Cynophobia

Cynophobia

With various zoophobias being the most common kind of phobia in the world, it’s not surprising that a huge percentage of the population suffers from cynophobia, or fear of dogs. With the large number of domestic and wild dogs around, this can be a particularly debilitating fear that may seem trivial when misunderstood, but can be quite crippling in reality. Often starting in childhood and then continuing on into adulthood, this phobia carries serious risks with it. This is why we offer online therapy for cynophobia here at GoMentor.com.

Symptoms of Cynophobia 

Cynophobics will exhibit the classic avoidance techniques that most people with a phobia will employ, going out of their way to avoid a dog. That could mean something as little as crossing a street so as to not pass a dog or something more significant, like a refusal to go to someone’s house if they have a dog. If confronted with the object of their fear, they can exhibit signs of panic and distress, complete with trouble breathing, an elevated heart rate, nausea, sweating, and more. People with extreme cynophobia may even begin to avoid leaving their house for the fear that they might run into or be confronted with a dog.

Dangers of Cynophobia 

From a health perspective, cynophobia poses the same threat that many severe phobias do – the everyday nature of their trigger means that many cynophobics could be living in a consistent state of fear and dread. This takes a long term toll of the body and the heart. Socially, this phobia can be surprisingly crippling. As people love their pets so much, they don’t tend to be sympathetic to those who display irrational fear of their beloved animal friend. They can see a cynophobic’s fear as insulting and ironically, it can even trigger the dogs to be more on edge.

Treatment for Cynophobia 

Common treatments for cynophobia often resemble treatments for other phobias. Forcing yourself to increase your exposure to animals while guiding yourself through relation techniques can work, but it can also be hazardous without proper guidance. Find the best way to confront to object of your fear here at GoMentor.com, where you can find trained counselors who can address your issues and help you discover how to push past the panic to a more rewarding lifestyle. In addition, the online counseling can offer the emotional support you need to better deal with everything that comes with cynophobia.

Definition of Cynophobia

Cynophobia is a severe and often irrational fear of dogs. Both counseling and therapy are good ways to treat this phobia.

Symptoms of / Reasons for Cynophobia

• Actively avoiding dogs or any area where dogs may be present
• The constant worry of running into a dog
• Panic and anxiety when confronted by a dog