I posted a while back about getting attacked by a dog and my dog saving me and yada yada.. Somebody had suggested my dog may be extra protective now because he senses that I am nervous around dogs.
I have loved dogs my whole life. All shapes and sizes. But I realise, I have grown a fear of certain dogs now. (was a very bad attack, and led to a very bad dogfight that I was physicaly unable to stop)
Has anybody gone through this kind of situation, and grown a fear of dogs? More importantly, grown out of the fear of dogs? Dogs are the thing I love more than anything else, I had made alot of changes in my life just to take a paycut and try to make a career being able to work with dogs.
Answers:
My boyfriend was bitten by a dog when he was little and lived in India - it was pretty bad and given the poor sanitation in his area, it was a bit difficult to treat. His mom also being afraid of anything that can move besides humans, he developed a fear for animals. Poor guy walked in my house to be greated my a 110lb lab/shepherd mix. It took a while (almost a year) but he got more and more comfortable with my dog to the point where he would come over and get on the ground and wrestle with Rocky. Since he learned to have such a good experience from such a large dog, he's not nervous around them anymore - giving him the confidence he needs around dogs to be able to interact and not get pummled like a playmate. I think it's a gradual process, but you can definitely grow out of your fear for dogs. The biggest challenge is getting over the mental barrier - once you can convince yourself that you will be ok, then the rest will come with a little extra effort.
Good luck!
Dogs do sense how owners feel. If you do not step up to the plate and be the leader then your dog will take charge and sorts of behaviors may arise. I'm sorry to hear that you got attacked by a dog and have developed fears. It's really up to the person who got attacked to overcome that fear. If it's a certain breed or type of dog that you are afraid of then then perhaps start from there. Learn about the breed. I still believe dogs are man's best friend, it's how they were raised that determines their behavior.
One of the most important rules in life is to learn how to identify events, times, places, and the relationship between certain people or things during that time, and identify it as it's own entity. For you, a lover of dogs, to fear any dog, is only going to bring you sadness, it will be that time where you say to yourself, "This dog is not the dog that attacked me (maybe due to certain obvious points or maybe sometimes very little difference but enough to identify it as something else) then you put your trust in that dog, and you will see that it does not attack you, and you will not hold the fear at all or as seriously. I've never been attacked by a dog, or atleast when I was, I was not affraid. Actually, when I was 8, this white pitbull attacked me, and the whole time, I thought it was playing, so I played back. Because I did not have that generalization of all pitbulls being the same. I hope this helps you. Everything, everyone, and every time, is different, give them all the benefit of the doubt.
I was afraid of dogs when I was younger because of a specific incident. I grew out of it after working rescue. I had many dogs/puppies live with me, and as I worked with them, I got bigger and bigger dogs. Through this experience I learned a lot. Fear can be conquered by knowledge.
One thing you have to realize is that no strange dog can be trusted, but you can't be afraid. They sense fear. But, as sweet as a new dog can look, it can turn on you or other pets if it has issues. You can't let your guard down. You must always be dominant. As long as you believe you are in control of the situation, and you aren't afraid of getting a few scrapes if it comes down to it, you will be okay. If you want to work with animals, please do. They need all the help they can get.
Fear could be cured by time and by facing the fear itself but i admire you because your fear of certain kind of dogs doesnt stop you for loving dogs. congratulations and goodluck to your career.
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