I am wondering if any of you might be able to help me and my nephew with a little problem.
My nephew is 4, and loooves animals…..as long as they are stuffed toys. As long as I have had Jack, he has been terrified of him, and it doesn't stop there. His mother tells me that he is not only afraid of all dogs, he is also afraid of cats, rabbits, even the small hamster that they have.
This is exceptionally odd when his favorite game to play is to pretend he is a dog and crawl around the house on his hands and knees. He has observed Jack from afar (very far) and has gotten a box for his stuffed toy dog (named Jack, after my dog) that he pretends is his crate.
Well, his mother is having some problems now because everyone in their family now has a dog. So, they really need to get Logan over his fear if they ever ever want to visit anyone again.
Are there any techniques for "training" a child out of a fear? I know it takes time, but are there exercises they can do together when they go to a house with a dog?