Puppy Development Fear Periods
Puppy development week by week starts as soon as your puppy is born.
Puppy development fear periods. Puppies will experience two different fear periods before reaching adulthood. 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. Fear imprint period (8 to 10 weeks) the puppy is very susceptible to long lasting effects of fearful stimuli at this stage.
During fear periods, puppies become more sensitive and aware of the world around them. The human socialization period begins at seven weeks and ends at 12 weeks. Tail wagging begins and the puppy begins to control body functions.
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. 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). 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).
Young dogs go through two separate “fear periods” as they grow, which are essentially times when the pup is extremely sensitive to bad experiences. Newborn puppies are born at the end of nine weeks of pregnancy, with their eyes and ears tightly closed. Many will go through a fearful time when they begin teething between four and five months of age.
If the puppy perceives an event as traumatic, he may generalize it and it could affect him for the rest of his life. The puppy responds only to warmth, touch, and smell. Fear periods are times during which puppies become more sensitive to a variety of external stimuli.
Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period. What does a fear period look like? This period is when the most rapid learning occurs.