We have a 10 YO DS who is terrified of dogs. He’s terrified for a reason, we had NDNs with a big breed who they had no control of when he was 3. The dog ended up going for him and 7 years later he’s utterly terrified of all dogs. There are a lot of parents that bring their dogs to pick up time at school and either tie them up and leave them or congregate at the gates, so the dogs are yipping and enjoying socialising. My son has a flight response to dogs, he just runs (this terrifies me). So when we see dogs I hold his arm and put myself between him and the dog. In the interim this is the right response for us. In the long run it really isn’t, I’m showing him there is something to be afraid of. He will walk in the road (whether a car is coming or not because he’s that scared of dogs an oncoming car is safer). Can anyone give me advice on how to calm my son around dogs? Everywhere we go there seems to be someone with an untrained dog on a long leash, that is jumping and snapping and the owner telling us their dog is safe. Their dog is probably safe but my son is now at a point he has a full fledged phobia of dogs. The owners are saying “he’s fine don’t worry”, the owners are usually right the dog isn’t going to attack, he’s friendly but not on voice recall. I have never had a dog that’s not on voice recall. I need some advice about introducing him to dogs in a safe space? I hope this makes sense. My son needs to feel safe around dogs no matter the size, exuberance or breed. I have a friend who has suggested speaking to a dog trainer and explaining dogs responses or getting in touch with someone who has therapy dogs. Can anyone think of ways we can help my son be comfortable in day to day spaces without panicking? It’s spoiling his ability to go into the outside world. I know that sounds over the top but we tried to train for a race, on the second time we went for a run a greyhound came racing like a bullet at us, my son just ran. The owner couldn’t stop the dog so I had to hold her. We never went running again. I just want him to not feel such terror because of a few bad owners. Any suggestions?