People who suffer cynophobia, in other words, fear of dogs, suffer a strong phobia towards these animals, which they consider a serious threat. It can be caused by some traumatic experience or simply instinctive fear. In any case, with patience and some techniques we can overcome this problem.
First, we must differentiate fear from phobia. While the first is the consequence of a negative experience, based on logic, the second is an irrational phobia that does not have to respond to any trigger.
Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the two. Among the most common symptoms of cinophobia we find strong anxiety, which can even lead to a panic attack. All this leads to other signs such as breathing difficulties, sweating, nausea or tachycardia in the proximity of a dog.
Identify the origin of the phobia It is the first step to ending it, although it does not always have to have a logical cause. For this we must explore our past, try to remember traumatic experiences related to dogs. There are those who resort to psychological therapy and even hypnosis for this purpose.
There are no quick fixes to overcome cynophobia. We must strive to lose fear progressively, calmly and without forcing ourselves to stay near a dog if our anxiety level is too high. The ideal is that let's expose ourselves to the animal little by little, keeping our distance with him until we feel more secure.
It is recommended to start with the dogs of our friends and people around us, always counting on their presence and with the animal on the leash. Ideally, we should deal with very calm puppies or dogs first. We will carry out this activity frequently, until we reach the necessary confidence to caress it. Little by little we will totally lose our fear.
However, in some cases the severity of cynophobia is so strong that we need psychological help. If so, the specialist will give us the guidelines to replace fear with affection towards these adorable animals.