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Mi hijo tiene miedo a los perros, ¿Qué puedo hacer?

My son is afraid of dogs, what can I do?

Having dogs at home offers numerous benefits for our children, both emotional and psychological. Improving their self-esteem , making them happier , and helping them become more responsible are just some of the countless advantages of having children and dogs together at home. But fear of pets can be a barrier. What should you do when your child is afraid of them? It's important to distinguish between a simple fear and a phobia.

What differentiates a fear of dogs from a phobia of them?

The term cynophobia refers to an abnormal and excessive fear of dogs. In most cases, this phobia is preceded by a traumatic experience involving a dog, and these episodes usually occur in childhood. It is estimated that around 8% of the population suffers from this phobia. Phobias manifest themselves through disproportionate reactions in children, with symptoms of anxiety that should be treated by a child psychologist. Conversely, if the child only feels fear , they will become nervous and agitated in the presence of a dog, but will return to normal once the dog leaves. The advice we will outline below will be applicable to these situations of fear, although for phobias we always recommend that a specialist evaluate the condition.

What could be causing my children's fear of dogs?

The causes can be very varied, but here are the 3 most common ones in all these cases:

  • Bad experiences children have: It's common for your child to suddenly become afraid of dogs. The most serious scenario is if your child has been attacked by a dog, but it can also happen after being frightened by an unexpected reaction from the dog or after watching a movie where a situation involving dogs creates that feeling of fear.
  • That the people around him are afraid of dogs: This has been said many times: if you're afraid of your dogs, your child will be too. Luckily, this situation can change over time. Children tend to imitate the behavior of adults, so if they observe that the person they're imitating is afraid of these animals, the child will imitate that behavior.
  • The fear of the unknown: If your child has grown up with a dog, they'll consider it a member of the family. But there are times when we decide to get a dog when our child is no longer a baby. In these cases, the little ones will face a new member of the household they don't know and don't know how they will act or react to its presence.

5 tips to overcome fear of dogs

The first thing to emphasize is that this process must be gradual and won't happen magically in a couple of days. To overcome a fear of dogs, we can consider the following tips .

  • Don't force him to approach if he doesn't want to : Don't force your child to pet a dog if he seems reluctant. What you also shouldn't do is make the rest of your actions dependent on this. That is, avoid behaviors like crossing the street if you see a dog walking on the same side or constantly petting a dog if you're with your child. Little by little, he'll get used to this kind of behavior and, one day, he'll end up petting it in turn.
  • Don't make fun of their fear: Ridiculing their fear with phrases like "it's nonsense" can only contribute to making the problem worse.
  • Explain dog behavior to them: Children need to know the possible reactions of a dog, so that they understand them and are not scared by reactions such as barking or growling.
  • Teaching children how to approach a dog: Bad experiences children have with dogs can stem from an inappropriate approach by a child. For example, if we overwhelm the dog by pulling its tail or suddenly rushing towards it, the dog is likely to become frightened and react negatively, creating a bad experience for the child. To avoid this, we must teach them how to behave around a dog the first time they see one. It's important that the child remains calm and approaches the dog from the front, slowly showing their hands so the dog can sniff them first. Once the dog has done so, the child can gently stroke its back or head.
  • Approaching dogs gradually: This advice should be one of the last to be applied once the child is making progress in overcoming their fear. Enlist the help of friends or family members who have friendly dogs so that the child can gradually approach them. A good plan could be to accompany them to the park, where the children can approach and play with the dogs and reward them with a delicious treat, such as one of the natural treats from MAIKAI Pets.

With patience and respect , we can help our children overcome their fear of dogs, and we can all enjoy them as a family. Have you ever been in this situation? What advice has worked best for you?


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