Cynophobia, or fear of dogs: what is it and how to overcome the fear of dogs

Cynophobia is an irrational fear of dogs. It has two varieties: the fear of being bitten, which is called adactophobia, and the fear of getting sick with rabies, which is called rabiephobia. What are the features of this condition and how to deal with it?

According to WHO, from 1,5% to 3,5% of all people on the planet suffer from cynophobia, and this is one of the most common phobias. Usually kinofobes are people under thirty years old. Fear of dogs is officially included in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), it can be found in the heading F4 – “Neurotic, stress-related and somatoform disorders”. The subcategory is code F40 and is called Phobic Anxiety Disorders.

Signs of cynophobia

You can define film phobia by the following characteristic features:

• Intense and persistent anxiety associated with dogs. And not necessarily with real animals – just hear about them in a conversation with someone, see a photo or hear barking in a recording.
• Sleep problems – difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings, dog-themed nightmares.
• Bodily manifestations – a person trembles, sweats profusely, feels dizzy and nauseous, lacks air, muscles tense up involuntarily, etc.
• Feeling of impending danger.
• Tendency to irritability, alertness, hypercontrol.
• Panic attacks are possible, it may seem to a person that he will not withstand fear and die.

It is important to distinguish between real and false kinophobia. Pseudo-cynophobes are people with mental disabilities, psychopaths and sadists who cover up their pathological tendencies with fear of dogs. Such people use pseudophobia to justify harming animals. And they never ask the question “How to stop being afraid of dogs?”.

True cynophobia cannot manifest itself as aggression towards dogs, because sufferers of this disorder avoid all contact with dogs. It seriously complicates their lives, so film phobes often come to psychologists to learn how to overcome their fear of dogs.

In Judaism, Islam and Hinduism, a dog is considered an unclean animal. Then the person may avoid dogs for religious reasons. This is not considered cinematic.

How does kinophobia arise?

An irrational fear of dogs begins in childhood and can persist throughout life if a person does not receive psychological help. Many believe that traumatic experiences with dogs are the cause, but this is not always true. Cynophobia in a severe form can occur in people who have never had a conflict with dogs. According to various sources, the reason may be suggestion by anxious parents, media reports about dog attacks or hereditary factor.

The likelihood of developing cynophobia, like other phobic disorders, increases with prolonged stress. Mental and physiological exhaustion, hormonal disorders, prolonged use of psychoactive substances can also serve as factors.

How to get rid of fear of dogs

Phobic disorders can be managed with the help of a psychotherapist and medications if necessary. Even if it is not possible to completely eliminate the fear of dogs, it is possible to significantly reduce its degree and impact on everyday life. It is believed that it is impossible to remove kinophobia on your own, therefore it is recommended to find a competent specialist.

What will help alleviate the condition:

• a diet rich in carbohydrates promotes the production of serotonin, which is called the “hormone of good mood”;
• change of activity, decrease in emotional load, more time for rest;
• physical education and sports – for example, walking or swimming;
• hobbies “for the soul”;
• meditation.

All this will help to stabilize the psyche and reduce anxiety. There is another radical way – to take a puppy in order to “treat like with like.” But this method is not suitable for all people who are very afraid of dogs. What to do if relatives offer get a dog? To say that this can only worsen the condition and therefore you first need to consult a specialist.

See also:

How to stop your puppy’s aggressive behavior Puppy psychology Ailurophobia or fear of cats: is it possible to stop being afraid of cats