Hi!

I was wondering if anyone could give me some info on animal phobias, because I think I haveone for dogs. It's driving me insane, and my host family wants a dog so I want to do something about my phobia, even if it only helps in me not shaking if I see a dog.

I've had it since I was really little. And I can't escape it because when I get back home, my dad has dogs and a lot of people in this wolrd own dogs.

I know, it sounds really stupid, but any help/advice would be strongly appreciated.

just think of why you are afraid of dogs and try to overcome it. dogs are like people, you need to get to know them before you judge them.

Ugh, I forgot to check my spelling.
Sorry for the mistakes I made on my last reply, I need to stop being so careless at times.

You have a fear of dogs girl? wow...I've never actually been afraid of dogs, unless they were chasing me aroung the block..hehe...but anyways, back to the real point. I agree with everyone else that you should try and interact with puppies and then work your way up. I have a really big fear of spiders, so I can understand what you're going through. Though once I did have the guts to let my science teache place a huge tarantula on my arm, and hey I survived!....but then again, I don't know if I would be able to do that again. Anyways, good luch with that and let me know if your host family does get a dog.

I have one for mad dogs. Like that one in to kill a mockingbird. (shivers)

last summer 5 of us freinds went on a trek...we were going thrua very thick forested area.. and then sudddenly my frined screamed and we went back to see like 10 leeches on her shoulders and legs and everywhere and she has a leech phoia ,,..she fainted and we had a baddddddd time cause there were no roads for like 4 kms ahead..she regained her conscious in like half an hour and the rest of the trek was like hell broken loose for her...

iceland in india u wont find ticks u will find plenty of lice in ppls heads...

Thanks for the advice.... and no worries... I'm not scared of ticks.

One time, I was at the sink, washing my face, and I was kind of fixing my hair, just brushin through it with my fingers for a second, I feel somethin at my hairline, look up, and there's a freaking huge tick right above my forehead, nestled in.

I HATE ticks. Findin one gives me the creepiest feeling that I never have for anything else, like some people react to spiders or surprises or something.

There are many reasons to hate ticks; including this one:



I've only found a few on my dogs, but it makes me mad when I find em. Sorry bout the pic...but maybe you'll hate ticks too now.

Celtic, the only advice I can give is spend time with dogs. Get a puppy. I know if I spent more time with ticks I wouldn't be creeped out by them. But the maximum amount of time I can spend with a tick is about 5 seconds, because by that time I'll have killed it.

Thanks both you you

Woah, a fear of dogs? That always rattles me, 'coz dogs are my life. Heh. I can understand a phobia though, I've had some strange ones. Try not to be nervous around dogs, all they want to do is give you a huge slurpy kiss... I would start around small dogs or a dog like a labrador retriever, 'coz they're really friendly and slobbery. It could be that I'm biased, but I'm having my arm washed right now by one. I know what I'm saying probably doesnt mean anything, but dogs arent out to get you or anything like that.
Woah, I think none of that made sense. -pops another caffienated peppermint-

Yup, I get nausea, I shake, I loose my breath a lot of times, and my heart beats fast very fast.

Im gonna contact the foreign exchange program volunteers here, see if theyll convince my dad (he's a doctor) to prescribe me Valium or Xanax. If not... well... I'll try to convince my host fam not to get a dog... if they do... I know my host brother and sister will force the phobia out of me lol.

Do you have a genuine phobia, or do dogs just make you uncomfortable? When you see a dog, do you exhibit panic attack symptoms (e.g. hyperventilating, dizziness, sweating, nausea, dry mouth, shaking, heart palpatations, etc.?) or do you just become uncomfortable?

The technical term for a dog-phobia is "cynophobia", but not every person who is afraid of dogs suffers from this. I was uneasy around dogs until I was about 10, and then I just grew out of it. If dogs just make you uneasy, I recommend desensitation. Visit friends and family with dogs more often, starting with smaller dogs and working up to bigger ones. Spend time in dog parks, or at pet conventions. You'll find your fear slowly goes away, and then you'll be able to handle living with a dog.

If, on the other hand, you're past uneasy and genuinely terrified of your next canine encounter, you probably do have cynophobia. Phobias are persistent buggers, and generally the more specific the phobia (and let's face it, this one is pretty specific), the harder it is to cure. I still recommend desensitation, but you might want to approach it with other tools handy. If your host parents are willing to pay for it, consider therapy sessions. My final recommendation would be convincing your doctor (or psychiatrist, if you have one) to write you a prescription for Valium or Xanax. When under the effect of these drugs, it's almost impossible to remain panicked, and I suspect that if you were to mingle with a dog in a non-panicked state, it would make it easier to approach dogs in the future, while remaining drug-free (i.e., the "I did it once and I was fine, so of course I can do it again!" effect).

If you can't find a way to cope or you don't want to invest the time, money, and energy in a method (which I can understand), I recommend just asking your host parents not to get a dog. You seem pretty cool, so I'd imagine they'd take you over it. Of course, that won't help you when you get back home, but if you're the type of person who likes to take things as they come, it's certainly a valid strategy.