Fear of Dogs

zuzule / Stock.Adobe.com

About sixteen years ago, I noticed that a lot of people are afraid of dogs. They would cross the street mid-block rather than passing me with a leashed dog on the sidewalk. I live in a wonderfully diverse neighborhood in Northern California. And I noticed that a pretty large majority of the people staying away from dogs were originally from different cultures. These same people would smile and say hi or pause to chat if I didn’t have a dog with me.

If you grew up in the Midwest like I did, I’ll bet you grew up around dogs. Maybe your family didn’t have a dog, but your neighbor probably did. Or your favorite aunt and uncle did. Or your best friend’s family did. So there’s a good chance that you knew dogs and got used to them being around.

But that wasn’t the case for everyone. Some people who grew up in the US didn’t have such a dog-filled childhood. And, of course, not everyone grew up in the USA. People from different places may be unsure of dogs simply because they don’t have the same experience with them.

Fear of the unknown is understandable.

Or maybe you had a scary moment with a dog in the past. I distinctly remember being chased by a black shepherd mix at my great-aunt’s house when I was very young. I ran in the house terrified and screaming, “that dog is going to eat me!” I never fully forgave my aunt for laughing. Fortunately, I’d had so many positive experiences with dogs before that scary moment and so many after that I recovered nicely.

Fear can be installed by a scary event.

But even people who are quite comfortable with dogs can get scared at times. For instance, watching two dogs wrestle - or fight - can be scary for many. The flash of teeth and the sound of snarls can trigger that a quicker pulse and that shaky feeling we get from a rush of adrenaline. A long time ago, we humans were more commonly dinner for animals with sharp teeth than we are now. That software to be on alert, to get away, and to protect ourselves from such dangers remains in our brains. And it’s healthy - if we are ever come face to face with a tiger in a back alley, that software will come in very handy.

Fear is adaptive - it keeps us alive

But on most days, we are more likely to meet a Labrador instead of a lion. So, how can we reduce our fear of dogs caused by our lack of experience, scary moments, or ancient software?

Facts aren’t enough. Simply knowing that you are statistically more likely to die by drowning in a five gallon bucket than from a dog isn’t going to help much (partly because we can’t imagine the former but we can imagine the latter). Facts will only get us so far when it comes to emotions.

But habituation can help. Hanging out with friendly dogs can go a long way. Visiting shelters, dog parks, and friends with friendly dogs can go an awfully long way toward helping us become more comfortable with dogs in general. Even watching carefully-curated videos of normal dog play and minor dog squabbles without injuries can help us get more comfortable with dog-dog interactions. And, of course, if the fear is especially pronounced, seeking professional help from a qualified therapist is an option you should consider.

I’m happy to report that there are now dogs throughout my neighborhood living with people who grew up all over the world. Observing and getting to know the dogs living with their friends and neighbors helped people overcome their normal and reasonable fears. And now they love their new family members just as much as I do after having grown up with dogs back in the Midwest.

Go out there and meet some friendly dogs.