act as you do. Otherwise, he may turn into a fearful dog, and it’s hard to predict what his reaction to you will be.
Start with a puppy:
If you are afraid of being close to adult dogs, start by getting a puppy. This will give you a chance not only to learn how to care for it and learn to love it but to deal with your fear of dogs’ phobia. You will quickly see that not all dogs start aggressive, and if you take the time to train the puppy, they can develop a sweet personality and not be feared by anyone, especially you.
You may be surprised how loving, loyal, and protective of you a dog can be. This is one of the best ways of overcoming the fear of dogs. Once you develop a strong bond with a dog of your own, you will be able to get rid of your dog’s anxiety.
Teach your children, too:
Children usually like dogs, but if they have had a bad experience in the past, that may not be the case. Fear of dogs in children can be overcome, too. As you learn how to cope and care for a puppy to relieve your fear of dogs, you can do the same with your children. They will learn from watching your interaction with a puppy.
Teach them the same things you are learning to get along with dogs. Choose a small breed that will be easy to take care of and not overwhelm small children, based on size alone. You will be doing them a favor if they learn that dogs are not to be feared but loved and cared for.
Aggressive dogs:
Remember that dogs are not naturally aggressive; they must be taught to be that way. If you fear aggression in dogs, stay away from those who are known to bite for no reason, to jump up on you, to snarl their teeth, etc.
All these behaviors are not acceptable. However, remember that they were taught to be this way, and this is a lesson of how not to train a dog. Unfortunately, the dog fears aggression is a genuine concern but can be controlled by those who give time and effort to training a dog the correct way.
Most feared dogs:
People think that the most feared dogs are Pit Bulls, Rottweillers, etc. That’s because their owners have taught them to be aggressive, and because of that, they now have a terrible reputation. However, the most feared dogs shouldn’t be those of a particular breed but the ones who are not properly trained to behave correctly.
These are the jumping, snarling, barking, and biting dogs. The dogs that no one wants to be around, the dogs that everyone fears. They make life miserable for those around them and add to people’s fear of dog anxiety.
What to do:
The best thing to do is “size-up” a dog you are not familiar with. Watch him for a while, at a distance, and see how he reacts to strangers and if you would be comfortable coming in close contact with him. See if he “comes around” to the stranger after a while and if he seems willing to make friends. If not, this may not be the dog for you to be involved with.
Probably a better choice would be to choose a dog who belongs to a friend or relative. Explain your fear of dogs and that you are trying hard to overcome it. This person will tell you how their dog reacts to strangers. If favorable, this may be the dog for you to start with. Follow the suggestions above and see if you can create a good relationship with the dog by going slow.
That is the way to build a friendship with the dog and instill a feeling of trust between the two of you. The dog needs to feel comfortable around you, too. He will let you know by his reaction as to whether or not he is accepting of you. If you believe he is, then slowly take steps to gain his trust.
Conclusion:
If you pay attention to the dog and the signals he is giving you, the result may be the beginning of a beautiful friendship!
