If you just got a puppy or are thinking about getting one, you need to know about fear periods. How these crucial stages of puppy development are addressed can significantly impact whether your puppy’s socialization is effective or not. How? Let’s take a quick look.
What are Fear Periods?
The puppy brain has been designed with special stages that help teach puppies what they should fear. These stages or “periods” are called “fear periods.” Fear periods are stages in your puppy’s life when its brain is hypersensitive to new stimuli. These periods occur at least twice during your puppy’s life (possibly three times). The first period might occur before your puppy comes to you, around four weeks old, when it first starts walking. I say “might” because I have only seen evidence of this in a couple very young puppies I helped raise. The second (or first, depending on whether the previous one occurred) is the first one you will encounter, which takes place at about eight to twelve weeks of age, depending on the puppy. Many breeds and individuals go through a third (or second) fear period when they enter adolescence, around about five to six months of age. This third period is sometimes shorter than the previous one. In at least one puppy I observed, it came and went in only about a week.
What Should You Do About Fear Periods?
The quick answer to this is to socialize to everything and do so in the most fun way possible. Puppies during fear periods are not only sensitive to new and scary things, but the lessons they learn during these fear periods stay with them throughout their life. Suppose your puppy has a fight with another dog during this stage. In that case, its chances of developing aggression and/or fear toward other dogs increase considerably. If your puppy experiences a startling event with no clear escape, opportunity to recover, and/or comfort from a trusted guardian, the chances of it developing a fear of loud noises increase, and its adaptability to situations may be impaired for life. To help your puppy follow these tips during socialization:
Tip #1: Keep socialization short and sweet. Do not expect too much of your puppy for long periods of time. Working too long can cause puppies to associate outings with being tired and overstimulated, increasing the chances they will develop defensive behaviors in connection with things like the car they travel in, the leash, and even other dogs.
Tip #2: Make sure your puppy enjoys socialization. When you work on socialization with your puppy, you need to make sure that the memories they have are good ones. The goal of socialization is for puppies to learn that things like being in the car, meeting other people and dogs, and encountering new objects, are fun. If something is causing your puppy to feel overwhelmed, remove your puppy from the situation and gradually work your way back to that place, going at your puppy’s pace.
Tip #3: If your puppy experiences something scary, offer support. Many people believe that petting and comforting puppies when they are scarred reinforces the fear. That is not true. Fear is an emotional response, not a behavior. You cannot reinforce it in the same way you reinforce behavior. However, it is important that you do not coddle your puppy. The goal is to help your puppy feel safe so it can process and learn to adjust to its surroundings. Please keep your puppy under the threshold during socialization.
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