Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, I'm hoping you may be able to help advise us. Our 6 year old son has always been wary of dogs but over the past few months his fear has got to the point where we are struggling to do anything for fear of bumping into a dog which is frequently. He gets really distressed and freezes and there is nothing we can do to calm him. Does anyone have any advice on what we can do to help him as currently it has meant that we are struggling to go out. Thanks so much
hes wise to be afraid of them, dogs are vicious evil wild animals that people shouldnt willingly walk around others.i was ok with dogs.... i walked past a guy walking a dog a few months back in winter, just totally normal, normal dog not a dangerous looking one, shaggy brown hair not one of the bad looking ones, on a lead... i walked past the guy and his dog jumped up at me and started viciously attacking me, could feel its teeth through my winter pants and my winter woolen thermal layer, and it did make marks that i had to go get a tetanus jab.it was all over me biting as i was tryna skip step backwards and the useless owner failed to control it despite having it on a lead.yeah i dont go near any dog no more even on a lead, they are random vicious wild animals and we shouldnt be owning them, they should be on reserves in the wild or put down entirely. they are evil vicious wild animals not fit for civilisation. they are a threat to all of us out walking, they are not nice... they are wild animals and they will maul anyone if they so much as decide to for no reason. easy flip from nice lovable dog to random vicious mauler dog for no reason in no time. we cant have that in our society, they need a full ban.then you have people walking them off lead.... i walked down the place i got bit by that dog and found another dog walker, his dog was off lead, soon as it saw me it staredd at me and started barking viciously and showing its teeth blocking my path... now i got bit by that other dog on a lead in that place, this dog not on a lead and more openly vicious. its owner assuring me it wont bite while it squares off with me blocking my only path barking growling and baring its teeth at me... after i already been bit in this place and already dont trust dogs due to that.... yeah dogs need a full ban... im up for culling every single dog on the planet now, they are absolutely not safe at all, they are evil creatures.
long story short can you see how your son, or anyone would be afraid of dogs? they are vicious and aggressive and hostile
I've had similar experinces to Caelus, to the extent that ***
So called family pet, bit me hard enough to make me bleed heavily, after several years of giving me guff, ***
I was bitten when I was doing my paper round as a kid too (alsation again) and they give no warning, them Alsations, they just suddenly flip and go for you. when it happened a second time (also when doing a paper round as a kid I lost my rag with the thing and it backed off merely becise I offered it some pushback.
In a dog attack scenario, I recommend you meet it with MAXIMUM aggression, ***
Always remember that WE are the apex predator on this planet, and the agressive dog situation becomes much more manageable.
YET, my mate of anout 13-14 years had two american bulldogs, and I really, really, came to like one of them. to the extent I was greatly saddened when she died. And still am.
I think it's the owner that makes the difference. When my man eventually got another American Bulldog, a young male pup, at first it was quite annoying (like many dogs I find are) but after a couple of years of his brand of training, Clyde is learning his limits, and seems to be turning out O.K.
I can empathise with both Caelus' and Iains point of view, but the reality is that dogs are pack animals (as are many humans, I find) and as such can only function well when put in their place in a heirarchy. This makes them require quite a lot of ongoing "management". And for the reasons Caelus & I both mention, cannot be allowed to excercise themselves, so need humans that are happy to put in the required time and effort.
As someone who has difficulty managing and caring for myself, and given my previous history with dogs, it's no surprise that I prefer cats in my own life...
Caelus said:hes wise to be afraid of them, dogs are vicious evil wild animals that people shouldnt willingly walk around others.
Caelus said:yeah i dont go near any dog no more even on a lead, they are random vicious wild animals and we shouldnt be owning them
I can't agree with that.
Dogs are very predictable creatures when you understand their body language and you can read them like a book.
It will help a lot to understand dog psychology (I had to do this when a dog I one had was a real pain) and with this knowledge they are incredibly predictable. Unlike humans who mask and have meltdowns unpredictably I guess - so I suppose dogs don't have neurodivergence.
Back to the OPs request - I would find someone who has a very tolerant dog and explain to son how to treat the dog - learn yourself what the signs are that the dog is unhappy and when it is willing to be petted then use these to introduce your son to the dog and under close supervision - to pet it.
Teach him that dogs and people are similar - some like to play and some don't. He needs to learn caution and respect rather than irrational fear to become better used to them.
Show by example and explain the obvious tells when to leave the dog alone.
With luck he will assimilate the info and the knowledge & experience will help him overcome the fear.
That would be my approach.