09 Jun Everything about Cynophobia (dogs’ phobia)

Cynophobia is a scientific name used to describe the dogs’ phobia. This dogs’ phobia is beyond the anxiety, fear, and natural caution that humans have toward an unfamiliar dog. This condition is abnormal and can interfere with some of the affected person’s social activities; Because always running away from encountering, touching or seeing dogs can be difficult. But what is the cause of the dogs’ phobia, and is there a way to treat cynophobia? In the following text, we will deal with cynophobia in more detail and examine the symptoms, how it occurs and what can be done.

What is a dog’s phobia, and what are its symptoms?

Each person with a dog’s phobia or cynophobia reacts differently to the presence of dogs. Some of them respond in silence, and some react to them loudly. These symptoms vary, but a few of them are:

Physical symptoms

• Difficulty breathing
• Increasing heart rate
• Feeling of pain or pressure in the chest
• Body tremor due to anxiety
• Dizziness and fainting
• Nausea and upset stomach
• Feeling very hot or cold
• Excessive sweating

Psychological symptoms

• Panic or anxiety attacks
• Escaping from the situation and intense panic
• Feeling isolated
• Lose control
• Feeling faint or even dead!
• Unable to control fear

Although most adults with cynophobia know that their reactions are irrational, they can’t control them. Of course, some of them develop mechanisms to adapt and moderate their fears over time.

Cynophobia in pregnancy

Extreme dogs’ phobia is annoying in itself; But if you’re pregnant, you may be worried about the effect of this phobia on the fetus. There are rumours that a pregnant woman’s fear, such as a dog’s fear during pregnancy, may cause a lunar eclipse or brain problems for the fetus. Honestly, this statement has no scientific basis and hasn’t been scientifically proven. However, the mother’s peace of mind during pregnancy will certainly bring peace to the fetus.

Methods of this phobia’s treatment are effortless, and you can do it in a few sessions. We will mention them below. However, if you have cynophobia and are pregnant, it’s better to avoid dealing with dogs to spend this period in more peace. But to improve your life quality, we recommend that you seek treatment for this phobia at the earliest opportunity after pregnancy.

Dogs’ phobia in children

A child’s dogs’ phobia will be accompanied by different and more intense reactions from adults. Unlike adults, children with cynophobia show a marked response in the presence of dogs and are unable to control or hide their reactions, fears and emotions. These children’s response to the company of dogs goes beyond normal fear and danger; they can’t see their fear as an irrational phobia.

Symptoms of cynophobia in children

• Temperament, anger and aggression
• Sticking to parents and hiding behind them
• Crying

People’s lives who suffer from dog phobia can be minimal and stressful. These people panic when they walk down the street as soon as they encounter a dog, so they have limited choices about where and when to walk. When they see someone who has a dog, they should ask the landlord to let the dog into the room. Cynophobia isn’t just about adult dogs, and these people are even afraid of puppies. Sometimes, this phobia reaches a level that a person becomes anxious when he sees a dog on TV, a dog’s picture, and even hearing their sound or smell. So this dog’s phobia in their sleep and dreams doesn’t leave them!

Of course, not every dog’s phobia necessarily means cynophobia. Many people may not like dogs or be afraid of approaching dogs and don’t have cynophobia. Cynophobia is when this fear is so severe that it disrupts the regular and daily life of these people and causes them many problems. In this case, we should seek treatment for this fear and phobia.

What factors contribute to the occurrence and exacerbation of cynophobia?

Dog’s phobia or cynophobia isn’t an innate phobia that occurs naturally for no reason. Dogs’ phobia is ultimately acquired, and no one is born with it! But the most critical factors in this problem include the following:

Bad experience

The horrible experience you had as a child with a dog may have created this phobia in your mind. Were you bitten or chased by a dog as a child? Do you have bad memories of dogs?

Age

Cynophobia can occur in both adults and children. However, specific phobias develop around the age of 10.

Family

Research shows that if a member of your family has an irrational dogs’ phobia, you are more likely to develop it. Does anyone in your family have this phobia?

Moods

Although this phobia can occur in anyone, this phobia can manifest itself more severely in more sensitive people.

Bad news

If you have heard very bad, scary, and unrealistic things about dogs, such as news of a dog attack, you are more likely to get scared.

Dogs’ phobia may arise from events that occur during a person’s life that may be real or imaginary. For example, seeing a violent dog attacking a human can cause phobias in young children. The minds of young people don’t yet have a balanced picture of the world around them and can’t distinguish between fantasy and reality; Thus, it can be severely affected and damaged. A child’s bitter experience of dealing with a dog, such as biting, being chased, and seeing violence, can also lead to phobias. 

Ways to deal with the dogs’ phobia

The best treatment to reduce the effects of cynophobia is to deal with it; Not to run away from all the dogs. Of course, not all fears need treatment, but if the anxiety is so severe and disturbing that it disrupts your life, you need to seek professional treatment. The treatment for cynophobia and not being afraid of dogs is primarily psychotherapy and then drug therapy.

Psychotherapy

Cynophobia is classified as a mental disorder, and fortunately, psychotherapy has a tremendous effect on treating this fear. Some people even report seeing the impact of the treatment on themselves after 1 to 4 sessions of therapy. Here are two standard psychotherapy approaches to dealing with cynophobia:

• Treatment with exposure

This treatment, which has also been very effective, includes exposure to dogs for short but continuous periods in a safe and controlled environment. During these encounters, the patient voluntarily approaches the dog as much as possible. This approach is prolonged, and over time his fear of the dog becomes less and less. At the end of the treatment period, the patient will approach and communicate with the dog.

• Adaptive therapy

This method is another standard method of treatment for this type of phobia, which changes the patient’s attitude and reaction to the dog and his mental image of the dog. Relaxation techniques are used to expose the patient to pictures of dogs and to think about dogs to correct his or her usual response. This treatment process can be time-consuming and should continue until the patient can quickly think about the dogs and look at them without showing a bad reaction.

Pharmacological treatment

Therapy and psychotherapy are usually effective in treating cynophobia and don’t require further treatment. But in some people, the dogs’ phobia is so severe that it prevents the progress of psychotherapy, and therefore it’s necessary to prescribe medication in addition to therapy. Some medications prescribed for this phobia include:

• Beta-blockers: Beta-blockers prevent symptoms such as palpitations, tremors, and high blood pressure by lowering adrenaline.
• Sedatives: This group of medications also helps a person deal with dogs more calmly by reducing anxiety.

Cynophobia or dogs’ phobia falls into specific phobias, which are very common. Although the fear of snakes and spiders is more common than the dogs’ phobia, dogs are more prevalent in our homes than these animals. Dogs’ aversion can disrupt a person’s daily life and limit their relationship with friends who have a dog. Patients can control this fear by using the mentioned therapies. Of course, it isn’t the case that a person falls in love with dogs after the treatment period! However, in many cases, many people who are being treated for cynophobia in the future want to care for a dog. Mishka Grooming’s specialised team has accompanied you in caring, grooming, hygiene, training and health of your dogs so that you can enjoy being with this loyal and cute creature more than before.