Puppy Development Fear Periods. Young dogs go through two separate “fear periods” as they grow, which are essentially times when the pup is extremely sensitive to bad experiences. Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period.
If the puppy perceives an event as traumatic, he may generalize it and it could affect him for the rest of his life. The fear can be of. We now know that the first fear period peaks at 8 weeks.
Try to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences can have an effect during this period.
Fear periods are times during which puppies become more sensitive to a variety of external stimuli. They are dependent on their mother or another heat source to keep them warm. Fear periods are a normal part of puppy development, but they also can be overwhelming for dogs. 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.