Puppy Development Fear Periods
It’s so useful for guardians to know that this stage is temporary and that it is completely normal.
Puppy development fear periods. If the puppy perceives an event as traumatic, he may generalize it and it could affect him for the rest of his life. This period is when the most rapid learning occurs. This also coincides with a very critical socialization period.
What does a fear period look like? Young dogs go through two separate “fear periods” as they grow, which are essentially times when the pup is extremely sensitive to bad experiences. Puppies will experience two different fear periods before reaching adulthood.
Eyes and ears are open, but sight and hearing are limited. Growth and development continues into the adolescent phase, beginning at 5 to 6 months and extending up until your pup is 18 months old. Most people realize that puppies have a fear period, however are unaware that there are actually up to 4 recognised fear periods.
We’ll talk about when these fear periods occur later on, but for now, let’s talk about what fear periods look like in your pup. Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period. He cannot regulate body functions such as temperature and elimination.
Concurrently, the fear impact period begins at eight weeks and ends at 11 weeks. The fear can be of. Most dog owners will never witness this very first fear period considering that most puppies go to their new homes at 8 weeks, so it's worth noting that when referring to the first fear period, it's the one taking place at 8 to 10 weeks as described below.
Your puppy is coming into a new home, leaving behind his mother, and litter mates, and is being introduced to a new family. The puppy now has the brain waves of an adult dog, but the attention span is short. Eyes and ears are open, but sight and hearing are limited.