Puppy Development Fear Periods
The puppy responds only to warmth, touch, and smell.
Puppy development 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. Puppy development week by week starts as soon as your puppy is born. Tail wagging begins and the puppy begins to control body functions.
Critical periods in puppy development. Growth and development continues into the adolescent phase, beginning at 5 to 6 months and extending up until your pup is 18 months old. Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period.
A second fear period can happen during the fifth of sixth month of development, but can happen a bit later, during puppy’s adolescent period (any time between 6 to 12 months of age). This second fear period is also at the time many owners are. Your puppy is coming into a new home, leaving behind his mother, and litter mates, and is being introduced to a new family.
Great care should be taken to avoid fearful reactions during this stage. Young dogs go through two separate “fear periods” as they grow, which are essentially times when the pup is extremely sensitive to bad experiences. Veterinary behaviorists, this first fear period takes place between the ages of 8 to 10 weeks.
Eyes and ears are open, but sight and hearing are limited. 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. Fear periods are a normal part of puppy development, but they also can be overwhelming for dogs.
This period is when the most rapid learning occurs. Fear periods are times during which puppies become more sensitive to a variety of external stimuli. If the puppy perceives an event as traumatic, he may generalize it and it could affect him for the rest of his life.