Why some children fear dogs and how to help them overcome it

When Josh Kilroy was a toddler, he was bitten on the face by his family’s pet dog.

A few years later, he was jumping on a neighbour’s trampoline when their dog “launched” and bit him on the back — and wouldn’t let go.

“I was petrified from here on out of dogs until I was an adult,” the 37-year-old from Brisbane/Meanjin says.

Josh would be on high alert in public spaces, going out of his way to avoid any interaction with dogs.

Cynophobia, a phobia of dogs, is estimated to affect at least one in 20 Australians.

The fear is more prevalent in children, according to the experts we spoke to, including Anthony Berrick, a psychologist and dog trainer with The Cynophobia Clinic in Sydney.

He says people from migrant communities and those with neurodivergence are also disproportionately impacted.

With dog ownership increasing by 10 per cent during the pandemic, and the pets being welcomed into more public spaces like cafes, Mr Berrick says families with a child who experiences cynophobia can find day-to-day activities stressful and frustrating.

We spoke to Mr Berrick and animal behaviourist Kate Mornement for their advice.

Understanding why children experience a fear of dogs

Mr Berrick says for the fear to be cynophobia, it must either cause someone significant distress or get in the way of them being able to function normally, such as impacting their ability to do activities like socialising.

Like for Josh, Mr Berrick says the most common reason someone develops a phobia of dogs is through a negative experience, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they were attacked.

He says something as “innocuous” as a dog licking a small child on the face can be a “really weird and unusual experience” that triggers a fear response.

“They want it to stop and they don’t know how, so they start screaming or run away and then the dog gets excited.

People growing up in a family or cultural environment where there is either a wariness or lack of exposure to dogs can also lead to a phobia.

“Or a parent who is maybe hygiene sensitive — whenever there is a dog around, they tell the child not to touch them or to wash their hands,” Mr Berrick says.

“It can create an atmosphere of tension around dogs.”

He says it’s important caregivers take their child’s phobia seriously, and handle it sensitively.

Being dismissive will only escalate the problem, he warns.

“The child will feel like they have to really push back hard to assert their needs.

“And then you get situation where the child is refusing to do anything because they don’t trust the parent will help them when they need help.”

Dr Mornement says from the dog’s perspective, children’s fearful responses can be scary and anxiety provoking.

“Many dogs are sensitive to loud noises and screaming can trigger a fear or anxiety response, contributing to a negative association with young children.

“Some children may run from a dog they’re scared of which can trigger the dog’s chase response.”

She says scared children may stare at dogs with “wide eyes”, which can be perceived as threatening.

Dr Mornement recommends parents teach their children about how to read dog body language and how to interact safely.

“Dogs prefer pats on the chest or back, rather than on top of their heads,” she says as an example.

Mr Berrick adds that small children shouldn’t be left unsupervised with any dog, even family pets and those deemed “friendly”. Children should be aware all dogs have the potential to bite, he says, but it’s a fine line of not instilling a fear of dogs.

Helping your child overcome their fear

Many parents instinctively approach this issue by talking positively about dogs and encouraging their child to get closer to one. But this only works if there is “a little bit of hesitancy”, not phobia, explains Mr Berrick.

“Once you have a genuine fear response, the flight-or-fight response, heart racing, adrenaline pumping — that kind of parenting approach is really counterproductive.

“It contributes even more to the child’s feeling of not being in control of their choices.”

Instead, he tells parents to think of their job as about “trying to increase the child’s power and autonomy”.

If the child is distressed, he says to get them back to a place of feeling safe and in control “and then from there, invite them to have some kind of interaction with the dog if they feel safe”.

It’s important not to force interactions.

“The child has to trust that Mum or Dad ‘gets it’ and they won’t push me to do things I don’t feel comfortable doing.”

When to seek expert support

If parents aren’t making progress with validating feelings and gentle invitations to interact with dogs, Mr Berrick says professional support may be needed.

“In order overcome a phobia you really need to do some kind of exposure therapy, and you need an entry point to that.

“A psychologist just advising a parent go to the park spend some time looking at dogs, read books about dogs, then go toa  cousin’s house and see if you can pat their dog — that’s too big of a leap for most people.”

He says a psychologist with an understanding of cynophobia will help caregivers break it down into small, manageable steps.

Josh has worked through his fear and owns two French bulldogs, named Pickles and Basil.

“Slowly working through other traumas as an adult helped me work through the smaller ones like these [dog attacks] were,” he says.