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
Sounds like he will never really like dogs. That's ok, many people don't. Accordingly, I wouldn't try to force him (and therefore to force a dog or two as well) to get together. Even if it is the friendliest dog in the world, if your son is super-stressed, it could easily go wrong for everybody.
Can you (instead) show him the techniques to keep himself away from dogs and to induce dogs to ignore him......ie cross the road, give them a wide birth, don't look at them directly, hold your hands up over your chest, with tips of your thumbs touching your chin, don't make noises, walk by, don't react to them.
Your son is not alone btw in the sense that, in the last few months, general public "concern" about dogs has skyrocketed for reasons that I trust are obvious to all.
One day, your son may have the opportunity to meet a dog who wants to teach your son that some dogs are THE BEST for/with some humans!! I would leave it for that dog to decide, when and where, and in the meanwhile, teach your son that HIS behaviour can keep dogs away from him quite easily....I suspect that knowledge will help to calm him around dogs....I can assure you that he will find it quite easy, if he can summon a modicum of outward calm.
Good luck