Puppy Development Fear Periods
What does a fear period look like?
Puppy development fear periods. The puppy responds only to warmth, touch, and smell. Puppies experience two fear periods during their development, and each fear period lasts for about 2 to 3 weeks, on average. Eyes and ears are open, but sight and hearing are limited.
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. 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). 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. Critical periods in puppy development. Great care should be taken to avoid fearful reactions during this stage.
This second fear period is also at the time many owners are. This also coincides with a very critical socialization period. Fear imprint period (8 to 10 weeks) the puppy is very susceptible to long lasting effects of fearful stimuli at 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. Many will go through a fearful time when they begin teething between four and five months of age. During fear periods, puppies become more sensitive and aware of the world around them.
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. Puppies will experience two different fear periods before reaching adulthood.