Dog Language
Watch the exact moment this girl overcame her fear of dogs
A young girl, eyes closed, mid-session. We’re working on her fear of dogs.
I asked her to imagine the dog approaching her. To speak dog language with him and ask him what he wants.
What followed was a priceless moment that shows why this craft is so rewarding.
Unprompted, as if it were the most normal thing in the world, she took “speaking dog language” literally:
The clip is in Swiss German, but the subtitles help you capture the “magic” of this moment.
The dog explains he wasn’t coming to bite her. He had smelled a cookie.
And then he goes on to tell her she doesn’t need to be afraid of him anymore.
Because he would never hurt her.
For context: Before this session, her fear of dogs was so severe that if the family encountered one on a walk, she would have a panic attack. It could be so bad they would have to turn around and go home.
Just one week after this session, the family went to a fair.
Not only were there dogs there, and not only was she no longer afraid.
This girl walked a friend’s dog on a leash by herself.
Speaking the language of whatever frightens a child is a technique I use regularly. It can be anything from snakes, spiders, lions to dragon. The conversation changes what the animal means to the child. And with it, the fear.
My job is to create the right conditions for moments like that.
I didn’t script what the dog says back. But I opened the door, chose the right frame, and followed the child into a place where they found their own answer.
Those answers, the ones that come from inside their own minds, are the ones that cause the shift.
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