Cynophobia is an extreme, intense, irrational fear of dogs that can drastically impact a person’s life, routines, and well-being, making normal life a challenge. Due to its intensity and influence, the condition stands in contrast to simply being fearful or shy around dogs. With treatment options focusing on therapy, people with cynophobia can lower symptoms quickly.
What Is Cynophobia?
Cynophobia is the technical term for a dog phobia. People with cynophobia have reactions to dogs and dog-related stimulation that are far beyond the typical or expected responses. Many thoughts, images, or exposures involving dogs will bring about a strong sense of anxiety, worry, and fear.1
Many different situations and stimuli can spark specific phobias. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) separates triggers into five main categories.1,2
The five main categories of triggers for specific phobias are:
- Environmental: fear of heights, storms, water, and natural disasters
- Blood, injection, or medical injury: fear of needles, shots, and medical procedures
- Situational: fear of airplanes, elevators, small spaces, and bridges
- Animals: zoophobia (fear of animals) includes fear of insects, bats, cats, and dogs
- Other: fear of other issues like loud sounds, clowns, and choking
As a type of anxiety disorder, cynophobia is not a natural or healthy response to dogs. The condition is an irrational and persistent fear that arises in situations where it is not necessary or adaptive. Cynophobia can cause someone to panic just from a playful dog walking past or an extreme worry about the possibility of encountering a dog after leaving the house.
Alternatively, if a person feels scared and anxious when confronted by a barking, growling, or an aggressive dog, they do not necessarily have cynophobia. They could be experiencing a typical and protective reaction to a perceived threat.1
Symptoms of Cynophobia
The most prevalent symptom associated with the fear of dogs is the uncontrollable sense of anxiety, stress, worry, and fear when faced with the animal. All specific phobias have a set list of symptoms that mental health professionals use to diagnose and treat anxiety disorders; however, not everyone who fears dogs will have a diagnosable fear of dogs.
Symptoms of cynophobia include:1
- A fear of being around, seeing, or even thinking about dogs: sometimes, the fear will involve all dogs, and other times the fear may be more limited to a specific breed, size, or trait.
- Exposure to the dog triggers an immediate reaction.
- The person goes to great lengths to avoid interacting with dogs, or the contact is extremely uncomfortable throughout exposure. It does not seem to improve with time.
- The anxious or fearful reaction is disproportionate to the actual danger. A tiny dog should not create a sense that the person’s life is being threatened.
- The fear has been happening for six months or more.
- The cynophobia is negatively impacting the person’s life and ability to function well at home, work, or school.
In addition to the symptoms experienced by the individual, friends or loved ones could notice certain signs of dog phobia. People with cynophobia may feel shame or embarrassment linked to their fear of dogs, so they will not offer much information about the subject. In those situations, loved ones must be vigilant in looking for the signs of dog phobia.
A person with cynophobia may display these signs:2,3,4
- Finds excuses to avoid places or situations where dogs will be present
- Frequently discusses their dislike of dogs
- Appears jumpy, keyed up, sweaty, or shaky when dogs are around
- Attempts to talk people out of getting a dog as a pet
- Ends relationships with people who have dogs
As many as 75% of people with one specific phobia actually have another diagnosable fear. So a person with cynophobia could have one or more additional fears.1
Fear of Dogs in Kids
Children will often express fear and discomfort stemming from new people, places, and situations, but many children also express anxiety, reluctance, and concern around dogs. Children and teens between the ages of 13 – 17 have the highest rates of specific phobia with many cases developing before age 10.1 The challenge comes in separating a typical and healthy fear of something new from a significant mental health disorder.
Symptoms and signs of cynophobia in children are:1,3
- Crying
- Having a temper tantrum
- Freezing and being unable to move or follow parental requests
- Clinging to parents or other adults and being unable to separate
Not every child who appears frightened, uncomfortable, or tearful around dogs will have cynophobia, though. Only professionals can provide the diagnosis after notable symptoms persist for six months or longer.
Impacts of Cynophobia
Someone with a dog phobia will note a marked departure from typical functioning whereas someone who is merely uncomfortable or fearful around dogs won’t see their life change or shift from the norm.4 The person with cynophobia will avoid people, places, and events associated with dogs.
Symptoms may start slow and small, such as missing a few days at work or losing a few friends with dogs. Over time, the impacts could become more widespread. Eventually, a person with cynophobia may only feel comfortable in the most familiar settings like home or the home of a close loved one. Going into the community presents too much of a risk of seeing a dog.
Specific phobia can also result in complications like:4
- Substance abuse as a form of self-medication
- Depression
- Thoughts of suicide
- Increased risk of suicide attempts
- Social withdrawal or isolation
What Causes Fear of Dogs?
