I don’t know how often I may have broached this subject, but Anya has an irrational fear of dogs. She has never had a bad experience, she has just always been afraid of them. The hysterically-screaming-and-shaking kind of afraid.
It has gotten better, though. At my mom and dad’s last weekend there were four dogs: 2 chocolate labs, a very friendly doberman, and one springer spaniel pup. The labs are old and move pretty slow, but she still cried and wanted to be held if they were close to her. The puppy was fast and licked and wanted to play. Obviously, that did not go over too well.
After about 4 hours, she started to get comfortable with them, though. She even petted them! I now have evidence to show her that she does indeed like puppies. That she can stand next to them without screaming…because that doesn’t make the puppies happy at all.
We were thinking of getting a puppy this summer, after she turned three, but it doesn’t look like it will happen yet. I don’t really feel like I have the energy to deal with a puppy right now. We’ll have to do it next year, though. She was the same way with cats, so now we have her pretty comfortable with them after having Kitty. On to the next stage of getting rid of the fear of animals.
She has no problem petting a horse, so we just don’t understand it. Horses are much bigger than dogs! Silly kid.
There’s a type of spaniel….a king something or another…just google king spaniel and you’ll find it. Heard they are great with kids. Saw a couple recently and loved them. We have a mutt…the best kind!!
julie
Yeah, but horses don’t have sharp teeth!
Drew was terrified of that turtle that we found. That totally baffled me because he’s never been afraid of ANY animal, no matter the size or shape. I guess it’s just one of those things.
What kind of dog are you planning on getting? Golden Retrievers are wonderful for families/kids.
Yay Anya, WTG getting over your fears! Nadia has always been a pretty fearless kid, but last week we had a day that she was absolutely terrified of everything. Shaking, screaming afraid. It was bizarre, and broke my heart! Thankfully she woke up the next day her old self again.
In our household it’s the opposite – the kiddo adores dogs and wants one like crazy, but the parents say no!
Glad she’s getting better about it!
My sister still has scars on her face from being attacked by a dog when she was young. She adores dogs to this day, but is terrified of my completely sweet horse. The other day I caught her having some gentle one-on-one time with my horse, though – so there’s always hope!
You are doing the right thing by slowly exposing her to calmer dogs. That seems pretty normal for her age and yet another ‘phase’. She’ll probably end up being a dog fanatic. Or not. 🙂
In our house, our son is in love with dogs but fears horses!
I’m with you on the “do I have enough energy for a puppy” boat. The girls want a puppy so badly, but we just got done with diapers and are all sleeping wonderfully through the night…do I really want to be potty-training and up all night all over again?
I like the no fear of horses. Sometimes size doesn’t matter and she can’t see their teeth as easily. Pure conjecture on my part, but at eye level a dog’s mouth may not seem all that friendly. A horse’s mouth is way up high. If she’s slowly working through it that’s a good sign. Maybe in another year it’ll be ok. 🙂
Well that settles that – you’ll just have to get her a horse!
Sounds as though she is adjusting nicely. I agree with Susie, get her a horse now, dog later. 🙂
My husband’s kids were terrified (screaming, yelling, climbing on top of dad to get away) of dogs….. but after slow exposure to gentle animals they now cannot get enough of them….
Maybe if you allow the kids to be a part of the process of choosing a new pet they will feel it is theirs and thus the “scaries” will diminish….also, you don’t have to get a puppy…a dog about 1 – 1 1/2 years old can be a perfect companion – old enough to teach without the “teething” and other issues young pups have.