How to stop being afraid of your dog?

My husband keep telling me that most strays are harmless as long as you leave them alone. I think dogs are cute animals, just afraid always worried they will harm me. I've now stopped walking and jogging because I saw a few strays around the way. They don't attack me but I literally start hyperventilating when I see a dog that isn't on leash or stray one. Anyway what tips would you have dealing with stray or strange dogs. Also what things what make a dog more likely to attack and chomp my behind.

Analyze what it is about dogs that you’re afraid of. Do all dogs in all situations frighten you? Or is it just big dogs or specific breeds? Perhaps it’s only when they’re doing certain activities such as barking. Is your fear triggered by a negative past experience? Identifying exactly what it is you’re scared of can help you narrow things down and have a more focused approach for getting over your fear. Go to the dog park with a trusted friend and observe the dogs interacting with one another from a distance. Or, spend some time in the same room as a friend’s or family member’s dog while they’re on a leash. You don’t have to interact with the dog at all; don’t force yourself to do anything you’re not comfortable with. When you’re ready, you can try petting the dog—it might take a few more meetings before you get there, and that’s OK. Dogs use non-verbal body language more often than barks and other sounds to communicate. Knowing how to decipher the signs that a dog is showing can help you feel more at ease when interacting with them. For example, if a dog licks their lips and there’s no food around, then they’re nervous or anxious. To avoid human-canine misunderstandings, it’s important to be aware of the signals you’re sending too. If a dog you don’t know is coming up to you, stand tall in a relaxed manner with your head up; keep your eye on the dog but don’t stare directly at them, as canines use eye contact to establish dominance. Spend time with dogs regularly to desensitize yourself to them. Continue practicing even after you’ve reached the point where you feel comfortable interacting with them, as there’s still a chance that your fear could return. Small, consistent steps go a long way. Different relaxation techniques can reduce symptoms caused by your fear of dogs, including an upset stomach and rapid heart rate. They can also boost your confidence to handle problems and help you think more clearly to make better decisions. Severe cases would benefit from the help of a trained professional. Phobias can be debilitating, and there’s no shame in reaching out to your doctor or therapist if you can’t tackle your fear on your own. Cognitive behavioral therapy is often used in the treatment of fears and has been shown to be very effective at treating specific phobias.

Several types of therapy can help people with this phobia. Phobias are anxiety disorders that cause people to be afraid of a situation or object that is usually harmless. They involve excessive fear of an event or situation that won’t necessarily cause harm in reality. People with specific phobia disorders have extreme reactions to a certain object or situation. They do whatever they can to avoid the thing that causes discomfort, concern or fear — in this case, dogs. Around 9% of adults in the U.S. have a specific phobia disorder. Anyone can get specific phobia disorders, but women are more likely to get them.

In the end, what worked best for me was actually exposing myself to my phobia in a process called ‘flooding’. Flooding is when you expose yourself to something that causes you anxiety, until your anxiety calms down and you see there is no real threat. For me, this happened at Christmas. I summoned all my courage and took the big step of allowing myself to be in the same room as the dog. Trust me, at first I was crying inside, but after some time I realised the dog didn’t want to hurt me, it just wanted a quick little sniff, smell and lick and to say hello! It’s difficult, but you have to face your fear and learn to sit with it, when and where necessary. I promise you will be okay and you will get through it. Now, I still avoid dogs when and where possible, but I suppose I have learnt how to manage my phobia so that it doesn’t affect my life as much.