Do you have a fear of dogs? Or maybe you know someone who is afraid of even seeing a dog from a distance.
Dogs are everywhere. We see them walking on sidewalks, in parks, at some pet-friendly beaches, in apartment buildings, and at friends’ homes. In other words, dogs are present in many of the spaces we navigate in our everyday lives.
For someone who is afraid of dogs, situations that may seem very ordinary to other people can become a significant source of anxiety.
Animals are increasingly becoming part of our families, and their presence is expanding into more public and social spaces. While this is welcomed by many people, for someone who experiences intense fear or panic around dogs, it can make everyday life increasingly difficult.
It is not uncommon to start avoiding parks, certain streets, apartment buildings, or even visits to friends who have dogs. Over time, life can become increasingly restricted, and fear can begin to affect activities, relationships, and experiences that are important to you.
Why am I so afraid of dogs?
Fear of dogs can sometimes develop without an obvious reason. In some cases, there may be a particular event that triggered the fear, such as a negative experience during childhood, but this is not always the case.
Fear can also take many different forms. Some people may be particularly afraid of small dogs that bark loudly. Others may be afraid of large dogs, dogs with certain physical characteristics, or dogs that are unleashed. For some people, simply hearing a dog bark may be enough to trigger anxiety.
Regardless of what triggers the fear, avoidance often becomes part of the picture. And while avoiding dogs may seem helpful in the moment, avoidance can actually help maintain fear over time.
How can avoidance maintain fear?
How can something that seems to help in the short term have a negative effect in the long term? Imagine that you see a dog approaching and immediately cross the street. Your anxiety decreases. What does your brain learn from that experience?
It may learn: If I move away, I am safe. The next time you see a dog, crossing the street or finding another way to avoid it may become even more likely. Over time, the brain continues to associate avoidance with safety. Because dogs are present in so many places, this cycle can gradually make life more difficult and more restricted.
When someone begins avoiding situations that are connected to important relationships, social activities, or things they enjoy, the balance starts to shift. A behaviour that initially seemed to protect the person from anxiety begins to interfere with their life instead.
How does exposure therapy for fear of dogs work?
Exposure therapy does not mean forcing someone to come face-to-face with a dog when they are not ready. Instead, exposure is gradual and collaborative.
The steps are developed together with the client. We identify the situations connected to the fear, explore how much distress different situations create, and establish steps that feel manageable at that particular point in the process.
I like to think about exposure as climbing a staircase. We don’t take one enormous step from the bottom of the staircase to the top. We take smaller steps, one at a time. The same principle applies to exposure.
For example, imagine someone who sees a dog while walking outside and automatically crosses the street. A first step might simply be to remain on the same side of the street rather than immediately moving away. It doesn’t necessarily mean approaching the dog. The initial goal might simply be to reduce the avoidance.
As we identify specific triggers and situations that generate anxiety, we can organize these experiences into gradual steps. And exposure does not necessarily have to begin with a real dog.
For some people, an earlier step might involve looking at pictures of dogs. For someone else, it could involve listening to the sound of barking while looking at an image of a dog. Later, it might mean observing a dog from across the street rather than moving away.
Gradually, we work on reducing avoidance and increasing the person’s ability to face situations that matter to them, at a pace that makes sense for that individual.
Exposure should create some anxiety — otherwise there may be little opportunity for new learning — but it should also be manageable.
I often tell clients that I am not going to establish exposure steps that feel unreasonable or unsafe. The goal is not to overwhelm someone. It is to create achievable opportunities to face fear differently and gradually build confidence in their ability to manage it.
My background in anxiety and human-animal relationships
My background in both anxiety and human-animal relationships is particularly relevant to this work. My clinical experience helps me understand anxiety, avoidance, and exposure-based interventions, while my academic work in human-animal relationships gives me a broader perspective on the complex ways animals are present in people’s lives.
I have spent years researching human-animal relationships, and this work also led to my book, Conversations About Companion Animals in Clinical Settings. One thing that has become increasingly clear through my clinical and academic work is that our relationships with animals are complex.
The human-animal bond is sometimes discussed primarily in terms of its benefits. And there is research showing many potential benefits associated with relationships with companion animals. But fear, anxiety, grief, conflict, and other difficult experiences can also be part of the way people experience animals. Recognizing these experiences is just as important as recognizing the potential benefits of the human-animal bond.
For someone who is afraid of dogs, working through that fear is not about learning to love dogs or becoming a “dog person.” It is about helping fear have less control over where they can go, what they can do, and which experiences they can participate in.
When fear starts interfering with your life
You don’t need to wait until your fear meets the definition of a phobia to seek support. If fear related to dogs or other companion animals is already interfering with your daily life, relationships, activities, or the places you feel able to go, seeking support can be an important way of taking care of yourself.
The goal does not have to be loving animals. Sometimes the goal is simply being able to live your life without fear deciding where you can and cannot go. Taking that step can already make a meaningful difference, helping you build a life that feels less restricted by fear and more connected to what matters to you.