pet phobia

scooby088

My 9 year old is very uneasy and scared being round animals, is there anything i can do to try and get her out of this phobia rather than bribe her with £5er everytime we go anywhere that has animals.

Thanks in advance.

toniq

Maybe try a petting zoo to see not all are a threat then gently take it from there x

I think bribing could cause more issues x

Child needs to be totally comfortable and not forced into being around animals x

Sagz_2

As I've been animal nuts for as long as I can remember it's really difficult to understand why your daughter is phobic of them. Have you actually asked her what it is she doesn't like about them? Fish, birds and mammals are after all very different - is she uneasy around all of them?

How about starting off by learning about animals? Where they live, what they eat, how their social groups work. Find the oddest facts about animals, the tallest the smallest the heaviest etc. Then plan a trip to the zoo to find the animals you've been learning about and maybe accidentally finish up in the petting zoo where you will be able to stroke some of the animals you've learnt about (maybe not the Tigers though!).

I don't think giving her fivers is the way to go, she'll soon cotton on that the more fuss she makes the richer she'll get.

If you daughter is really bad and it's affecting her life then maybe you should ahve a word with your GP and ask if professional advice is needed.

Good luck x

scooby088

Well i know there was an incident she witnessed when she was 5 when a staffie cornered my OH other than that I cant think of any other reason she is petrified of dogs, cats, she runs after pidgeons but it's mainly cats and dogs she is scared of.

Sagz_2

If you approach your local rescue centres they may let her go and pet the kittens or very young pups - under about 10 weeks as after that age they tend to be a bit loopy and could scare her even more.