Puppy Development Fear Periods
Growth and development continues into the adolescent phase, beginning at 5 to 6 months and extending up until your pup is 18 months old.
Puppy development fear periods. Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period. Fear periods are a normal part of puppy development, but they also can be overwhelming for dogs. Your puppy is coming into a new home, leaving behind his mother, and litter mates, and is being introduced to a new family.
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. He cannot regulate body functions such as temperature and elimination.
Fear periods are times during which puppies become more sensitive to a variety of external stimuli. Puppies experience two fear periods during their development, and each fear period lasts for about 2 to 3 weeks, on average. The fear can be of.
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). 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. Great care should be taken to avoid fearful reactions during this stage.
So to take a puppy from everything it knows such as the breeder, littermates and mum at this critical time can have serious repercussions. The puppy responds only to warmth, touch, and smell. They already have a fur coat but they cannot yet control their own body temperature.
If the puppy perceives an event as traumatic, he may generalize it and it could affect him for the rest of his life. The human socialization period begins at seven weeks and ends at 12 weeks. Many will go through a fearful time when they begin teething between four and five months of age.