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 fear periods. Critical periods in puppy development. Puppy development week by week starts as soon as your puppy is born. The fear can be of.
During fear periods, puppies become more sensitive and aware of the world around them. They already have a fur coat but they cannot yet control their own body temperature. As you can see, this period overlaps that of the previous definition and children or animal should not be allowed to hurt or scare the puppy — either maliciously or inadvertently.
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. 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.
He cannot regulate body functions such as temperature and elimination. What does a fear period look like? Puppies will experience two different fear periods before reaching adulthood.
Growth and development continues into the adolescent phase, beginning at 5 to 6 months and extending up until your pup is 18 months old. 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.
Fear periods are a normal part of puppy development, but they also can be overwhelming for dogs. So to take a puppy from everything it knows such as the breeder, littermates and mum at this critical time can have serious repercussions. This also coincides with a very critical socialization period.