Causes of cynophobia and other specific phobias aren’t widely understood. Like other mental health conditions, a person’s genetics, brain functioning, and environment seem to play a major factor.3
Here are three possible causes of cynophobia:
- Genetic link: This is probable since many people with specific phobias seem to have anxious parents. This connection could also illustrate the power of the environment as parents unwittingly teach their children to fear dogs due to their own stress.
- Brain functioning: Someone at risk for cynophobia could have an exaggerated response in brain chemistry. The release of neurotransmitters and hormones could spark an overly intense physical reaction that creates more fear and anxiety.2
- Negative experience with a dog (especially at an early age): If someone was bitten, attacked, or even jumped on by a dog, the event could be enough to trigger a phobia. Without positive experiences to counter the negative, the fear of dogs is left to grow.
How to Overcome a Phobia of Dogs
Depending on the severity, duration, and root of cynophobia, a person may greatly improve their functioning with a few subtle changes, such as practicing mindfulness, speaking openly about their fears, working on relaxation techniques, and adding more exercise to their routine.
To deal with cynophobia, try:3
- Practicing mindfulness: Mindfulness involves being more attentive and attuned to one’s own thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By being mindful, a person can learn how to manage anxiety and limit their pattern of avoidance. Practicing mindfulness can be as easy as spending a few minutes each day reflecting in your experience, your hopes, and your fears.
- Speaking openly: People with phobias may falsely believe that avoiding the problem is the best solution. This strategy is never helpful, though. A person with cynophobia should consider expressing their worries, fears, and concerns to trusted supports like a loved one or a therapist.
- Building relaxation: Relaxation techniques like deep breathing, muscle relaxation, guided imagery, and autogenics are wonderful tools for anyone with high stress and anxiety. All of these incorporate relaxation as a form of damage control to lower discomfort. They also work as preventative tools to prepare for a future dog-related exposure.
- Physical health focus: Exercise is one of the best ways to lower stress and physical tension. Increasing one’s level of physical activity can help them feel more prepared to encounter their fear of dogs. Taking a walk, lifting weights, and swimming are some of the most beneficial forms of physical activity.
Some people may note great success from these lifestyle changes, but others will need professional mental health treatment. If you or a loved one does not observe significant improvement from these strategies, it’s time to call a professional.
Cynophobia Treatment
Cynophobia has the power to dramatically influence a person’s life, but fortunately, studies show that professional treatment can lead to quick and effective symptom reduction. Treatment for phobias may involve medication, but many will find symptom alleviation from therapy alone. A range of behavioral interventions can address symptoms so dogs and the thought of dogs no longer triggers an anxious response.
Therapy
Psychotherapy for specific phobias can be a very helpful treatment to reduce a person’s fear. By meeting with an experienced and qualified therapist, the individual has the best chance of understanding, targeting, and reducing their symptoms. Finding a therapist can be as easy as consulting with a trusted friend or referring to an online directory.
Therapy for specific phobias can see success rates as high as 90%. For children, with the addition of parental training to help caregivers respond appropriately to dogs and dog anxiety, a similar success rate is possible.5
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is an effective style of therapy when applied to treat anxiety disorders like specific phobias. CBT sets out to understand the relationship between a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By noting how thoughts and behaviors influence feelings, a therapist can suggest changes to thinking and action in order to lower fear, worry, and anxiety.4 CBT is also a great approach to address co-occurring fears or disorders.
Exposure therapy is a specific form of CBT that focuses on behavioral interventions to reduce the fear response. By gradually and repeatedly exposing the individual to the feared stimuli (dogs), the body and brain begin to break the association between dogs and fear.3
Exposure therapy typically starts with making a list of stressful situations with dogs and rating them from most intense to least intense. The therapist will start by exposing the individual to the lowest situation, allowing them to adapt to the uncomfortable feelings, and then move on to the next item on the list. Some people may have a complete course of treatment in a few hours or several sessions.4
In situations where real exposure is impractical and imagined exposure is not helpful enough, virtual reality exposure therapy is an option. By using virtual reality headsets, a person can feel like they are near their feared animal or situation without being in any real danger.6 Using the same ranking and exposure treatment plan as standard exposure therapy, virtual reality exposure therapy allows easy and effective access to exposure.
Medication
Though many medication options for anxiety are available, medications are never the first option for phobias like cynophobia.4 For some, the use of medications may only act as a form of avoidance and escape. Other medications may limit the benefit of exposure, so individuals would do well to discuss their treatment plan with their prescriber before agreeing to any medications.
Final Thoughts on Cynophobia
A fear of dogs may be scary or embarrassing to acknowledge, but no one has to live with the condition. With the high success rate of behavioral treatments, working with a professional can quickly reduce symptoms. By understanding the condition and seeking treatment, fear, anxiety, and worry about dogs can be a thing of the past.
