Puppy Development Fear Periods
Generally speaking, puppies go through two potential fear periods during puppyhood.
Puppy development fear periods. The fear can be of. This second fear period is also at the time many owners are. Young dogs go through two separate “fear periods” as they grow, which are essentially times when the pup is extremely sensitive to bad experiences.
This also coincides with a very critical socialization period. 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.
Tail wagging begins and the puppy begins to control body functions. Puppies experience two fear periods during their development, and each fear period lasts for about 2 to 3 weeks, on average. Many will go through a fearful time when they begin teething between four and five months of age.
Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period. Growth and development continues into the adolescent phase, beginning at 5 to 6 months and extending up until your pup is 18 months old. 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.
Concurrently, the fear impact period begins at eight weeks and ends at 11 weeks. 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). He cannot regulate body functions such as temperature and elimination.
Eyes and ears are open, but sight and hearing are limited. Your puppy is coming into a new home, leaving behind his mother, and litter mates, and is being introduced to a new family. During fear periods, puppies become more sensitive and aware of the world around them.