Puppy Development Fear Periods
This also coincides with a very critical socialization period.
Puppy development fear periods. He cannot regulate body functions such as temperature and elimination. Fear periods are a normal part of puppy development, but they also can be overwhelming for dogs. Puppies experience two fear periods during their development, and each fear period lasts for about 2 to 3 weeks, on average.
This period is when the most rapid learning occurs. It’s so useful for guardians to know that this stage is temporary and that it is completely normal. Veterinary behaviorists, this first fear period takes place between the ages of 8 to 10 weeks.
The puppy responds only to warmth, touch, and smell. Puppy development week by week starts as soon as your puppy is born. Critical periods in puppy development.
They already have a fur coat but they cannot yet control their own body temperature. Growth and development continues into the adolescent phase, beginning at 5 to 6 months and extending up until your pup is 18 months old. If the puppy perceives an event as traumatic, he may generalize it and it could affect him for the rest of his life.
So to take a puppy from everything it knows such as the breeder, littermates and mum at this critical time can have serious repercussions. They are dependent on their mother or another heat source to keep them warm. 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).
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. Young dogs go through two separate “fear periods” as they grow, which are essentially times when the pup is extremely sensitive to bad experiences. The most critical period for puppy development is the age six to eight weeks (everything that happens prior to this is to do with setting the foundations of the animal & why it is essential that you have chosen a good breeder).