Critical periods in puppy development
Neonatal Period (0-12 Days):
The puppy responds only to warmth, touch, and smell. He cannot regulate body functions such as temperature and elimination.
Transition Period (13 - 20 Days):
Eyes and ears are open, but sight and hearing are limited. Tail wagging begins and the puppy begins to control body functions.
Awareness Period (21 - 28 Days):
Sight and hearing functions well. The puppy is learning that he is a dog and has a great deal of need for a stable environment.
Canine Socialization Period (21 - 49 Days):
Interacting with his mother and littermates, the pup learns various canine behaviors. He is now aware of the differences between canine and human societies.
Human Socialization Period (7 to 12 Weeks):
The pup has the brain wave of and adult dog. The best time for going to a new home. He now has the ability to learn respect, simple behavioral responses: sit, stay, come. Housebreaking begins. He now learns by association. The permanent man/dog bonding begins, and he is able to accept gentle discipline and establish confidence.
Fear Impact Period (8 - 11 Weeks):
Try
to avoid frightening the puppy during this time, since traumatic experiences
can have an effect during this period. 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. It is very
important now to introduce other humans, but he must be closely supervised to
minimize adverse conditioning. Learning at this age is permanent.
This is the stage where you wonder if your dog is going to be a woosy butt all
his life. Also introducing your puppy to other dogs at this time will help him
become more socialized. If available in your area, a doggy day care is great
for this.
Seniority Classification Period (13 - 16 Weeks):
This critical period is also known as the "Age of Cutting" - cutting teeth and cutting apron strings. At this age, the puppy begins testing dominance and leadership. Biting behavior is absolutely discouraged from thirteen weeks on. Praise for the correct behavior response is the most effective tool. Meaningful praise is highly important to shape positive attitude.
Flight Instinct Period (4 to 8 Months):
During this period puppies test their wings- they will turn a deaf ear when called. This period lasts from a few days to several weeks. It is critical to praise the positive and minimize the negative behavior during this time. However, you must learn how to achieve the correct response. This period corresponds to teething periods, and behavioral problems become compounded by physiological development chewing.
Second Fear impact period (6 - 14 Months) *:
Also called, "The fear of situations period", usually corresponds to growths spurts. This critical age may depend on the size of the dog. Small dogs tend to experience these periods earlier than large dogs. Great care must be taken not to reinforce negative behavior. Force can frighten the dog, and soothing tones serve to encourage his fear. His fear should be handled with patience and kindness, and training during this period puts the dog in a position of success, while allowing him to work things out while building self-confidence.
Maturity (1 - 4 years) :
Many breeds' especially giant breeds continue to grow and physically change well beyond four years of age. The average dog develops to full maturity between 1-1 1/2 years and three years of age. This period is often marked by an increase in aggression and by a renewed testing for leadership. During this time, while testing for leadership, the dog should be handled firmly. Regulars training throughout this testing period, praise him for the proper response. Giving him no inroads to affirm his leadership will remind him that this issue has already been settled.
Second Fear Period: 6 to 14 Months
While the 8 to 12 week puppy fear period is in some cases hardly noticed by puppy owners, the second fear period appears to have a much bigger impact. Rover has grown now and if he is a large breed he may even weigh 100 pounds or more! This fear period is believed to be tied to the dog's sexual maturity and growth spurts.This means that in large breeds it may develop later compared to a smaller dog. Often, this stage is also known as "teenage flakiness" according Ellen Dodge in her article "Critical Periods in Canine Development" published in the Weimaraner Magazine. October. 1989.
In the wild, dogs at this age are allowed to go on hunts with the rest of the pack. At this stage, it is important for them to learn to stick with the pack for safety, but they also need to learn about fear since they need fear for survival purposes.The message to the puppy is to run away if something unfamiliar approaches them, explain Wendy and Jack Volhard in the book Dog Training for Dummies.
Reactivity levels rise during this stage causing the dog to act defensively, become protective and more territorial. Owners often report the fear seems to pop out of no where. Dogs appear fearful of novel stimuli or stimuli met before but that did not trigger significant reactions. As in the first fear period, it is best to avoid traumatic experiences during this time such as shipping dogs on a plane and any other overwhelming experience. Because at this stage the owner may be dealing with a dog barking and lunging and pulling on the leash, this fear period has a bigger impact, causing the owner to worry about the dog's behavior.
How to Make Things Better:
Continue
socializing as much as possible but without exposing your dog to overwhelming
situations
Create positive associations through counter-conditioning
Build confidence through training and confidence building sports and exercises
Avoid traumatic experiences during this delicate phase.
General Tips for Dealing with Fear Periods
These tips will come handy to help you deal with your pampered pooch's fear periods. However, they also work for dogs who are fearful in general. While they are effective, keep in mind that your dog's tendency for being fearful may be the work of genetics rather than a temporary problem resulting from a fear stage. To learn more about how nature and nurture molds dog behavior please read: Dog Behavior: Nature versus Nurture Debate Following are some tips to help your puppy or dog get through these frightening fear periods:
Remain
as Calm as Possible
You can lie to your boss, but when it comes to dogs, they are masters in
reading our emotions and body language. If you are overly concerned or just a
bit tense about your dog acting fearfully or defensively, rest assure your dog
will perceive it. Don't put tension on the leash, get tense or talk to your in
worried manner. Stay relaxed and loose.
Pretend
it's No Big Deal
Your dog feeds on your emotions. Just as mother dog would take her pups out
from the den and guide the puppies through threatening and non-threatening situations,
manifest to your dog that the stimuli he fears is not a big deal. Some find
that saying in a casual tone "It's just a _______ (fill in the blank),
silly boy!" helps the dog understand it's not a big deal.
Counter-Condition
If your dog acts fearfully towards a certain stimuli you can try to change your
dog's emotional response by using treats or anything the dog finds rewarding.
The moment your dog sees the threatening stimulus give treats, the moment the
threatening stimulus disappears take the treats away. The same can be done with
sounds the dog finds startling, make the sound become a cue that a tasty treat
is coming. What if your dog won't take treats? Most likely, the stimulus is too
scary and the dog is over threshold.
Don't
Overwhelm, Desensitize!
Work, under the threshold from a distance your dog or puppy does not react
fearfully and is able to take treats. If you overwhelm and flood your puppy,
you risk sensitizing your puppy which means you make him more fearful. Don' t
force your puppy to interact with the feared stimulus; rather allow him to
investigate whatever he fears on his own and remember to praise/reward any
initiative your puppy or dog takes!
Socialize,
socialize, socialize
Fear periods are part of a dog's developmental stages. The more your dog is
exposed to stimuli and learns there is nothing to be scared about, the more
confident he will be in the future when he will encounter anything
intimidating. While the window of opportunity for the puppy socialization phase
closes at around 14 to 16 weeks, socialization opportunties should virtually
never end.
Don't
Punish the Fear
Last but not least, avoid punishing the fear. It is appears that the majority
of dog aggressive displays are due to fear; therefore, by punishing the
behavior you will be only exacerbating the fear. Ignore the fear and let your
dog build confidence by letting him investigate things on his own when he is
ready and praising for the effort. Use force-free behavior modification such as
desensitization and counterconditioning
While behaviorists have studied fear periods for some time, it is important to keep in mind that they may not occur within that exact time frame for each puppy. If your dog is going through a fear period, keep in mind that it is not the end of the world. With guidance, desensitization and counter conditioning, your puppy or dog should recover nicely with time.
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