Frightened of dogs?
Dogs are cooperative animals. Most dogs go out of their way to avoid fights and arguments. But if you’re not familiar with dogs, here are some useful tips:
§ If you are attacked by a dog, stand completely still. Many dogs will only attack a moving object.
§ Similarly, if you don’t want a dog to chase you, don’t run. If you have children with you while you’re
running, you’re simply asking for the child to develop a fear of dogs – because it is a natural instinct
for dogs to chase a moving person or animal.
§ Don’t pet a dog who doesn’t belong to you. Ask the owner if it’s alright before lunging in. This is
only good manners, and could prevent an incident. Let puppies and adult dogs come to you.
§ Dogs respond gently when they are stroked, but they are agitated when patted.
§ If a dog jumps up at you (usually because he’s being friendly), put your hand under his chest and
guide him gently to the floor. If you’re observant enough, you can deflect the jumping before it
starts by turning your back, which is a calming signal to dogs.
§ Don’t stare at dogs as this is a sign of aggression in the animal world.
§ Take care when handling an injured or sick animal. He may bite if he’s in pain.
§ To relieve tension between two dogs who look as though they might be ready to fight, you can
simply walk in between them. This diffuses the situation for them.
§ It’s a good thing when a dog growls at you – he’s offering a warning rather than jumping straight in
to attack! Stand still or turn your back to the dog. Yawning and avoiding eye contact are signals to
a dog that you mean no harm.
If you’re phobic about dogs, we would lovingly recommend Emotional Freedom Technique to you. This energy therapy is extremely successful at curing phobias. It’s gentle and very effective. It makes us sad that anyone should be frightened of dogs, because they really are Man’s Best Friend.
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