Pet Phobias
Everyone has phobias. Most children get along great with cats and dogs but sometimes they are deathly afraid of these animals. The best way to let a child get over their fear is to ease them into being around whatever animal they are afraid of. This video will teach several ways to let a child get used to being around animals while helping to suppress their phobias. One bad experience shouldn’t ruin their fun with pets forever.
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Step 1:
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Emotional Scars
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Most children get along great with cats and dogs. But sometimes a child will be afraid of a pet and will not go near it. The behaviour is often the result of an incident early in life where a pet startles a child or injures them. The emotional scars can last well into adulthood.
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Step 2:
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Scenario
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A phobia is an irrational fear which has no really has no danger behind it. Debbie Spiegel's son Zachery was scared by a dog when he was two years old. Even though he doesn't remember the incident, he still keeps his distance when a dog is around.
We were walking in the neighbourhood and a dog - a big dog - was off his leash and came up to him and jumped on him. And it was pretty scary for both he and I.
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Step 3:
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Dog Attack
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Dogs like Buddy here are masters of body language. In fact they can almost smell a child's fear. That's why you have to teach young children to never run away or scream or they might elicit a prey drive which could cause a dog attack.
Debbie wants her son to get over his fear of dogs and it's not an impossible thing to do
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Step 4:
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Overcome the Phobia
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You get the person into a relaxed state so that they associate being in a relaxed state with the feared stimulus.
Here are some desensitisation tips: make it a positive experience when your child is around animals. Give the child ice-cream or a new toy when a pet is in view.
Try reading a fun book with your child about dogs. Try 'Clifford the Big Red Dog' or a classic like 'Lassie'. Never force a child to interact with a pet. Make sure any introduction to animals is gradual. A pet can be a great complement to a child's development. Don't let one incident spoil the fun.